‘Free with the Free, Equal with the Equal’: Poles and Ukrainians Against the Background of the Conversion of the Jagiellonian Myth. Experience of Polish Historiography at the Beginning of the 20th Century

Abstract

The Jagiellonian myth is relatively well developed in Polish historiography. The exception is the first twenty years of the 20th century, when its successive conversions and accelerated migration from the discourse of historiography to the discourse of memory took place. In the background of these processes, a kind of advancement of Polish-Ukrainian issues was taking place (politically conditioned), which until now had been dominated by Polish-Lithuanian relations. This article is intended to expand on and document these issues. The subject of analysis and conclusion were works of a general nature (syntheses, parasyntheses, textbooks, compendia, etc.), which accumulate and ‘reflect’ current scientific, political, social, cultural and other trends, creating interesting research material. It allowed to establish that in 1900–1918, the symbol of the Union of Lublin, the idea of ‘free with the free, equal with the equal’ was a popular motif of historical narratives, which as a scientific construct, however, became more and more archaic. Its cultivation resulted in an indirect retreat from critical historiography. It can be seen that the Jagiellonian myth attracted neo-Romantics to a greater extent than Modernists who sought a closer link between historiography and social sciences. However, it cannot be said that there were no interesting attempts to reinterpret it. Such were the references to some of the then promising sociologising and psychologising directions that appeared in the West but also in Poland. Surprisingly, the greatest admirers of this idea at the beginning of the 20th century were historians identifying themselves with national democratic ideas, followed by conservatives (realists) and researchers associated with various factions of the independence camp. The Treaty of Riga of 18 March 1921, concluded between Poland, Soviet Russia and Ukraine, showed that the romantic spirit of the Union of Lublin survived and became part of the history of ideas.