He went down in history as a playboy, serially deflowering court ladies, and at the same time - an intolerant fundamentalist whipping himself as a penance and attending two masses a day. His reign was a series of wars (partly due to him). However, did Sigismund III Vasa really deserve the black legend of the ruler who "spoiled Poland"?
Zygmunt III Waza did not have an easy start. When he came to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1587, he was only 21 years old and ... a terrible opinion from above among the Polish nobility. Chancellor Jan Zamoyski called him "a silent monster from Sweden", and the archbishop of Gniezno looked at the wreath of beautiful women surrounding the young king with a crooked eye.
The fact that his aunt, Anna Jagiellon (he was Jagiellon on the distaff side) was "pushed" onto the Polish throne, certainly did not work to the advantage of the ruler. and Zamoyski supported his candidacy only because he hoped that the fledgling Swedish prince would become an easy-to-control puppet. Meanwhile, it quickly turned out that Zygmunt not only did not intend to conform, but also forced his own habits. From the magnates' point of view - very bizarre.
Hot Swedish blood?
Immediately after the arrival of the new king in the country, a wave of criticism flooded. He was openly said to be silent, stubborn, and too slow. The chancellor did not choose his words in particular and asked directly MP Marcin Leśniowolski (he escorted the ruler on his way to the Commonwealth):"What silent monster did you bring from Sweden?". Jerzy Besala comments:
He was different from Poles, it's true, but his contemporaries and historiography have suffered as many disadvantages for him as he can. Immediately after landing in Poland, began to play football with the courtiers, fly kites or balloons, which scared the Poles thoroughly . What is the new king up to, what is this new game unworthy of His Majesty?
Stanisław Karnkowski, the primate of Poland and the archbishop of Gniezno, who suspected that Waza was using social entertainment as a pretext for… romancing, looked with horror at Zygmunt's unusual hobby. There was gossip about the power of the new monarch about the supposedly dissolute lifestyle of the new monarch and his taste for male and female games.
Zygmunt with his parents at Gripsholm Castle
In 1588, Karnkowski, indignant, wrote to Anna Jagiellon that "They were foolish to say the truth, we have a monarch who adorns his court with the locusts" and "everywhere white-headed, and with the Polish king in the corner". In turn, the author of the anonymous "Dystychów na Sigismund III" politely reported that "Many virgins have lost their wreaths of purity, pampering your [the king - ed. ed.] greedy love! ”.
There were also those who tried to defend the honor of the ruler, such as the royal lieutenant Jan Bojanowski, who assured the voivode of Vilnius Krzysztof Radziwiłł:"For live balls, I assure Your Love that this news has no foundation." Jerzy Besala explains:
This meant that the king did not play with live girls like with balls, nor did he organize an orgy, and he did not build a special hall in Krakow for these purposes. The Primate, however, did not believe and ordered the building of the football hall to be demolished, believing that it would be coeducational, and therefore prostitute.
The slander was not cut off until the wedding with Anna of Habsburg in 1592, and then 13 years later with her younger sister, Konstancja. Prof. Henryk Wisner comments:“He was very close to both wives (…). He lived with Anna for several years, with Konstancja - a quarter of a century, and her death was a blow to him. "
From promiscuity to fundamentalism
But even after the monarch had settled down, criticism by no means subsided. On the contrary - it has even gained momentum. And since he had ceased to be a womanizer, he was labeled as an intolerant, fundamentalist Catholic. Such an image of the monarch emerges from Paweł Jasienica's "Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth".
Portrait of Sigismund III from Rubens' school around 1624
According to this vision, the monarch prayed earnestly (he was to go to mass even twice a day), and when he sinned, he put on sackcloth and scourged himself. However, as Prof. Wisner:
These myths are mostly untrue, and the most important ones concern the way of life and religious intolerance. How wrong they are is evidenced by the fact that when he came to Poland, he allowed services to be celebrated at Wawel for his sister, Anna, the Lutheran. (...) And all this despite the bishops' opposition, and even the threat of Primate Karnkowski that he would curse him.
There are also false reports that he omitted Protestants in his nominations (at least initially, although his attitude towards "dissenters" has changed for the worse over time).
The Runaway King
Contrary to the accusations of his contemporaries, Sigismund III Vasa was not a gloomy silence either. He had numerous passions - including goldsmithing and painting (he had a lot of talent for the latter; it happened that his canvases were attributed to Rubens!), He collected paintings, sculptures, weapons and books. The ruler was also eager for entertainment. Prof. Wiesner reports:
He gladly played, feasted, did not despise the cup. A description of one of the feasts has survived:"And when they could not drink any more, the King rose up, whose gentleman [Jan Karol Chodkiewicz] had led by the arm, the Crown Vice-Chancellor [Szczęsny Kryski] of the Lord, and so the King of the Lord, who was both drunk, held the Lord ”.
Zygmunt III Waza from the post of Polish kings Marcello Bacciarelli.
Nevertheless, the magnates in his immediate vicinity openly displayed a disrespectful attitude towards the ruler. In addition, he was troubled by… poverty. Lack of funds regularly forced him to eat at his aunt Anna Jagiellonian. As calculated by prof. Anna Filipczak-Kocur, Zygmunt needed a minimum of PLN 300,000 a year to maintain the manor. However, he did not have such amounts at his disposal - in 1588 he could spend only 200,000 for this purpose, and a year later:slightly over 100,000.
The bleak financial situation and relentless criticism certainly contributed to the king's decision to flee the country. Eventually, his wife, Anna, dissuaded him from abdication and handing over the throne to the Habsburgs. However, Waza was close to ending the same way as the first elected ruler of Poland, Henryk Walezy, who left Wawel under the cover of night, stealing… cutlery.