Mieszczański republikanizm? Myśl polityczna Sebastiana Petrycego z Pilzna (1554–1626)

In 1605, Sebastian Petrycy of Pilzno published a translation of Aristotle’s Politics into Polish, accompanied by his own original commentary. In this work, Petrycy presented an image of an idealized state that served as a model to address the issues within the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The article deals with the political thought of Sebastian Petrycy, whom older historiography regarded as a monarchist or even a supporter of absolutism. Contrary to this categorisation, the article analyses the philosopher’s oeuvre through the lens of early modern republican theory. Central to the analysis are the fundamental elements of early modern republicanism such as virtue, freedom, law, and a mixed system. Petrycy critiques the implementation of these principles within the noblemen’s republicanism and proposes modifications to move towards what is defined for the purposes of this article as ‘burghers’ republicanism’. Utilizing Quentin Skinner’s methodology, Petrycy’s work has been set against the political crisis of Zebrzydowski’s rebellion, and its political significance has been demonstrated, despite its academic nature. Additionally, an attempt has been made to highlight Petrycy’s commitment to the royal camp, alongside the hypothesis that the author was expressing the intentions of senators-regalists while simultaneously seeking to improve the situation of non-noble citizens in the country.