Zygmunt III Waza in the portrait by Szymon Boguszowicz.

Zygmunt III Waza

Elected king of Poland from the Vasa dynasty. He was the son of the King of Sweden, Jan III Vasa, and of the Polish princess Katarzyna Jagiellon, who was married to him. Elected as the Polish monarch in 1587, after the death of Stefan Batory.

His origin spoke in favor of his candidacy - he was the grandson of Zygmunt Stary and Bona Sforza, and the nephew of the last Jagiellonian, Zygmunt August. His candidacy was supported by the queen-widow, Anna Jagiellonka. Despite the war with the Habsburgs as a result of the double election, he was a supporter of close cooperation with his southern neighbor. He married two Austrian princesses in turn - Anna and her sister Konstancja. In 1592 he also took over the throne of Sweden, but lost it in 1599.

Thanks to him, Poland was involved in the struggles with the Scandinavian kingdom that lasted for three decades and ended with an unfavorable peace treaty. Due to his own stubbornness and lust for power, he torpedoed the plan of placing his son Władysław on the Moscow throne. During his reign, there were several great military successes:victories at Kluszyn (1610), Khotyn (1621) and Smolensk (1611), as well as the short-term occupation of Moscow (1610-1612). In 1596 he moved the capital of the state from Kraków to Warsaw.

Sigismund III Waza was known for his love of alchemy, which even led to a devastating fire at Wawel. He was a sick ruler, and in recent years infirm. He had gout and bile problems. He died shortly after the death of his second wife Konstancja, probably of a cerebral hemorrhage.