Kolegia szlacheckie teatynów, pijarów i jezuitów a reformy deukacyjne w Rzeczypospolitej Obojga Narodów doby Oświecenia

Noble colleges of the Polish Republic may be considered as one of the pillars of European civilization. They were highly valued already in the Age of Enlightenment: Military and civil offices, senate chairs, even the throne itself, bear most creditable witness to such education. Many noble college alumni played a significant role in the political, economic, cultural and academic life of the country and fought for preserva-tion and restoration of its independence. Such alumni as Józef Maksymilian Os-soliński, Michał Jerzy Poniatowski, Stanisław Poniatowski, Kajetan Węgierski or Tadeusz Morski are worthy of acknowledgement. School constituted only one of the components influencing the education of generations of nobility. It is noteworthy that elite schools were entered by the youth who – thanks to private education – could boast the knowledge of modern languages or arts of chivalry and who acquired court ceremony and exquisite manners at home.