Moral Education According to Jan Długosz and His Influence on Saint Casimir

Abstract

A common strategy used to study learning of moral values in late medieval aristocratic society is to approach it as a legitimation of the position in society and secular courtly fashion. However, certain facts provide us with possibilities for different looks. To our knowledge, no study to date has examined the close relationship between Polish prince Casimir (1458–1484) and his teacher Jan Długosz. This research supposes the possibility of transferring moral values through education. The analysis of historical sources leads us to conclude that the teacher could influence prince Casimir through a medieval theory of royal sanctity and God's justice. J. Długosz created his concept of moral education, stated in Annales seu cronicae. His motivation was based on his Christian piety and sense of responsibility for society. He intentionally used life stories of idealized Christian rulers (mainly Jagellonians) to teach the prince about Christian values. The moral experience of his own ancestors was to prepare the prince for his responsibilities.