Naruszewicz Adam- Historya narodu polskiego od początku chrześcijaństwa. Reign of the Piasts. [First edition, Warsaw 1783]

Naruszewicz Adam/ Historya narodu polskiego od początku chrześcijaństwa. Panowanie Piastów./ Warsaw 1783/ W Drukarni J.K.Mci i Rzeczypospolitey uprzywileyowaney Gröllowskiej/T.IV/ first edition/ paperback binding stylized as half leather, stained card trims, decorated boards/ p.XXX[4],384,k.[12]/ vignettes in the text/ very good condition, yellowing few stains, a few corners of the pages folded

First edition of the fourth volume of ,,History of the Polish Nation", the most important work by Adam Naruszewicz, written on the order of King Stanislaw August Poniatowski. Six volumes (from II to VII) were published in 1780- 1786, describing the times up to the accession to the throne of King Władysław Jagiełło (the work was never completed).

Volume IV covers the history of Poland during the district split from 1178 to 1250 (from the time of Casimir the Just to the time of Boleslaw the Chaste).

Naruszewicz's work was the fruit of many years of research, for which the author used a rich collection of documents and Polish and foreign chronicles. The author focused on the role of the monarchy in Polish history, emphasizing the importance of royal power in maintaining order and combating noble anarchy. Naruszewicz presented Polish history in chronological order, focusing on successive rulers and their influence on the nation. The narrative was linked to the idea of "civic historiography," which in practice meant a commitment to the subject of the state and its institutions. Using accessible language, Narushevich skillfully linked the fate of kings with the fate of the nation, which corresponded to the Enlightenment ideals of the time.
Naruszewicz emphasized the necessity of including in historiography not only the history of rulers, but also economic, cultural and social aspects, which was an innovative approach in Polish historical writing.