Kingdom of Poland
Poland, 1386–1569. Draft, not yet reviewed
The Crown of the Kingdom of Poland was a political and legal concept that emerged in the 14th century in the Kingdom of Poland, which asserted the unity, indivisibility, and continuity of the state. According to this principle, the state was no longer seen as the patrimonial property of the monarch or dynasty, but became the common good of the kingdom's political community. The term Crown of the Kingdom of Poland also referred to all the lands under the rule of the Polish king.
Seat of power: Kraków
Rulers
Jadwiga I of Poland
King of Poland, 1384–1399
After that, Jadwiga marched into the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, which had been under Hungarian rule, and persuaded most of the inhabitants to become subjects of the Polish Crown. As her only daughter predeceased her, the Queen was the last hereditary monarch of Poland, and with her death, the throne of Poland became elective.
Portrait of Jadwiga I of Poland: AnonymousUnknown author, Public domain, file
Władysław II Jagiełło
King of Poland, 1386–1434
In 1386 he converted to Catholicism, married the young Queen Jadwiga, and was crowned King of Poland as Władysław II Jagiełło. His sole reign in Poland, which began upon the death of Queen Jadwiga, lasted a further thirty-five years and laid the foundation for the centuries-long Polish–Lithuanian union.
Portrait of Władysław II Jagiełło: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
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Władysław III of Poland
King of Poland, 1434–1444
He succeeded his father shortly before turning ten and was therefore deemed unfit to rule until coming of age. Cardinal Zbigniew Oleśnicki acted as regent and a temporary provisores council executed power in the king's name.
Portrait of Władysław III of Poland: AnonymousUnknown author, Public domain, file
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Casimir IV Jagiellon
King of Poland, 1447–1492
He was one of the most active Polish-Lithuanian rulers; under him, Poland defeated the Teutonic Knights in the Thirteen Years' War and recovered Pomerania. The great triumph of his reign was bringing Prussia under Polish rule.
Portrait of Casimir IV Jagiellon: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
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John I Albert
King of Poland, 1492–1501
Heavily influenced by the Italian Renaissance, John sought to strengthen royal authority at the expense of the Catholic Church and the clergy. In 1487, he led a force against the Ottoman Empire and defeated the Tatars of the Crimean Khanate during the early phase of the Polish–Ottoman War.
Portrait of John I Albert: Anonymous (graphic from book by Zygmunt Gloger (1845-1910)) derivative work: Airam57, Public domain, file
Alexander Jagiellon
King of Poland, 1501–1506
Alexander was elected Grand Duke of Lithuania upon the death of his father and became King of Poland upon the death of his elder brother John I Albert.
Portrait of Alexander Jagiellon: Jan Goraj, Public domain, file
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Sigismund I the Old
King of Poland, 1507–1548
Sigismund was a capable monarch and a patron of the arts who established Polish rule over Ducal Prussia. He annexed the Duchy of Mazovia with Warsaw, while retaining the nation's wealth and prominence in the region.
Portrait of Sigismund I the Old: Hans von Kulmbach, Public domain, file
Sigismund II Augustus
King of Poland, 1530–1572
Sigismund Augustus continued a tolerance policy towards minorities and maintained peaceful relations with neighbouring countries, with the exception of the Northern Seven Years' War, which aimed to secure Baltic trade. In 1569, he oversaw the signing of the Union of Lublin between Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which formed the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Portrait of Sigismund II Augustus: Lucas Cranach the Younger, Public domain, file
Culture
- The battle was one of the largest in medieval Europe.
- The battle is viewed as one of the most important victories in the histories of Poland and Lithuania.
- This notion allowed the state to maintain stability even during periods of interregnum and paved the way for a unique political system in Poland, characterised by a parliament dominated by the nobility and the free election of the monarch.
Picture
The Battle of Grunwald was fought on 15 July 1410 during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War.
Image: Jan Matejko, Public domain, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.