Family, identity and networking : European encounters in Polish female travel writing, 1770s-1820s

Between the 1770s and 1820s six elite women originating from the Poland’s magnateria traversed Europe. Their itineraries, at times carefully planned, other times highly improvised, followed established routes. Their experiences of visiting sites of artistic and historical importance, and interacting with foreign elites, were predictable. On the surface, their travels were like many others. However, investigating their private or semi-public travelogues and correspondence prove otherwise, exposing the unique character of each of these journeys and individuality of each of the travellers. This thesis seeks to act as the first comprehensive study of manuscript travel writing by Polish women. It addresses three shortcomings in research into European travel, female travel, private and semi-public travel writing, and Polish women, bringing these research disciplines together. Firstly, it uncovers a large disregard for female travel accounts, especially where women are not presented as rare and rebellious individuals set against the backdrop of numerous male travellers, but rather as members of travelling groups, extending their agency in family and estate management into non-domestic settings. Secondly, this study addresses the shortage of research into manuscript source material, life-writing, which was intended for limited audiences or none at all, and which was therefore not intended for public readership by the authors. Thirdly, it exposes a predominant focus of current research on ‘Western’ European travel. From finding emotional comfort after the deaths of children, to reconnecting with family, to planning honeymoons delayed by wars, to supervising children’s education, this thesis reveals the wealth of these women’s motivations for travelling and writing, as well as the variety of topics addressed by them throughout manuscript accounts – topics which were rarely discussed in travelogues shared with public readership. This study portrays them as uncensored, often overlooked, commentators of everyday experiences, expressing their thoughts, judgements and emotions in a fashion not seen in non-private accounts catering to readers’ expectations. Finally, it presents Polish history as European history, showcasing how integrated into European societies these Polish women were throughout their travels, and arguing against the concept of ‘Eastern Europe.’