Ludwik Kubala, known primarily for his vivid and detailed depictions of the era of Kings Władysław IV and Jan Kazimierz, has this time shifted his focus from the nobility and wars to the bourgeoisie.
The Decline of Cities: The author provides a detailed analysis of the process by which the dominant nobility politically and economically marginalized the bourgeoisie.
Legal and Economic Situation: He describes the restrictions imposed on merchants and artisans, including the ban on land acquisition by non-nobles and the nobility’s monopoly on the grain trade.
Impact of wars: It shows how the dramatic events of the mid-17th century (including the Khmelnytsky Uprising and the Swedish Deluge) led Polish cities to complete economic ruin.
A Portrait of Daily Life: The book contains numerous details regarding the daily life, mentality, level of education, and aspirations of the townspeople of that time.
This work is an invaluable source of knowledge about the social structure, economy, and realities of daily life in the 17th-century Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
43 pages; the book bears a stamp from Jerzy Łojek’s library collection.
