The Sobieskis and Stuarts – the Splendour and Spectre of the Crown

The exhibition The Sobieskis and Stuarts – the Splendour and Spectre of the Crown is the first in Poland to trace a common thread in the modern history of two distant countries: the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland. It has its origin in the marriage in 1719 between Maria Clementina Sobieska (known as Clementina), the granddaughter of King Jan III, and James III/VIII of the royal House of Stuart, claimant to the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Motivated politically and financially, the marriage brought together two people of different nationalities, raised in different cultures. However, they shared the experience of a life begun within the splendour of the crown, but which became increasingly distant as the years passed. Clementina’s father, Jakub Sobieski, lost the struggle for the throne of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth during the election after the death of King Jan III. James’ father, the Catholic King James II/VII, lost his thrones after the so-called ‘Glorious Revolution’ of 1688.

After their marriage, Clementina and James settled in Rome, where they were regarded as the rightful sovereigns of England, Scotland, and Ireland. However, the burden of the Stuart Cause and their efforts to regain power in the three kingdoms cast a shadow over their lives and the fate of their sons, Charles Edward and Henry Benedict.

In tracing the story of its main characters, this exhibition illustrates intricate dynastic relationships, the lives of individuals in the face of high politics, and of the art that became a political tool, yet which retains its high, timeless aesthetic value. 
In particular, Clementina’s life demonstrates the often-impossible situation of women from royal families, of whom so much, and so much sacrifice, was expected in the role which fate imposed upon them.