Niemcewicz Julian Ursyn, John of Rainbow; three volumes in two [complete].

Niemcewicz Julian Ursyn, Jan of Rainbow; three volumes in two [complete]. Circulated and printed by Breitkopf and Haertel, Leipzig 1838, pp. 284, 288, dimensions 11 x 14.5 cm. Half leather with gilt on spine. Abrasions of the binding.

Jan Baptysta Tęczyński coat of arms Axe (born 1540, died December 1563 in Copenhagen) - governor of Bełsk (1563) and starosta of Lublin (1560-1563), heir of Kraśnik, diplomat, count (title of Holy Roman Empire since 1527). His father was Stanisław Gabriel Tęczyński h. Topór, castellan of Lviv, governor of Krakow and Sandomierz. His mother was Anna Bogusz, and his sister was Katarzyna Tęczyńska (1544-1592), wife of Jerzy Olelkowicz and later of Krzysztof Mikołaj Piorun Radziwill.

As a young man, he studied at the Krakow Academy. In 1561 he received the offices of starosta of urzędów and Lublin. At that time he was the youngest senator of the Republic. He left Kraśnik for Paris in 1556 for four years, sent by his father to study. He made educational trips to France (1556-1560) and to Basel (1557) and Spain (1559-1560).

In 1561, he was sent by the king with a mission to Sweden and Finland. While at the Swedish court, he fell in love with Princess Cecilia - daughter of King Gustavus Vasa and sister of Eric - and began courting her. After obtaining permission for the marriage, he returned to Poland. To raise funds, he "donated in perpetuity" (for loans) the town of Kraśnik along with the castle and surrounding villages to his cousins Jan and Andrzej Tęczyński.

In September 1563, he set out by sea with his cousin Jan Tęczyński, the starosta of Rohatyn, and a retinue accompanying them, to finalize his efforts to win Cecylia's hand in marriage. The wedding, however, did not take place. On their way to Sweden, the Tęczynskis were imprisoned by the Danes, who were then at war with the Swedes. Jan Baptysta died in December 1563 in prison in Copenhagen. His body was brought to Poland by his cousin, Ordynat Jan Zamoyski, who probably also funded the tombstone, made in the workshop of the famous Santi Gucci. Jan Baptysta was buried in Kraśnik in the family chapel, in the parish church.

The story of this love and unhappy journey was described by Jan Kochanowski in his work Pamiątka wszystkimi cnotami generously endowed Jan Baptista hrabi na Tęczynie, and by Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz in his historical romans Jan z Tęczyna. A historical novel.