“Pitiful times” – plague in Cracow in 1707–1710. A Contribution to the research into the collapse of the royal city

Abstract

The beginning of the XVIIIth century has been recorded in history of the city of Cracow as a time of war and famine. “Pitiful times” – such term was used in the chronicle of the Norbertine Sisters Convent. This cataclysms was followed by the last one and the most dangerous of them – an epidemic. The plague was a deathblow to the city on the verge of falling into ruin.

One of the most important goals of the article is pointing the connections between physical, economical or spiritual state of the municipal community and enormous proportions as well as consequences of the plague. Considerations are started from describing the situation in Cracow and nearest vicinity the day before cataclysm. Subsequently Authoress characterized preventive measures, basing on municipal bills and regulations. The main part of the article presents the drama of the ordinary cracovians. To throw light on the depth of demographical, cultural and spiritual crisis in the city, the view of situation is completed by statistics based on ecclesiastical sources – records and acts of the chapters of The Dominican Order. Authoress refers also to the texts publicized in Cracow at the begging of the XVIIIth century – from medical treatises to panegyric written by Marcin Ksawery Szumliński to venerate the authorities of the city fighting against the plague.