Employees of the Institute of History at the University of Opole, as part of the second evaluation criterion for the discipline of HISTORY, are striving to obtain research grants. The goal is to secure funding from the National Science Centre (NCN) and the National Programme for the Development of Humanities (NPRH).
The Polish War of Succession 1733-1735: Military Operations – Source Edition
By decision of the Minister of Science and Higher Education, the Institute of History at the University of Opole has received a grant under the National Program for the Development of Humanities in the module “National Heritage,” competition 12, for the implementation of the project titled The Polish Succession War 1733-1735: Military Operations – Source Edition” (NPRH/DN/SP/0213/2023/12).
Project Duration: 2024-2029
Project Amount: 656 352 PLN
Scope of Researchs: The primary objective of the project is to prepare for publication and disseminate, in an open-access format, an edition of sources dedicated to military operations during the Polish Succession War of 1733-1735. This war was part of the political and military rivalry among European powers in the 18th century and fits within a series of succession conflicts characteristic of the era, including the War of the Spanish Succession, the War of the Austrian Succession, and the War of the Bavarian Succession.
The research team’s focus will be on narrative, epistolary, and press sources that depict the course of military actions, originating from Polish, Saxon, and Russian contexts, as well as selected Western European states. This approach aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the war and its implications within the broader framework of 18th-century European conflicts.
Team Composition:
Archaeological Research in the Church of the Holy Cross in Opole (Opole Cathedral)
Since 2022, under the direction of Phd Magdaleny Przysiężnej-Pizarskiej rom the Institute of History at the University of Opole, archaeological research has been conducted at the site of the Church of the Holy Cross in Opole (Opole Cathedral), funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education with a grant of 3 000 000 PLN.
The relics discovered beneath the floor of the present cathedral are the remains of a church built in the first half of the 13th century. Its existence is documented in a record from 1223, which mentions the priest Reginald. The church followed a plan resembling a Latin cross, measuring approximately 36 by 21 meters. It consisted of a presbytery with two annexes, a transept, a three-nave main body, and a towered western complex, or westwerk. The church’s architectural program and monumental style reflected its significance in Silesia and the ambitions of the Dukes of Opole. During the research, the lower parts of the church’s walls were uncovered, revealing exceptionally valuable and unique architectural details and elements of sacred interior decor. Among the oldest features, likely crafted in the first third of the 13th century, are fragments of column shafts preserved in the corners of the presbytery and ceramic bases decorated with lily motifs.
In the area near the former altar lies a very valuable and rare element of church interior decoration—a burial tomb. Its location and preserved fragments of painted decoration from the early 14th century (polychromy featuring plant and ornamental motifs) suggest it may have served as the base for the tomb of an important figure, possibly a member of the ducal house. Also notable is the multicolored frame of the staircase entrance, created in the late 13th century and located in the corner of the present northern nave.
The artistic value of these elements reflects not only the prominence of the most important church in the Opole region but also speaks to the wealth, culture, and generosity of its inhabitants, as well as to Opole’s international connections and ties with other European cities. It also stands as evidence of the Church’s enduring presence in the city and region for nearly 1,000 years.
Institute of History
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e-mail: insthist@uni.opole.pl
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