Aleksander Świeżawski, a Standard-Bearer of Lubaczów: a Career of a Middle-Class Nobleman from a Bełz Voivodeship in the Times of the Saxon House of Wettin

Abstract

The presented outline of the biography of Aleksander Świeżawski is an example of a career possible in the times of the Saxon House of Wettin for a middle-class nobleman who due to his wide-ranging actions, on the local forum, but also on parliamentary and military, as well as his thriftiness including the contacts with the royal court and the magnate protection, came up in the world to the rank of a wealthy nobleman, who could give his daughters in marriage to the magnates’ sons. Having inherited only a small part of one village, towards the end of his life he already had 5 entire villages, 6 hereditary parts and 13 royal villages. He did not manage, however, to gain any advancement to more significant offices. The path to this career was most assuredly hindered by his engagement in anti-royal opposition.
Aleksander Świeżawski was undoubtedly most distinguished representative of his house in the 18th century. However, it does not mean that the period lacked in influential individuals. It is worthy to mention three out of four brothers: Jan Antoni (died in 1744), a wojski and a vice-mayor (podstarości) of Bełz, Maciej aka Mateusz (died after 1799), a district king’s cup-bearer of Busk (cześnik), Jan Świeżawski (died in 1744), a pantler (stolnik) of Horodło and a starost of Pełczyce, Franciszek Świeżawski (died in 1769), a pantler (stolnik) of Grabowiec.   
In the future decades the main role, amongst the extended familia, was still played by the Bełz line. Together with the goods divided between different representatives towards the end of the 18th century it would have to be referred to as typically middle-nobility class. For none of its representatives could equal, through significance and wealth, to the aforementioned Aleksander. In the 19th century the Świeżawscy, thanks to their marriages and purchases, additionally enriched themselves with villages or their parts in Hołubie (nowadays Gołębie), Piaseczno, Miętkie and Żerniki, but also in Stryjów. In completely new socio-political conditions, in this and the next centuries, the family could deliver such excellent individuals as historians Ernest (died in 1919) and Aleksander (died in 2013), and Stefan, (died in 2004), a philosophy historian.