At its peak, the Jagiellonians were one of the most splendid dynasties in Europe. Its representatives, however, had mishaps that ultimately brought this powerful family to its bleak end. Was the Prussian Homage one of them?
Although the emperor withdrew his support for the order, the grand master pressed for a confrontation. Apparently, he decided that the alliance with Moscow and Brandenburg was enough to succeed. Tsar Vasyl III undertook to support the Teutonic Knights so that they could additionally deploy 10,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry.
The Battle of Mohacz led to the fall of the Jagiellonians in Hungary and the Czech Republic.
In addition, the Tatars began to invade the southern Kresy again, and the Poles suffered a heavy defeat at Sanok at their hands. When Emperor Maximilian died and his successor Charles V did not intend to honor earlier agreements with Poland, it became clear that there would be a war with the Order.
A propaganda game
However, it was postponed by Zygmunt the Old. The king still remembered that Albrecht Hohenzollern was his nephew, and even ignored the decision of the Seym to attack the Teutonic Knights as soon as possible. Lithuania refused to help Poland, considering that forcing a fief to obey was an internal matter of the Crown. Anyway, the war with Moscow broke out again and the Grand Duchy was defending its eastern border.
Zygmunt the Old could no longer delay the conflict with the order indefinitely
Ultimately, even Sigismund the Old could no longer delay the conflict with the order indefinitely, especially since Albrecht Hohenzollern put forward territorial claims against Poland. He demanded the return of Pomerania and Warmia and the payment of compensation for 50 years of Polish occupation (...).
A thicket of legends
The war was fought with variable luck, although the Crown troops captured Kwidzyn and Pasłęk, but the Teutonic Knights captured Braniewo and Chojnice. They also ravaged Mazovia and Greater Poland, and what is worse, they obtained the support of the Pope, who decided that the Polish king raised his hand to the Christian order of chivalry.
Zygmunt Stary, however, ignored the pope's opinion and the war continued. There were no major battles, and the results of minor battles had no effect on the course of the conflict. The Teutonic Knights even threatened Gdańsk, but they had no chance of capturing the well-fortified city. On the other hand, Olsztyn resisted the invaders thanks to the involvement of the administrator of the local chapter of Nicolaus Copernicus . Contrary to the legend, the astronomer did not command the defense or fortify the city and the castle.
The text is an excerpt from the latest book by Sławomir Kopra, "Jagiellons. The Golden Age ”, which was released by the Bellona publishing house.
In April 1521, a truce was concluded and Sigismund the Old again turned out to be very kind to his relative. He did not oblige his nephew to pay tribute, and the result of the dispute was to be decided by an arbitration court. However, it never happened, because it was the time of the Reformation and great mental unrest in Europe.
The religious novelties proclaimed by Martin Luther were welcomed by some German princes, who saw in them an opportunity to strengthen their own positions and fill the treasury by secularization, that is, the liquidation of orders and the takeover of church property (...).
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Missed chance?
Albrecht Hohenzollern met Luther and the rebellious monk made a great impression on him, the more so because the new religion was favored by the Grand Master's cousin, the Brandenburg Elector. In this situation, Albrecht concluded that radical changes are needed and that the Order should be secularized. Prussia was to be transformed into a secular state in which he himself would assume the princely power. Of course, as a Polish vassal.
Sigismund and his advisers did not want to continue the war with the monks, the more so because in the summer of 1524 the southern frontiers of the country were ravaged by the Tatars, and then the Turkish army appeared there. In Krakow, people were also aware of the fact that Albrecht, as a Protestant ruler, would lose the support of the emperor and the pope, remaining at the mercy of the kings of Poland.
Although the Sejm debating in Piotrków decided to remove the order from Prussia, it was not implemented. For this, a call to the arms of mass mobilization was needed, and the king and the Senate feared that this would trigger further demands of the nobility to strengthen their positions.
Albrecht Hohenzollern met with Luther and the rebellious monk made a great impression on him
In this situation, the Teutonic envoys were welcomed in Krakow and the negotiations went very smoothly. At the beginning of April 1525, an agreement was signed, under which Albrecht became the first prince "in Prussia", and the right to inherit him was given to his descendants or brothers. Relatives from the line of Brandenburg electors were excluded from the succession, so that in the event of the expiration of the Prussian line, the fiefdom would be incorporated into Poland.
On April 10, a tribute to Albrecht Hohenzollern took place on the Krakow market square. It was considered a great triumph for Poland, although after many years the opinions of researchers are divided. It is emphasized that Zygmunt the Old did not take advantage of the chance to completely destroy the Teutonic state on the Baltic Sea and thus contributed to the later partitions of Poland (...).
Zygmunt the Old may have felt that he had got rid of the problem in the North once and for all. A year later, he achieved another success when, after the death of the last Piast of Mazovia, Janusz III, the part of Mazovia, previously a fief of the Crown, was incorporated into Poland. In this way, the division into districts in our country finally ended, although Silesia and Western Pomerania remained outside its borders.
King unprepared to rule
The annexation of Mazovia was a triumph of the king's policy, but in those months Zygmunt was watching the events beyond the southern border with concern. The Turks were getting ready to go to Hungary, and everything indicated that it would be a war that could decide the future of the lands of the Crown of St. Stefan.
The situation at the court in Buda was very difficult. Władysław Jagiellończyk died in 1516, and his son and successor Ludwik turned out to be an even worse king than his father. At the time of his coronation, however, he was only 10 years old, and his guardians were more concerned with their interests than the welfare of the state. A particularly sinister role was played by Jerzy Hohenzollern, brother of the last grand master of the Teutonic Order. He appeared in Buda during Władysław's lifetime and completely took over the aging king.
On April 10, a tribute to Albrecht Hohenzollern took place on the Krakow market square. It was considered a great triumph for Poland, although after many years the opinions of researchers are divided.
In fact, he only cared about the affairs of the Hohenzollerns and the Habsburgs, as were the other two members of the regency council. Together, they also deprived the influence of Jan Zápolya, who was considered a bitter enemy of the emperor.
The regents disastrously guided the upbringing of young Ludwik, who grew up to be a man incapable of exercising power. His studies were completely neglected, and in return he was allowed almost everything.
As a result the boy mainly dealt with not very picky entertainment and did not think about the responsibility of his royal majesty at all .
Meanwhile, once again the Turkish danger looms over Hungary. The regents, however, behaved as if they deliberately wanted to lead to a catastrophe. In 1516, an annual truce was concluded with the Sultan, after which its extension was refused. Papal diplomacy also played a role, promising a crusade and a joint fight between the Christian countries and the Crescent (...).
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The specter of a catastrophe
When the Turks launched an attack in 1521, quarrels and disputes during the session of the Hungarian Seym made it impossible to take up an effective defense. Admittedly, the summoning of a mass mobilization had finally begun, but this did not prevent the Turks from conquering Belgrade. This fortress was the most important element of the country's defense from the south and its capture by the Ottomans made a great impression.
Ludwik, however, did not care about anything and was more interested in marrying Maria Habsburgian than in the security of the country. The deputies sent by Chancellor Szydłowiecki stated bluntly that "the further the king grows in the years, the more stupid he becomes" (…).
The deputies sent by Chancellor Szydłowiecki stated bluntly that "the further King Ludwik Jagiellończyk grows in the years, the more stupid he becomes"
Although the sultan was getting ready for another invasion, the Hungarian Seym was unable to force the ruler to act. In this situation, many of Ludwik's subjects passed under the banners of Zápolyi, seeing in the provincial governor of Transylvania the last hope of saving the state. And the magnate did not intend to die for losing the case, because he knew perfectly well that the war with Turkey under Ludwik's leadership would end in a catastrophe.
At the end of April 1526, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent left Istanbul with the army. He led about 80,000 people with him, and the pope refused to help Hungary financially, recognizing that Martin Luther was the more dangerous enemy. In turn, the emperor and the king of France were more interested in mutual wars and games than in fighting the infidels. Only Zygmunt Stary sent 1,500 people to help his nephew.
The tragedy near Mohacz
Even in the moment of a deadly threat, Ludwik did not change his morals and amazed with his carelessness. He supposedly announced the summoning of a mass launch, but there were few people willing to fight.
The person of the commander-in-chief was also a problem, as the king and his advisers did not want to agree to Zápoly becoming one at all costs. It didn't matter that he was the only one with experience, the reluctance towards the magnate was more important. The voivode's request to refrain from giving the Turks a major battle until his arrival was also ignored. In this situation, the magnate decided to wait for the development of events.
Nobody saw him alive after that, and his body was found only after a few weeks. The 20-year-old ruler drowned in a swampy stream
The decisive clash took place on August 29, 1526 near Mohacz. The Hungarians had only less than 30,000 people (under Zápolya's orders there were many more of them) and they were doomed from the outset . Not only were the Turks almost three times their number, they also had twice as many cannons.
No wonder then that the battle lasted only an hour and a half and ended in a pogrom of the royal army. The king himself disappeared without a trace, and contradictory accounts of his conduct during the battle have been preserved. Some said that he rushed with his guard to attack the Janissaries, like his great-uncle at Varna years ago. Others, on the other hand, claimed that he passed out in fear at the mere sight of the Turks attacking.
Apparently, however, when the defeat became obvious, he, surrounded by several magnates, moved towards Buda. Nobody saw him alive after that, and his body was found only after a few weeks. The 20-year-old ruler drowned in a swampy stream, pinned down by his horse. It is not known, however, whether someone helped him to part with this world, because there were many candidates for succession, and the ruler's childless death was convenient for many people. But one thing was certain:it was the end of the Jagiellonian rule not only in Hungary but also in Bohemia ...
Source:
The text is an excerpt from the latest book by Sławomir Kopra “Jagiellons. The Golden Age ”, which has just been released by Bellona.