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Konrad Wallenrod is an 1828 narrative poem, in Polish, by Adam Mickiewicz, set in the 14th-century Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

Mickiewicz wrote it, while living in St. Petersburg, Russia, in protest against the late-18th-century partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg monarchy.

Mickiewicz had been exiled to St. Petersburg for his participation in the Philomaths organization at Vilnius University.^[1]

The poem helped inspire the Lithuanian and Polish November 1830 Uprising against Russian rule.^[2] Though its subversive theme was apparent to most readers, the poem escaped censorship due to conflicts among the censors and, in the second edition, a prefatory homage to Tsar Nicholas I.^[3] Though Mickiewicz later disparaged the work, its cultural influence in Poland persists.

Plot

In a preface, Mickiewicz briefly outlines the history of the region, describing the interactions among the Lithuanians, Prussians, Poles, and Russians.^[1] The following six cantos tell the story of Wallenrod, a fictional Lithuanian pagan captured and reared as a Christian by his people's long-standing enemies, the Order of Teutonic Knights. He rises to the position of Grand Master, but is awakened to his heritage by a mysterious minstrel singing at an entertainment event.^[3] He then seeks vengeance by deliberately leading the Knights into a major military defeat.^[3] It transpires that Wallenrod has a wife, Aldona, who has been living in seclusion. Konrad secretly meets her.^[4] The Knights discover his treason and sentence him to death; Aldona refuses to flee with him, because she had previously sworn allegiance to God.^[5] Konrad Wallenrod commits suicide by drinking poison.^[6]

Cultural influences

The concept of "Wallenrodism" (Polish: Wallenrodyzm)—the striking of a treacherous, possibly suicidal, blow against an enemy—and certain powerful fragments of the poem have become an enduring part of the Lithuanian and Polish psyche and found resonance in the independence struggles of the two nations in the 19th (1831, 1863) and 20th centuries. The poem included a reference to Machiavelli's dictum that a leader must be both a lion and a fox.^[2]^[3] Its encouragement of what would later be called "patriotic treason" created controversy, since its elements of deception and conspiracy were thought incompatible with Christian and chivalric values.^[7] Mickiewicz was taken aback by the strength of the public response to his poem and regretted its publication; before his death, he expressed frustration at his financial inability to buy back and burn every copy of what he described as a mere "political pamphlet."^[2]^[7]

Konrad Wallenrod has twice been turned into an opera: as I Lituani (The Lithuanians), by Italian composer Amilcare Ponchielli (1874); and as Konrad Wallenrod, by Polish composer Władysław Żeleński (1885). The Polish composer Frédéric Chopin may have based his Ballade No.1 in G minor on this poem.^[1]

The Polish author Joseph Conrad, who had been christened Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, may have selected the second part of his pen name as an hommage to the poem's protagonist.^[8] Mickiewicz's poem influenced Conrad's frequent explorations of the conflict between publicly attested loyalty and a hidden affiliation with a national cause.^[9]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Jonathan Bellman (2009). Chopin's Polish Ballade Op. 38 as Narrative of National Martyrdom. Oxford University Press US. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-19-533886-7.
^ ^a ^b ^c Christopher John Murray (2004). Encyclopedia of the Romantic Era, 1760–1850, volume 2. Taylor & Francis. p. 740. ISBN 978-1-57958-422-1.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Czeslaw Milosz (1984). History of Polish Literature. University of California Press. p. 220. ISBN 978-0-520-04477-7.
^ "Konrad Wallenrod - charakterystyka - Adam Mickiewicz". poezja.org (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-07-06.
^ "Konrad Wallenrod - bohaterowie – Konrad Wallenrod - opracowanie – Zinterpretuj.pl" (in Polish). 2022-07-25. Retrieved 2023-07-06.
^ "Konrad Wallenrod - streszczenie - Adam Mickiewicz". poezja.org (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-07-06.
^ ^a ^b Richard Andrew Cardwell (2004). The Reception of Byron in Europe, volume 1. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 310. ISBN 978-0-8264-6844-4.
^ Jean M. Szczypien (1998). "Echoes from Konrad Wallenrod in Almayer's Folly and A Personal Record". Nineteenth-Century Literature. 53 (1). University of California Press: 91–110. doi:10.2307/2902971. JSTOR 2902971.
^ George E. Marcus (1993). Perilous States: Conversations on Culture, Politics, and Nation. University of Chicago Press. pp. 204, 205. ISBN 978-0-226-50447-6. wallenrod joseph conrad.

External links

English translation of Konrad Wallenrod. M.A. Biggs, 1882.

[bellman-1] Jonathan Bellman (2009). Chopin's Polish Ballade Op. 38 as Narrative of National Martyrdom. Oxford University Press US. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-19-533886-7.

[mur-2] Christopher John Murray (2004). Encyclopedia of the Romantic Era, 1760–1850, volume 2. Taylor & Francis. p. 740. ISBN 978-1-57958-422-1.

[milo-3] Czeslaw Milosz (1984). History of Polish Literature. University of California Press. p. 220. ISBN 978-0-520-04477-7.

[4] "Konrad Wallenrod - charakterystyka - Adam Mickiewicz". poezja.org (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-07-06.

[5] "Konrad Wallenrod - bohaterowie – Konrad Wallenrod - opracowanie – Zinterpretuj.pl" (in Polish). 2022-07-25. Retrieved 2023-07-06.

[6] "Konrad Wallenrod - streszczenie - Adam Mickiewicz". poezja.org (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-07-06.

[recep-7] Richard Andrew Cardwell (2004). The Reception of Byron in Europe, volume 1. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 310. ISBN 978-0-8264-6844-4.

[8] Jean M. Szczypien (1998). "Echoes from Konrad Wallenrod in Almayer's Folly and A Personal Record". Nineteenth-Century Literature. 53 (1). University of California Press: 91–110. doi:10.2307/2902971. JSTOR 2902971.

[uc-9] George E. Marcus (1993). Perilous States: Conversations on Culture, Politics, and Nation. University of Chicago Press. pp. 204, 205. ISBN 978-0-226-50447-6. wallenrod joseph conrad.

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+{{Short description|1828 narrative poem by Adam Mickiewicz}}
 {{for|the historical Grandmaster of the Teutonic Knights|Konrad von Wallenrode}}
 {{italic title}}
-[[File:Majeranowski Konrad Wallenrod.jpg|thumb|''Konrad Wallenrod'', a painting by Władysław Majeranowski (1844), [[National Museum in Warsaw|National Museum]] in [[Warsaw]].]]
+[[File:Majeranowski Konrad Wallenrod.jpg|thumb|''Konrad Wallenrod'', a painting by Władysław Majeranowski (1844), [[National Museum in Warsaw]].]]
 '''''Konrad Wallenrod''''' is an 1828 [[narrative poem]], in [[Polish language|Polish]], by [[Adam Mickiewicz]], set in the 14th-century [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]].
-Mickiewicz wrote it, while living in [[St. Petersburg]], [[Russia]], in protest against the late-18th-century [[Partitions of Poland|partitioning]] of the [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]] by the  [[Russian Empire]], the [[Kingdom of Prussia]], and [[Habsburg Austria|Austria]].
+Mickiewicz wrote it, while living in [[St. Petersburg]], [[Russia]], in protest against the late-18th-century [[Partitions of Poland|partitions]] of the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] by the [[Russian Empire]], the [[Kingdom of Prussia]], and the [[Habsburg monarchy]].
-Mickiewicz had been exiled to St. Petersburg for his participation in the [[Philomaths]] organization at [[Wilno University]].<ref name=bellman/>
+Mickiewicz had been exiled to St. Petersburg for his participation in the [[Philomaths]] organization at [[Vilnius University]].<ref name=bellman/>
-The poem helped inspire the Polish [[November Uprising|November 1830 Uprising]] against Russian rule.<ref name=mur/> Though its subversive theme was apparent to most readers, the poem escaped censorship due to conflicts among the [[censorship|censor]]s and, in the second edition, a prefatory homage to [[Tsar Nicholas I]].<ref name=milo/> Though Mickiewicz later disparaged the work, its cultural influence in Poland persists.
+The poem helped inspire the Lithuanian and Polish [[November Uprising|November 1830 Uprising]] against Russian rule.<ref name=mur/> Though its subversive theme was apparent to most readers, the poem escaped censorship due to conflicts among the [[censorship|censor]]s and, in the second edition, a prefatory homage to [[Tsar Nicholas I]].<ref name=milo/> Though Mickiewicz later disparaged the work, its cultural influence in Poland persists.
 ==Plot==
-In a preface, Mickiewicz briefly outlines the history of the region, describing the interactions among the Lithuanians, Prussians, Poles, and Russians.<ref name=bellman/> The following six [[canto]]s tell the story of Wallenrod, a fictional [[Lithuanian people|Lithuanian]] [[pagan]] captured and reared as a Christian by his people's long-standing enemies, the Order of [[Teutonic Knights]]. He rises to the position of [[Grand Masters of the Teutonic Knights|Grand Master]], but is awakened to his heritage by a mysterious minstrel singing at an entertainment.<ref name=milo>{{cite book|title=History of Polish Literature|author=[[Czeslaw Milosz]]|year=1984|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|page=220|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=11MVdBYUX5oC&pg=PA220&dq=Konrad+Wallenrod&cd=8#v=onepage&q=Konrad%20Wallenrod&f=false | isbn=978-0-520-04477-7}}</ref> He then seeks vengeance by deliberately leading the Knights into a major military defeat.<ref name=milo/> It transpires that Wallenrod has a wife, Aldona, who has been living in seclusion. The Knights discover his treason and sentence him to death; Aldona refuses to flee with him. He then commits [[suicide]].
+In a preface, Mickiewicz briefly outlines the history of the region, describing the interactions among the Lithuanians, Prussians, Poles, and Russians.<ref name=bellman/> The following six [[canto]]s tell the story of Wallenrod, a fictional [[Lithuanian mythology|Lithuanian pagan]] captured and reared as a Christian by his people's long-standing enemies, the Order of [[Teutonic Knights]]. He rises to the position of [[Grand Masters of the Teutonic Knights|Grand Master]], but is awakened to his heritage by a mysterious minstrel singing at an entertainment event.<ref name=milo>{{cite book|title=History of Polish Literature|author=Czeslaw Milosz|author-link=Czeslaw Milosz|year=1984|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|page=220|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=11MVdBYUX5oC&pg=PA220 | isbn=978-0-520-04477-7}}</ref> He then seeks vengeance by deliberately leading the Knights into a major military defeat.<ref name=milo/> It transpires that Wallenrod has a wife, Aldona, who has been living in seclusion. Konrad secretly meets her.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Konrad Wallenrod - charakterystyka - Adam Mickiewicz |url=https://poezja.org/wz/interpretacja/3718/Charakterystyka_Konrada_Wallenroda |access-date=2023-07-06 |website=poezja.org |language=pl}}</ref> The Knights discover his treason and sentence him to death; Aldona refuses to flee with him, because she had previously sworn allegiance to God.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-07-25 |title=Konrad Wallenrod - bohaterowie – Konrad Wallenrod - opracowanie – Zinterpretuj.pl |url=https://zinterpretuj.pl/opracowania/konrad-wallenrod-bohaterowie/ |access-date=2023-07-06 |language=pl-PL}}</ref> Konrad Wallenrod commits suicide by drinking poison.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Konrad Wallenrod - streszczenie - Adam Mickiewicz |url=https://poezja.org/wz/interpretacja/3714/Konrad_Wallenrod_streszczenie |access-date=2023-07-06 |website=poezja.org |language=pl}}</ref>
 ==Cultural influences==
-The concept of "Wallenrodism" ({{lang-pl|"Wallenrodyzm"}}) — the striking of a treacherous, possibly suicidal, blow against an enemy — and certain powerful fragments of the poem, have become an enduring part of the Polish psyche and found resonance in the [[Polish uprisings]] of the 19th and 20th centuries. The poem included a reference to [[Machiavelli]]'s dictum that a leader must be both a lion and a fox.<ref name=mur>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of the Romantic Era, 1760-1850, volume 2|author=Christopher John Murray|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=wgS2nYRIuUEC&pg=PA740&dq=Konrad+Wallenrod&cd=19#v=onepage&q=Konrad%20Wallenrod&f=false|publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]]|page=740|year=2004 | isbn=978-1-57958-422-1}}</ref><ref name=milo/> Its encouragement of what would later be called "patriotic treason" created controversy, since its elements of deception and conspiracy were thought incompatible with Christian and [[chivalric]] values.<ref name=recep>{{cite book|title=The Reception of Byron in Europe, volume 1|author=Richard Andrew Cardwell|publisher=[[Continuum International Publishing Group]]|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=PuFX3hcqA5oC&pg=PA310&dq=wallenrod+konrad+christian&cd=7#v=onepage&q=wallenrod%20konrad%20christian&f=false|page=310|year=2004 | isbn=978-0-8264-6844-4}}</ref> Mickiewicz was taken aback by the strength of the public response to his poem and regretted its publication; before his death, he expressed frustration at his financial inability to buy back and burn every copy of what he described as a mere "political pamphlet."<ref name=mur/><ref name=recep/>
+The concept of "Wallenrodism" ({{lang-pl|Wallenrodyzm}})—the striking of a treacherous, possibly suicidal, blow against an enemy—and certain powerful fragments of the poem have become an enduring part of the Lithuanian and Polish psyche and found resonance in the independence struggles of the two nations in the 19th (1831, 1863) and 20th centuries. The poem included a reference to [[Machiavelli]]'s dictum that a leader must be both a lion and a fox.<ref name=mur>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of the Romantic Era, 1760–1850, volume 2|author=Christopher John Murray|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wgS2nYRIuUEC&q=Konrad+Wallenrod&pg=PA740|publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]]|page=740|year=2004 | isbn=978-1-57958-422-1}}</ref><ref name=milo/> Its encouragement of what would later be called "patriotic treason" created controversy, since its elements of deception and conspiracy were thought incompatible with Christian and [[chivalric]] values.<ref name=recep>{{cite book|title=The Reception of Byron in Europe, volume 1|author=Richard Andrew Cardwell|publisher=[[Continuum International Publishing Group]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PuFX3hcqA5oC&q=wallenrod+konrad+christian&pg=PA310|page=310|year=2004 | isbn=978-0-8264-6844-4}}</ref> Mickiewicz was taken aback by the strength of the public response to his poem and regretted its publication; before his death, he expressed frustration at his financial inability to buy back and burn every copy of what he described as a mere "political pamphlet."<ref name=mur/><ref name=recep/>
-''Konrad Wallenrod'' has twice been turned into an opera:  as ''[[I Lituani]]'' (The Lithuanians), by Italian composer [[Amilcare Ponchielli]] (1874); and as ''Konrad Wallenrod'',  by Polish composer [[Władysław Żeleński (musician)|Władysław Żeleński]] (1885). The Polish composer [[Frédéric Chopin]] may have based on this poem his [[Ballade No.1 in G minor]].<ref name=bellman>{{cite book|title=Chopin's Polish Ballade Op. 38 as Narrative of National Martyrdom|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=xYh8d5hIScMC&pg=PT89&dq=chopin+Konrad+Wallenrod&cd=1#v=onepage&q=chopin%20Konrad%20Wallenrod&f=false|author=Jonathan Bellman|year=2009|page=72|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] US | isbn=978-0-19-533886-7}}</ref>
+''Konrad Wallenrod'' has twice been turned into an opera:  as ''[[I Lituani]]'' (The Lithuanians), by Italian composer [[Amilcare Ponchielli]] (1874); and as [[Konrad Wallenrod (opera)|''Konrad Wallenrod'']],  by Polish composer [[Władysław Żeleński (musician)|Władysław Żeleński]] (1885). The Polish composer [[Frédéric Chopin]] may have based his [[Ballade No.1 in G minor]] on this poem.<ref name=bellman>{{cite book|title=Chopin's Polish Ballade Op. 38 as Narrative of National Martyrdom|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xYh8d5hIScMC&q=chopin+Konrad+Wallenrod&pg=PT89|author=Jonathan Bellman|year=2009|page=72|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] US | isbn=978-0-19-533886-7}}</ref>
-The Polish-born author [[Joseph Conrad]], who had been christened Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, may have selected the second part of his [[pen name]] as an [[Homage (arts)|hommage]] to the poem's protagonist.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Echoes from Konrad Wallenrod in ''Almayer's Folly'' and ''A Personal Record''|jstor=2902971|author=Jean M. Szczypien|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|year=1998|volume=53|pages=91–110}}</ref> Mickiewicz's poem influenced Conrad's frequent explorations of the conflict between publicly attested loyalty and a hidden affiliation with a national cause.<ref name=uc>{{cite book|title=Perilous States: Conversations on Culture, Politics, and Nation|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=dmiDkvReMoEC&pg=PA203&dq=wallenrod+joseph+conrad&cd=1#v=onepage&q=wallenrod%20joseph%20conrad&f=false|author=George E. Marcus|pages=204, 205|year=1993|publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] | isbn=978-0-226-50447-6}}</ref>
+The Polish author [[Joseph Conrad]], who had been christened Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, may have selected the second part of his [[pen name]] as an [[Homage (arts)|hommage]] to the poem's protagonist.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Echoes from Konrad Wallenrod in ''Almayer's Folly'' and ''A Personal Record''|jstor=2902971|author=Jean M. Szczypien|journal=Nineteenth-Century Literature|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|year=1998|volume=53|issue=1|pages=91–110|doi=10.2307/2902971}}</ref> Mickiewicz's poem influenced Conrad's frequent explorations of the conflict between publicly attested loyalty and a hidden affiliation with a national cause.<ref name=uc>{{cite book|title=Perilous States: Conversations on Culture, Politics, and Nation|url=https://archive.org/details/perilousstatesco00geor|url-access=registration|quote=wallenrod joseph conrad.|author=George E. Marcus|pages=[https://archive.org/details/perilousstatesco00geor/page/204 204], 205|year=1993|publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] | isbn=978-0-226-50447-6}}</ref>
 == See also ==
@@ Line 30: / Line 31: @@
 ==References==
-{{reflist}}
+{{Reflist}}
 ==External links==
-* [http://books.google.com/books?id=ZVECAAAAQAAJ&pg=PR15&dq=wallenrod+konrad+translation&cd=3#v=onepage&q=&f=false English translation of Konrad Wallenrod]. M.A. Biggs, 1882.
+* [https://archive.org/details/konradwallenrod00mickgoog <!-- quote=wallenrod konrad translation. --> English translation of Konrad Wallenrod]. M.A. Biggs, 1882.
 {{Romanticism}}
 {{Adam Mickiewicz}}
+{{Authority control}}
 [[Category:1828 poems]]
 [[Category:Polish poems]]
-[[Category:Teutonic Order]]
+[[Category:State of the Teutonic Order]]
-[[Category:Lithuania in fiction]]
+[[Category:Poems set in Lithuania]]
 [[Category:Works by Adam Mickiewicz]]
+[[Category:Epic poems in Polish]]

v t e Adam Mickiewicz
Poems	"Ode to Youth" (1820) Dziady (1822) "Grażyna" (1823) "Sonnets from the Crimea" (1826) Konrad Wallenrod (1828) Pan Tadeusz (1834)
Family	Celina Szymanowska Maria Szymanowska
Related	Three Bards
Commemoration	Mickiewicz's Legion Mickiewicz Battalion Adam Mickiewicz Museum, Istanbul Adam Mickiewicz Museum, Paris Adam Mickiewicz Museum of Literature, Warsaw Adam Mickiewicz Institute Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań Adam Mickiewicz Library and Dramatic Circle