Spaces of Independence During the Partitions of Poland – in the Diaries of Franciszek Salezy Gawroński (1787–1871)

Abstract

Franciszek Salezy Gawroński (1787-1871) was a soldier in Napoleon's army, a november insurgent, a politician and a social activist in the Republic of Cracow. He was an important figure in the social life of Cracow. He was also the author of memoirs covering almost seventy years of the nineteenth century, most of which remain in manuscript. The article presents Gawroński's attitude to the issue of freedom, primarily political. This issue changed with the author's subsequent experiences, with his participation in successive political events, and with his imprisonment.