The present study constitutes a substantially revised revsion of a doctoral dissertation submitted at Cambridge in the autumn of 1975. The help of many individuals and agencies has made the publication of this book possible and it is my wish to acknowledge this assistance here, however briefly.

Above all, I want to express my deepest gratitude to the supervisor of my original doctoral dissertation, Professor C.H. Wilson of Jesus College, Cambridge. Not only did his sound advice and patient understanding of a beginner's efforts help me through the difficulties of doctoral research, but his subsequent generous counsel has continued to facilitate my work long after my departure from Cambridge. I shall ever remain indebted to him.

It is further appropriate to acknowledge the role of Professor M. Maoawist who originally suggested the topic as a subject for research as well as the unselfish advice of Professors A. Maczak and H. Zins who guided my work in Poland. At an early stage in my research I was privileged to discuss its direction with Dr R.W.K. Hinton and Professor K. Glamann and several of their suggestions proved most helpful. I should also like to acknowledge the cooperation of Dr Janusz Tazbir and Professor A. Wyczański of the historical section of the Polish Academy of Learning in Warsaw who authorized letters of introduction to all the major archival collections in Poland. Especially significant in this regard was the permission granted to me by Dr C. Biernat, director of the State Archives in Gdańsk, to take advantage of that valuable collection, which I did with the guidance of its curator, Mgr Rumiński.