Stephen Báthory
Stephen Báthory | |
---|---|
Grodno, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth | |
Burial | May 1588 |
Spouse |
Roman Catholicism |
Signature |
Stephen Báthory (
The son of
In 1576 Báthory became the husband of Queen
He reigned only a decade, but is considered one of the most successful
Youth
Stephen Báthory was born on 27 September 1533 in
Little is known about his childhood. Around 1549–1550, he briefly visited Italy and probably spent a few months attending lectures at the
After Zápolya's death in 1571, the Transylvanian estates elected Báthory Voivode of Transylvania.[3] Bekes, supported by the Habsburgs, disputed his election, but by 1573, Báthory emerged victorious in the resulting civil war and drove Bekes out of Transylvania.[3] He subsequently attempted to play the Ottomans and the Holy Roman Empire against one another in an attempt to strengthen the Transylvania position.[4]
Elected king
In 1572, the throne of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, at the time the largest and one of the most populous states in Europe, was vacated when King Sigismund II Augustus died without heirs.[4] The Sejm was given the power to elect a new king, and in the 1573 Polish–Lithuanian royal election chose Henry of France; Henry soon ascended the French throne and forfeited the Polish one by returning to France.[4] Báthory decided to enter into the election; in the meantime he had to defeat another attempt by Bekes to challenge his authority in Transylvania, which he did by defeating Bekes at the Battle of Kerelőszentpál.[4]
On 12 December 1575, after an
Establishing power
Báthory's position was at first extremely difficult, as there was still some opposition to his election. Emperor Maximilian, insisting on his earlier election, fostered internal opposition and prepared to enforce his claim by military action.[13] At first the representatives of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania refused to recognize Báthory as grand duke, and demanded concessions - that he return the estates of his wife Anne to the Lithuanian treasury, hold Sejm conventions in both Lithuania and Poland, and reserve the highest governmental official offices in Lithuania for Lithuanians. He accepted the conditions.[14] In June Báthory was recognized as Grand Duke of Lithuania.[a][8][13] On 29 May 1580 a ceremony was held in the Vilnius Cathedral during which bishop Merkelis Giedraitis presented Báthory a decorated sword and a hat adorned with pearls (both were sanctified by Pope Gregory XIII himself), while this ceremony manifested the sovereignty of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and had the meaning of elevation of the new Grand Duke of Lithuania, this way ignoring the stipulations of the Union of Lublin.[15][16][17][failed verification][18] The Báthory's ceremony of 29 May 1580 coincided with the nobles of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (e.g. Mikołaj "the Red" Radziwiłł, Eustachy Wołłowicz, Jan Karol Chodkiewicz, Konstanty Ostrogski) initial demands before the Union of Lubin to have a separate declaration act of the Grand Duke of Lithuania in Vilnius.[19]
With Lithuania secure, the other major region refusing to recognize his election was
Policies
After securing control over the Commonwealth, Báthory had a chance to devote himself to strengthening his authority, in which he was supported by his
In external relations, Báthory sought peace through strong alliances. Though remaining distrustful of the Habsburgs, he maintained the tradition of good relations that the Commonwealth enjoyed with its Western neighbor and confirmed past treaties between the Commonwealth and Holy Roman Empire with diplomatic missions received by Maximilian's successor, Rudolf II.[26] The troublesome south-eastern border with the Ottoman Empire was temporarily quelled by truces signed in July 1577 and April 1579.[26] The Sejm of January 1578 gathered in Warsaw was persuaded to grant Báthory subsidies for the inevitable war against Muscovy.[20]
A number of his trusted advisers were Hungarian, and he remained interested in Hungarian politics.[24] In his last years, Báthory, with Pope Gregory XVIII's approval, made a plan with Antonio Possevino for the liberation of Ottoman Hungary by a well organized (mostly Polish) Christian army, and the creation of a strong and independent Hungarian-Polish union under his rule. However, the unfavorable international situation did not allow him significantly to advance any of his plans in that area.[27] In addition to Hungarian, he was well versed in Latin, and spoke Italian and German; he never learned the Polish language.[24]
In his personal life, he was described as rather frugal in his personal expenditures, with hunting and reading as his favorite pastimes.[24]
War with Muscovy
Before Báthory's election to the throne of the Commonwealth,
In 1581, Stephen penetrated once again into
Final years
In 1584, Báthory allowed Zamoyski to execute
Báthory's health had been declining for several years.
Remembrance
Báthory actively promoted his legend, sponsoring many works about his life and achievements, from historical treatises to poetry.[24] In his lifetime, he was featured in the works of Jan Kochanowski, Mikołaj Sęp Szarzyński and many others.[24] He became a recurring character in Polish poetry and literature and featured as a central figure in poems, novels and drama by Jakub Jasiński, Józef Ignacy Kraszewski, Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz, Henryk Rzewuski and others.[33] He has been a subject of numerous paintings, both during his life and posthumously. Among the painters who took him as a subject were Jan Matejko and Stanisław Wyspiański.[33][34]
A statue of Báthory by
Immediately after his death, he was not fondly remembered in the Commonwealth. Many nobles took his behavior in the Zborowski affair and his domestic policies as indicating an interest in curtailing the nobility's
His later resurgence in Polish memory and historiography can be traced to the 19th-century era of
See also
- History of Poland (1569–1795)
- Muscovite wars
- Nyírbátor
Notes
References
- ^ "Ungarische Adelshäuser". www.ungarische-adelshauser.com. Archived from the original on 14 February 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g Besala and Biedrzycka (2005), p.114
- ^ a b c d e f g Besala and Biedrzycka (2005), p.115
- ^ a b c d e f Besala and Biedrzycka (2005), p.116
- ^ Marcin Latka. "Detail of portrait of Stephen Bathory". artinpl. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
- ISBN 978-0-295-98093-5. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-313-03456-5. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
- ^ a b c d Besala and Biedrzycka (2005), p.117
- ^ Besala, Jerzy (1992). Stefan Batory. pp. 295–296.
- ^ Petrus, Jerzy T. (1977). "Miecze poświęcane królewicza Władysława Zygmunta i króla Jana III" [Blessed swords of Prince Władysław Zygmunt and King Jan III.]. Biuletyn Historii Sztuki. 39: 157.
- ^ Petrus, Jerzy T. (1977). "Miecze poświęcane królewicza Władysława Zygmunta i króla Jana III" [Blessed swords of Prince Władysław Zygmunt and King Jan III.]. Biuletyn Historii Sztuki. 39: 157.
- ^ Żygulski, Zdzisław (1978). "Miecz i kapelusz poświęcany króla Jana III Sobieskiego". Studia do Dziejów Wawelu. 4: 356.
- ^ a b c d e Besala and Biedrzycka (2005), p.118
- ISBN 978-965-229-132-5.
- ^ "Vavelio pilies lobyne – ir Lietuvos, Valdovų rūmų istorija". Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 6 November 2023.
- ^ Bues, Almut (2005). The year-book of Lithuanian history (PDF) (in Lithuanian). Lithuanian Institute of History. p. 9. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
- ^ Stryjkowski, Maciej (1846). Kronika polska, litewska, żmódzka i wszystkiéj Rusi Macieja Stryjkowskiego. T. 2 (in Polish). Warsaw. p. 432. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
- ^ Ragauskienė, Raimonda; Ragauskas, Aivas; Bulla, Noémi Erzsébet (2018). Tolimos bet artimos: Lietuvos ir Vengrijos istoriniai ryšiai (PDF) (in Lithuanian). p. 67. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
- ^ Jasas, Rimantas. "Liublino unija". Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 8 November 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Besala and Biedrzycka (2005), p.119
- ^ ISBN 978-83-88848-43-8. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-295-98093-5. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-295-98093-5. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g Besala and Biedrzycka (2005), p.124
- ISBN 978-0-295-98093-5. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
- ^ a b c d Besala and Biedrzycka (2005), p.120
- ISSN 0237-8779.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-275-98502-8. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
- ^ a b Besala and Biedrzycka (2005), p.121
- ^ a b c d e Besala and Biedrzycka (2005), p.123
- ^ a b c Besala and Biedrzycka (2005), p.125
- ISBN 978-0-295-98093-5. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Besala and Biedrzycka (2005), p.126
- ^ a b c d e f g Besala and Biedrzycka (2005), p.127
Bibliography
- public domain: Bain, Robert Nisbet (1911). "Stephen Báthory". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 25 (11th ed.). p. 887. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
- Jerzy Besala; Agnieszka Biedrzycka (2004–2005). "Stefan Batory". Polski Słownik Biograficzny (in Polish). Vol. XLIII.
- Winged Hussars, Radoslaw Sikora, Bartosz Musialowicz, BUM Magazine, October 2016.
External links
- (in Polish) Stephen Báthory's szkofia in the National Museum in Kraków [1][permanent dead link].