CALENDAR. DECEMBER 14, 1575 450 years ago, Prince Stefan Batory of Transylvania was proclaimed King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, ending the most chaotic stage of the 1575 election and tipping the scales of the political dispute towards the anti-Habsburg camp. This act was a response to the Senate’s earlier proclamation of Emperor Maximilian II Habsburg as king of Poland, which was met with massive opposition from the nobility gathered in the electoral field near Warsaw. A less known, but fully confirmed in the sources, curiosity is the fact that the choice of Stephen Báthory was largely dictated by his dependence on the Ottoman Empire as the prince of Transylvania. Paradoxically, it was this status that made him a politically “safe” candidate – he did not represent any of the great European dynasties and did not threaten to draw the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth into Habsburg dynastic conflicts or subordinate it to the interests of foreign monarchies. For many noblemen, it was a real guarantee of maintaining the state’s sovereignty and the system of free election. On December 14, 1575, the proclamation of Báthory as king became a clear signal that the decisive role in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was played not by the senate or foreign diplomacy, but by all the nobility. Batory’s candidacy gained the support of the middle nobility and the army, which counted on an energetic leader capable of reforming the army and effectively defending the borders, especially in the east. The election of Stephen Báthory began one of the most effective reigns in the history of elective monarchy. His rule brought reform of the army, organization of finances, strengthening of royal power within the republican system and a victorious war with the Muscovite state over Livonia. The event of December 14, 1575 had a significance that went far beyond the act of election itself, shaping the policy of the Republic of Poland for the following decades.

Historical Calendar #14December1575 #Stefan Batory #Election1575 #Rzeczpospolita #PolishHistory #FreeElection #16th century