Zygmunt August was going to Lithuania because his mother told him to do so. And with whom, and with whom, but the mother was not argued with. An unexpectedly carefree vacation turned into the most important journey of a lifetime. It was then that he met Barbara Radziwiłłówna. And then he gave Bona his hatred.
August was almost twenty-three. He was a grown man, and he considered himself to be. But his mother still treated him like a child. She also never gave him an opportunity for youthful rebellion. Only now, long out of the age when boys are in the habit of opposing their parents, did she let him out of sight. Not of his own free will, but for purely political reasons.
Quarreling with the queen, the Habsburgs managed, despite Bona's fierce protests, to bring about a marriage project between Sigismund Augustus and the Viennese princess Elizabeth. The Queen Mother was humiliated and was not going to let things go. From the very first days, she made every effort to poison the relationship between the newlyweds. And after two months, she decided to use the final option. She told her son to leave Elizabeth and go to Lithuania in order to demonstrate that the unsuccessful marriage was over. Zygmunt August agreed without talking and without a word of protest. Exactly as expected.
A life worthy of a prince
It was summer 1543 and the young king was going on vacation. He was indeed crowned (during his father's lifetime) ruler of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania However, his mother made sure that he only learned about politics. And that he would not try to cultivate it for any treasures. That's what she was for. This is why, instead of going to the capital city of Vilnius, Sigismund Augustus was sent to the royal estate near Kaunas. There, far from the centers of power, he was supposed to spend his time feasting, dancing and hunting almost anonymously. And then come back to Krakow as if nothing had happened and put on the mother's muzzle again.
Queen Bona with her husband and young son. A sketch by Jan Matejko.
This plan of action has so far fully suited him. If August knew something, it was games. He was young, handsome, and was comfortable with the company. Historical sources agree that he inherited his beauty primarily from his Italian grandfathers and great-grandfathers. He had a swarthy, typically Italian complexion. His face was a bit long and his features were so peculiar that he almost always seemed to be thinking intensely about something. And always, even when he said nothing, he looked wise. His hair was dark brown and slightly frizzy.
In general, unlike his father, from a young age he presented himself as befits a king. He literally won the genetic lottery. He had no defects, no physical flaws. From his immediate ancestors - among whom, apart from six Italians, there were also two Lithuanians, two Ruthenians, four Germans, one Spaniard and one French - he took over only the best features of his appearance.
In order to present himself perfectly, he needed nothing more, and yet he was also a great tuner. He liked to wear Italian and Spanish clothes, although his wardrobe also featured clothes from every other country, including Lithuania and Poland. He was fond of black silk caftans and long coats, but the truth was that only two principles governed his dress. It was supposed to be fashionable and glamorous. That's it.
Pope nuncio Giulio Ruggieri wrote about Sigismund Augustus:"he is of average height, very thin and thin, he is overgrown with black, has a sparse beard and does not seem to be a very strong, but rather delicate constitution". Everything but the last one was correct. In fact, the king was characterized by considerable physical fitness, dexterity, and hunting talents. He was also - or perhaps most of all - a skilled interlocutor. One of his biographers, Stanisław Cynarski, expressed the conviction that Zygmunt August was "polite, kind and endearing when dealing with people." And he loved all luxuries, which made him even more monarchical.
No wonder he did not have to look far for companionship, including women. And he did not reject this company by any means.
Zygmunt August's busy bedroom
It is assumed that even before the wedding with Elizabeth of Habsburg, the heir to the throne started an affair with one of his mother's maids, Italian Diana di Cordona. Although this one was almost twice as old as the king, Jagiellon was not discouraged by the age difference. On the contrary. He willingly agreed to let an experienced woman introduce him to the secrets of love. After her, he had many other partners, which was talked about quite openly at the Krakow court.
Rather, Bona, contrary to what historians wrote earlier, did not give him more lovers to distract him from politics. There was no such need, because Zygmunt August listened to her in everything anyway. On the other hand, she did not oppose her son's affairs. Perhaps she was impeccable herself, but she knew that youth had its own rules. And that men are allowed more in Poland. Let the boy laugh, she thought, firmly convinced that none of his loves could become a political problem.
Zygmunt August on the lithography of Jan Zienkiewicz from the mid-19th century
So August was having the best of it. He thought little about state affairs, about his wife abandoned in Poland and his mother who would not bear any objections. Suddenly, his orderly world collapsed with the arrival of two young Radziwiłłs in the forests of Grodno - a twenty-eight-year-old Mikołaj known as the Black and a thirty-one-year-old Mikołaj known as the Red.
New friend of the manor
The king knew well at least the first of them. From 1529 to 1533, Mikołaj the Black stayed at the Wawel court, where, in the company of the king's children, he learned manners and learned the secrets of political activity. There was nothing strange in the fact that, hearing about the Polish king's arrival in Lithuania, he immediately decided to visit him. It was also no surprise that he took his cousin with him - and at the same time the son of the recently deceased Hetman, Jerzy Radziwiłł, and the brother of newly widowed Barbara Gasztołdowa.
The visit was apparently of a courtesy nature, and that is how it began. Two magnates accompanied the king on hunting in the endless backwoods of the Białowieża Primeval Forest. They hunted game together, set snares together and sat down by the fire in the evenings. They talked about everything and nothing, but in fact, Nicholas the Black was just waiting for the right opportunity. This man had a great head on the back of his neck. In the future, he will be baptized as a master of trickery and behind-the-scenes games. Historians will say that it was thanks to him that the power of the Radziwiłł house flourished.
Mikołaj Radziwiłł the Black according to the 19th century lithography
He did everything in the interest of the family, he had an iron will and was not afraid to make difficult decisions. On the other hand, he was also a brutal and ruthless type, but he skilfully hid these qualities under the mask of a Renaissance bon vivant. From the outside, he appeared to be a typical Polish magnate. Sniffing the opportunity for a great career, he completely polonized himself - he wrote and spoke Polish and probably did not even know his native language. He was a Lithuanian to the same extent as Zygmunt August. Now only from the coat of arms and origin.
Mikołaj the Red was undoubtedly a more sympathetic character than him. In many ways, he had become a father. He was also a capable soldier and a good commander. However, he lacked - at least in his youth - strength and determination. He preferred drunkenness to participation in political games. He sometimes replaced cynicism with compassion, and he often put the welfare of specific, beloved relatives over the interests of the family. He was aware of his weaknesses and without hesitation let his younger cousin lead the way. Both on a daily basis and now, alongside Zygmunt August, the cards were dealt mainly by Mikołaj the Black.
A chance for a bright future
He had a few specific things to do with the king. The situation of the Radziwiłł family was not rosy at the beginning of the 1640s. Since the old hetman died, they lost real power over the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Supporters of the mighty Queen Bona rioted in Vilnius. It was they who now headed the monarch's council, giving Nicholas and their relatives no access to offices or dignity. Only the intervention of the monarch could help, but Zygmunt Stary was just living out his days and he was no longer inclined to make any bold moves. The Radziwiłłs did not want to attach themselves to the carriage rushing towards the abyss. They saw an opportunity to raise their position in what was yet to come.
It was in their best interest to direct the young king to rebel against his mother, win an independent position, and then appoint them to be his chief advisers. And surprisingly it did not prove to be difficult.
The goods near Grodno, handed over by the royal couple to his son as his first, though only a hunting property, until recently belonged to the Radziwiłł family. Bona bought the Grodno latyfundia from Hetman Jerzy only ten years ago. Mikołaj Rudy could almost feel like a host here. As a young boy, he spent long weeks in the local forests and now he easily took over the role of a guide. The topic of the loss of goods was necessarily penetrating the conversations, and with it - also the issue of the robbery, according to the Radziwiłłs, of Bona's policy.
Blinkers on the eyes
August did not want to hear about it at first. He tried to change the subject or dismiss the criticism directed at his mother. There was no end to the complaints, however - and the drops gouged the rock. The young king was more and more surprised, and perhaps even ashamed, to discover that Bona was not at all the beloved lady of the Lithuanians. The Radziwiłłs told him about murky trials, high-profile confiscation of property, and protests launched not only by their fathers, but by almost all the powerful families of the Grand Duchy. The story presented by the brothers was, of course, appropriately exaggerated, prepared for their needs. At the same time, however, she presented a whole landscape of events that Bona carefully concealed from her son, even during the royal family's stay in Vilnius.
Mikołaj Radziwiłł the Red in an 18th-century likeness
The Mykolaiv did not stop there. They knew what strings to pull to touch not only the political conscience of Zygmunt August, but also his sense of dignity. They hinted in passing that the sons of kings his age had almost always been in charge of state politics in the past; they were assigned the most responsible tasks, replacing fathers wherever they were unable to go in person. By the way, they had their mansions and residences, no less magnificent than those of their parents. Meanwhile, Zygmunt August had nothing but what his mother agreed to give him.
From a reluctant listener, August gradually turned into an interested student. And finally - the criticism of her own parent. Suddenly, he began to see not only Lithuanian affairs in a different light, but also all the complaints of Polish dignitaries, all court quarrels and petty actions of his mother. Bona was nowhere around, so she couldn't defend herself. Meanwhile, anger grew in Zygmunt. "From childhood, the king suffered from a kind of complex towards his mother," wrote one of his biographers, Anna Sucheni-Grabowska. - "Over time, excessive submission turned into a constant need to emphasize one's independence from her." If this transformation could be ascribed to a specific place and time, it must have happened in the Białowieża Primeval Forest in the summer of 1543.
The Great Escape
The king discovered that he did not go to Lithuania on vacation at all. He believed that it was really a great escape from Bona. That fate had brought him here, to finally make use of the grand ducal cap that had been put on his head fourteen years ago. And that he would put an end to his mother's lawlessness as a true Grand Duke on the throne of Vilnius.
Zygmunt August on lithography from the beginning of the 19th century
Before this was to happen, however, the two young Radziwiłł wanted to settle one more urgent matter with him. Mikołaj the Red reminded the ruler of the difficult situation of his sister Barbara. After the death of her husband, a powerful magnate Stanisław Gasztold, grand duke officials applied regulations to her, according to which, in the event of the end of the noble family, all his property becomes the property of the ruling dynasty. Barbara had no children and, as a result, lost the right to any widowhood. The huge fortune of the Gasztołd family, collected over the centuries, went into the hands of the Jagiellonians.
Even Bona knew how touchy this was. In the spring of 1543, she sent a letter to Radziwiłłówna, assuring the former voivode of Novgorod that she would not allow any harm to happen to her. She even sent a special agent to Vilnius to ensure that Barbara was given some of the treasures and jewels. In her correspondence, she wished her "health and good everything". Perhaps Zygmunt August knew about these contacts. Perhaps he wanted to show that he would be more generous and kind-hearted than his mother; that with one gesture she would win over the nobles whom she had alienated all her life. Regardless of the reasons, he agreed to the proposal of Mikołaj the Red. He agreed to meet Barbara Radziwiłłówna.
Source:
You can learn more about the confusing history of the Jagiellonian family in Kamil Janicki's book Ladies of the golden age (Horizon Label 2014). The article is based on the literature and materials collected by the author during the work on the book. You can buy it at a discount on empik.com.