John III Sobieski in the Art and Writings of Polish Americans

In view of the mass emigration to the USA and its multifaceted self-organisation, the Polish community there was described in social literature at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries as the “fourth district”. Various motifs interpreted in the spirit of identity and independence played a key role in its self-definition. Therefore, historical and religious heroes were sought who, on the one hand, could point to the distant and glorious past of the Polish state and, on the other hand, in accordance with the character of the era, could be presented as voluntary victims for the sake of their needy and threatened homeland. One of the figures highlighted in this context was Jan III Sobieski. The article refers to works of art and literature created in the Polish diaspora. As it turns out, the king was seen as a symbol of the struggle for freedom and unity of a nation in captivity. He was a symbol of indomitable courage, independence and freedom. Jan III Sobieski was depicted in the company of saints and in sacred spaces reserved for them, equating the king with Poland's heavenly intercessors. However, while Polish saints were depicted in isolation from the specifics and history of the United States, Sobieski was associated with the idea of fighting for freedom also in the context of the American struggle for independence. It is worth noting, however, that he did not become a hero on a par with Pulaski and Kosciuszko. Unlike the latter two, Jan III Sobieski represented monarchism in addition to the idea of freedom. The Polish community was a working-class one, and although the king was a proud symbol of times past, he could not become a hero with whom a simple emigrant could identify.