King Zygmunt August's great love for Barbara Radziwiłłówna caused him a lot of trouble. By marrying his own subject, he violated his raison d'état and caused a real political storm. Was young Jagiellon forced to marry? Or maybe he planned everything deliberately?
At the beginning, let's remind you. Probably in 1543, the romance between Prince Sigismund Augustus and Barbara née Radziwiłł began. The couple reportedly had such great love that the enamored monarch secretly married his mistress in 1547, and when the truth came out, he fought fiercely for the recognition of his marriage and the coronation of his wife as queen.
Marrying a Lithuanian magnate meant a misalliance and was against the interests of the state, so it aroused widespread indignation and caused the king a lot of trouble. Why did an otherwise sensible ruler make such a big political mistake?
True or Legend?
According to sources, Zygmunt August became a victim of a trick:he was lured by Barbara for a night tryst and then caught with her in flagranti by her brother Mikołaj the Red and cousin Mikołaj the Black. Filled with mock indignation, they demanded that the king stop disgracing their family. Blinded by love, the king agreed to the wedding. The priest brought in advance was already waiting outside the door…
Is it possible that the wedding of Zygmunt August and Barbara was really planned in advance by Mikołaj Rudy Radziwiłł? Here in the painting by Jan Matejko (source:public domain).
However, Anna Sucheni-Grabowska, the author of the last biography of Zygmunt August, decided that the story was only a literary topos. In her opinion, the last of the Jagiellons "hated being forced to do anything" and was too sensible to let himself be cornered in such a simple way. In her opinion, the wedding was indeed clandestine, but planned by a ruler who was in full control of the situation.
The heart is not a servant
He argues with the scientist in Ladies of the Golden Age Kamil Janicki. He claims that it is impossible to agree with her interpretation of events because:
There are no sources to confirm it, and Anna Suchenia-Grabowska's line of reasoning is not flawless. According to the author, Zygmunt August was too sensible to fall into a trap set by the Radziwiłł family. The truth is, in this one particular case, he wasn't rational at all .
Zygmunt August presents Barbara Radziwiłłówna at the court. Watercolor by Jan Matejko (source:public domain)
As the author further proves, the moment for the wedding would be a terrible one, because Sigismund the Old was just considering handing over the reign of the kingdom to his crowned son. In this situation, it was definitely better to avoid controversy and wait.
Even if the wedding was decided by Barbara's pregnancy, why did Zygmunt August not only not care in advance for any support for his intentions, but then clearly acted without any political plan?
Immediately after the wedding, he sent a hurried message to bring the situation under control, after which he himself left for Poland to confront his parents. If he had acted deliberately, he would have done all of it sooner. Then he would have avoided the situation encountered by his representative, Mikołaj Radziwiłł the Black.
The news is based on the book by Kamil Janicki "Ladies of the Golden Age" (Horizon Label 2014). Buy with a discount on empik.com.
By the time the latter reached the potential allies needed to approve the royal marriage, they had known about the wedding of Sigismund Augustus long ago. From gossip or from his own spies. The spontaneous nature of the wedding is also mentioned in the parliamentary discussions in the next year, 1548.
All indications are that the king did indeed get married on the spur of the moment. Caught in adultery, he chose to follow his heart. It was only after the fact that he began to worry about all the troubles he had brought on his head in this way. But that's a topic for another story.
Source:
Kamil Janicki, Ladies of the golden age , Znak Horyzont, Krakow 2014.
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