The notes of the “Ottoman Diplomat” on the events in Poland in 1766–1767 in a Greek manuscript from the fonds of V. Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine

Abstract

Тhe content of the manuscript 199 p from the collection of Kyiv Theological Academy, donated by Archimandrite Antonin Kapustin, has been analyzed. The manuscript covers historical references on the state of Poland until 1766, the chronicle of the events in Warsaw in 1766–1767, the extracts from deciphered reports of the secret agents on events in Poland, military preparations of Russia and its role in the political destabilization of Rzeczpospolita, and the personal thoughts and opinions of the Compiler. A greater part of reports were drawn up by the agent of the Prince of Moldavia in Poland Monsieur de la Roche. All texts of the manuscript were written in Modern Greek. Judging from the reports and personal notes of the Compiler, one may presume that the book might be compiled by one of the Greeks-Phanariotes: a diplomat or even the great dragoman of the Ottoman Empire, possibly, someone of the future Moldavia or Wallachia Princes.