Jędrzej Kitowicz (1727 or 1728 – 3 April 1804) was a Polish historian and diarist. According to , a historian of Polish literature, Kitowicz was born into a

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...

family in the region of

Greater Poland Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; german: Großpolen, sv, Storpolen, la, Polonia Maior), is a Polish historical regions, historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed ...

, and was later employed in the service of wealthy priests. He was a

rotmistrz __NOTOC__ (German and Scandinavian for "riding master" or "cavalry master") is or was a military rank of a commissioned cavalry officer in the armies of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Scandinavia, and some other countries. A ''Rittmeister'' is typic ...

of the

Confederation of Bar The Bar Confederation ( pl, Konfederacja barska; 1768–1772) was an association of Poland, Polish nobles (szlachta) formed at the fortress of Bar, Ukraine, Bar in Podolia (now part of Ukraine) in 1768 to defend the internal and external indep ...

in Greater Poland. In 1771 he joined a religious

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

, while he remained in service of the

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Kujawy Kuyavia ( pl, Kujawy; german: Kujawien; la, Cuiavia), also referred to as Cuyavia, is a historical region in north-central Poland, situated on the left bank of Vistula, as well as east from Noteć River and Lake Gopło. It is divided into three t ...

Antoni Ostrowski (who later became the

primate Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians (monkeys and apes, the latter including huma ...

of Poland). In 1777 he took Holy Orders and in 1781 he became the provost of Rzeczyca where he spent the rest of his life. He is best known as the author of two unfinished treatises. ''Description of Customs during the reign of August III'' (''Opis obyczajów za panowania Augusta III'', published in 1840) was an attempt to portray the

culture of Poland The culture of Poland ( pl, Kultura Polski ) is the product of its geography and distinct historical evolution, which is closely connected to an intricate thousand-year history. Polish culture forms an important part of western civilization and ...

during the first half of the 18th century. ''Memoires, or History of Poland'' (''Pamiętniki, czyli Historia polska'', published partially in 1840, complete edition in 1971) was a chronicle of the years 1743–1798, with special attention to the Confederation of Bar. Kitowicz's works, especially ''Opis obyczajów...'' have a significant literary and historical value, although he could not keep himself objective, speaking out against

Stanisław August Poniatowski Stanisław II August (born Stanisław Antoni Poniatowski; 17 January 1732 – 12 February 1798), known also by his regnal Latin name Stanislaus II Augustus, was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1764 to 1795, and the last monarch ...

and the reformists. He died in Rzeczyca.

References

* Literatura polska. Przewodnik encyklopedyczny, Warszawa 1984

External links

Works by Kitowicz
at

Polona Polona is a Polish digital library, which provides digitized books, magazines, graphics, maps, music, fliers and manuscripts from collections of the National Library of Poland and co-operating institutions. It began its operation in 2006. Colle ...

, including the ''Pamiętniki'' and ''Opis obyczajów'' 1727 births 1804 deaths 18th-century Polish Roman Catholic priests 18th-century Polish historians Polish male non-fiction writers Bar confederates {{RC-clergy-stub