(Redirected from Wladyslaw IV Waza)| 'Władysław IV' |
| |
| 'Reign in Poland' | November 8, 1632 –
May 20, 1648. |
| 'Reign in Russia' | 1610 –
16351 |
| 'Coronation' | February 6, 1633,
Wawel Cathedral,
Kraków, Poland. |
| 'Royal House' | Vasa. |
| 'Parents' | Sigismund III Vasa,
Anna of Austria. |
| 'Consorts' | Cecilia Renata of Austria,
Ludwika Maria Gonzaga. |
| 'Children' | With Cecilia Renata of Austria:
Zygmunt Kazimierz,
Maria Anna Izabela. |
| 'Date of Birth' | June 9, 1595. |
| 'Place of Birth' | Łobzów, near Kraków, Poland. |
| 'Date of Death' | May 20, 1648. |
| 'Place of Death' | Merkinė,
Lithuania. |
| 'Place of Burial' | Wawel Cathedral,
Kraków, Poland. |
:''This article is about the 17th century king of Poland. For another person sometimes mentioned as Wladislaw IV of Poland in works of reference, see the 14th century
Władysław I the Elbow-high''
'Władysław IV' (
June 9,
1595 –
May 20,
1648) was the son of
Sigismund III Vasa and his wife,
Anna of Austria (also known as Anna Habsburg). Władysław IV reigned as King of the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from
November 8,
1632, to his death in
1648.
In
1610 the teenaged Władysław was elected
Tsar of
Russia, but did not assume the
Muscovite throne due to his father's opposition (''
Encyklopedia Polski'', p. 750); he used the title of Grand Duke of
Muscovy until
1634. The throne during this time was instead held by
Michael Romanov.
Władysław managed to prevent the Commonwealth becoming embroiled in the bloody
Thirty Years' War that ravaged
western Europe during his reign, and was fairly successful in defending the Commonwealth from invasion. He supported
religious tolerance and carried out military reforms. He failed, however, to realize his dreams of fame and conquest, or to reform and strengthen the Commonwealth.
His death marked the end of the
Golden Age of the Commonwealth, as conflicts and tensions that Władysław had failed to resolve led in
1648 to the greatest of the
Cossack uprisings—the
Chmielnicki Uprising—and to Swedish invasion ("
The Deluge").
Royal titles
★ Royal titles in Latin: ''Vladislaus Quartus Dei gratia rex Poloniae, magnus dux Lithuaniae, Russiae, Prussiae, Masoviae, Samogitiae, Livoniaeque, necnon Suecorum, Gothorum Vandalorumque haereditarius rex, electus magnus dux Moschoviae.''
★ English translation: ''Vladislaus IV by God's grace king of
Poland, grand duke of
Lithuania,
Ruthenia,
Prussia,
Masovia,
Samogitia,
Livonia, and also hereditary king of the
Swedes,
Goths and
Vandals, elected Grand Duke of
Moscow.''
As Władysław Zygmunt Waza-Jagiellon, in 1632 he was elected King of Poland. By paternal inheritance, he legally succeeded as
King of Sweden. He was heir to the title of
King of Jerusalem.
Biography
Władysław in young age
His father
Sigismund III Vasa, grandson of
Gustav I of Sweden, had succeeded his father to the
Swedish throne in
1592, only to be deposed in
1599 by his uncle, subsequently
Charles IX. This led to a long-standing feud where the Polish kings of the house of Vasa claimed the Swedish throne. The effects of this were the
Swedish War (
1600-
1629) and later,
The Deluge of
1655. Sigismund, a devout
Catholic, pursued other military conflicts abroad, barely avoiding involving the Commonwealth in the
Thirty Year War and supported
counter-reformation, both policies which lead to increasing tensions inside the Commonwealth.
Prince
In
1610 Władysław, aged 15, was elected Tsar by Russia's ''
boyar''s, during that country's
Time of Troubles following the death of
Boris Godunov. His election was part of an unsuccessful
plan by Zygmunt to conquer all of Russia and convert its population to Catholicism. Władysław was never able to reign in Russia, however, as his support there was temporary and depended on shifting internal politics among the boyars. He held on to the title, without any real power, until
1634.
Before he was elected king of the Commonwealth, he fought in many campaigns, including ones against
Russians in 1617-1618 (the end of
Dymitriads),
Ottomans in 1621 (
Battle of Chocim at the end of
Moldavian Magnate Wars) and
Swedes in 1626-1629. During that time, as well as during his voyage in Europe (1624-1625) with
Albrycht Stanisław Radziwiłł and others, he learned the art of war, and this was later to be reflected when he became king: military matters were always important to him. While not a military genius, and surpassed by famous Commonwealth contemporary
hetmans like
Stanisław Koniecpolski, Wladislaw was known as a fairly skilful commander on his own.
King
Politics
At first Wladislaw did not want to have deeper relationships with Habsburgs. In 1633 promised equal treating of Protestants and orthodox and forced
Albrycht Stanisław Radziwiłł (Catholic) to countersign decree threatened him with giving key posts in Commonwealth to Protestants. In 1633/35 nominated
Krzysztof Radziwiłł (Calvinist) on the highest posts in country (wojewoda wileński (of Vilnius – capital of Lithuania), grand Lithuanian hetman). However after Protestant nobles blocked his attempt to wage a war against Protestant Sweden, in 1635 at the
Armistice of Stuhmsdorf (Treaty of Sztumska Wieś), he renew his father's alliance with Habsburgs.
Wladislaw IV owed allegiance to the Imperial
Habsburgs as a member of the
Order of the Golden Fleece.
Marriages
Wladislaw was married twice. At the very beginning of 1634, or even at the end of 1633 Wladislaw asked pope
Urban VIII for permission (or better to say promise of permission, since no name was included) to marry a Protestant princess. The pope refused, and speed of this refusal Wladislaw treated as insult. At the beginning of 1634 Wladislaw sent
Aleksander Przypkowski with a secret mission to king of England
Charles I. Envoy had to discuss king's marriage plans and English help for reconstruction of Polish fleet. King's marriage plans were discussed on Senate meeting on 19th of March 1635, but only four bishops were present and only one supported plan. There exist also other documents concerning planned marriage of Wladislaw and Princess
Elisabeth of Bohemia, Princess Palatine (daughter of
Frederick V, Elector Palatine (also known as the "Winter King"). However when he was "cheated" during peace talks with Sweden in 1635 - by Polish magnates and nobles, many of the Protestant, by Protestant Swedes and by Protestant representatives of other foreign monarch who all did not want new war between Commonwealth and Sweden, for various reasons, the war Władysław pushed for - then Władysław changed his mind about marrying a Protestant and decided to seek support from the Catholic factions, especially the
Habsburgs.
Another marriage briefly considered in 1636 was to
Anna Wiśniowiecka, daughter of
Michał Wiśniowiecki and sister of
Jeremi Wiśniowiecki, of the powerful Polish magnate family of
Wiśniowiecki. Although Władysław was quite supportive of the marriage, it was blocked by the
Sejm. Anna eventually married
Zbigniew Firlej between 1636 and 1638.
Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor's proposal of marriage between Wladislaw and
Archduchess Cecilia Renata of Austria (sister of future
Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor) arrived in Warsaw somewhere during spring 1636. King's trusted, father Walerian (of
Franciscan religious order) and voivode
Kasper Doenhoff arrived in Regensburg (Polish: ''Ratyzbona'') on 26th of October 1636 with consent and performed negotiations. Archduchess
dowry was agreed for 100000
złoty (currency unit), the Emperor promised to pay dowries of Siegmund III both wives: Anna and Konstance. Additionally the son of Wladislaw and Cecilia Renata was to obtain
duchy of Opole and Raciborz in Silesia (księstwo opolsko-raciborskie). However before everything was confirmed and signed Ferdinand II died and Ferdinand III backed from giving the Silesian duchy to the son of Wladislaw. Instead a dowry was written/protected by
Bohemian estates of
Třeboň(
Trebon). The marriage took place in
1637.
After Cecilia's death in
1643, he married the
French princess Ludwika Maria Gonzaga de Nevers, daughter of
Karol I Gonzaga, prince
de Nevers in
1646. He had no heirs. He was succeeded by his half brother and cousin
Jan II Kazimierz.
Assessment
Successes
Wladislaw
was elected to the Polish throne few months after his father's death in, on 8 November
1632 and crowned on 5 February on the following year. In an attempt to take advantage of confusion expected after the death of the Polish king,
Tsar Michael Romanov ordered an attack on the Commonwealth. A Muscovite army (of approximately 34,500) crossed the Commonwealth eastern frontier in October
1632 and laid siege to
Smolensk (which was ceded to Poland by Russia in 1618, at the end of the
Dymitriad wars). In the war against Russia in 1632-1634 (the
Smolensk War), Wladyslaw succeeded in breaking the siege in September
1633 and then in turn surrounded the Russian army, which was then forced to surrender on
March 1,
1634. The resulting
Peace of Polyanov (Treaty of Polanów), favourable to Poland, confirmed the pre-war territorial ''status quo''. Muscovy also agreed to pay 20,000
rubles in exchange for Wladyslaw's renunciation of all claims to the tsardom and return of the royal insignia, which were in the Commonwealth possession since the Dymitriads. It was during that campaign that Wladislaw started the modernisation program of the Commonwealth army, emphasising the usage of modern
infantry and
artillery. He also attempted to create a
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Navy to secure part of the
Baltic Sea, although this plan never succeeded.
Following the Smolensk campaign, the Commonwealth was threatened by another attack by the
Ottoman Empire. During the
wars against Ottomans in 1633-1634 Wladyslaw moved the Commonwealth army south of the Muscovy border and forced the Turks to come to terms with him. In the resulting treaty, both countries agreed again to curb the border raids by
Cossacks and the
Tatars, to a shared joint suzerainty (a
condominium) over
Moldavia and
Wallachia (Wołoszczyzna).
After the southern campaign, Commonwealth was threatened from the north. Sweden, weakened by involvement in the
Thirty Years' War, agreed to sign the
Armistice of Stuhmsdorf (also known as
Treaty of Sztumska Wieś) in
1635, favourable to the Commonwealth in terms of territorial concessions. Wladyslaw failed, however, to find any method for regaining the Swedish crown, which had been held and then lost by his father.
The king, while
Catholic, was very
tolerant and didn't support more aggressive policies of the
Counter-Reformation. While it can be argued he often played one religious movement against other as a means of conserving his own powers, it is a fact he was in effect one of the most tolerant monarchs of his time. He did fail, however, to resolve the conflict stemming from the
Union of Brest split.
Wladislaus was also a connoisseur of the arts and music. He sponsored many musicians and created the first
amphitheater in the
Warsaw castle, where during his reign dozens of
operas and
ballets were performed. He also collected paintings and invested in decorative architecture; among his most famous sponsored projects is the monument to his father, the
Column of Sigismund which became one of the symbols of
Warsaw. Wladislaw assembled an important collection of
Italian and
Flemish Baroque paintings, much of which were lost in the wars after his death.
Failures
Wladislaw used the title of the
King of Sweden, although he had no control over Sweden whatsoever and never set foot in that country. He would continue his attempts to regain the Swedish throne, with similar lack of results as his father.
In internal politics he attempted to strengthen the power of the monarchy, but this was mostly thwarted by the
szlachta, who valued their independence and
democratic powers. Wladyslaw suffered continuing difficulties caused by the efforts of the Polish
Sejm (
parliament) to check the King's power and limit his dynastic ambitions. The Szlachta viewed Vladislaus' military dreams as an attempt to strengthen his position during war and thus the
Sejm strongly opposed the majority of his plans for war (for example, with Sweden in
1635 or Turks in
1646), and usually thwarted them by denying the funds for military campaigns and withholding its cosignature on the
declaration of war. Similarly, Wladislaw's foreign ambitions came to little, as his attempts to mediate in the Thirty Year's War between the warring German and Scandinavian powers came to nothing, and his support for the Habsburgs brought him almost nothing in return.
In 1638 Władysław proposed that still not paid dowries of his mother and second wife of Zygmunt III would be protected by one of Silesian duchies (preferably opolsko-raciborskie). In 1642 proposed to give Habsburgs his rights to Swedish throne in exchange for giving him Silesia in deposit.
Ludovico Fantoni, sent to Vienna in summer 1644 proposed to exchange Wladysław's incomes from Bohemian estates in Treben for duches opolsko-raciborskie and cieszyńskie (of Cieszyn). At the beginning of 1645, tired by constant stalling of Vienna's court, Władysław said to Emperor's envoy sent to Warszawa,
Maximilian Dietrichstein, that Poland will cooperate with Sweden – it was an open threat (that he could take Silesia with Swedes help and against Emperor) pronounced by fact that on 6th of March 1645 Swedish general
Lennart Torstensson defeated Emperor's, Bavarian and Saxon forces in
battle of Jankov and started march against Vienna. Now Emperor was again ready for discussion and sent
Johannes Putz von Adlertum to Warsaw in April 1645 giving him wide prerogatives in transferring rights of duchy opolsko-raciborskie to son of Władysław and Cecylia Renata, Zygmunt Kazimierz as a hereditary fief. Negotiations eventually ended with Habsburgs success and Polish failure. Duchy was given not as a hereditary fief but 50 years long deposit and owner was required to swear allegiance to king of Bohemia (thus it could not be Polish king), but as an exempt Władysław would rule duchy until his son was an adult. Additionally Władysław promised to lend Emperor 1100000
złoty (minus still not paid three dowries).
Many historians argue that Wladislaus was very ambitious and dreamed of achieving great fame through conquests, and in the latter years he planned to use the Cossacks to provoke the Turks into attacking Poland so that his military leadership would be indispensable. On various times he set his sights on regaining the Swedish crown, capturing the Russian throne and even conquering the entire
Ottoman Empire. He was often able to convince the restless
Cossacks to join his side, but with little support from the
szlachta and foreign allies (like the
Habsburgs), he constantly failed in those attempts, often resulting in unnecessary border wars and diluting the strength of the Commonwealth, which later proved fatal when the country was finally invaded by its neighbours.
Some Polish historians claim that Wladislaus had short temper and when angered, could act to take revenge without considering all consequences. E.g. when Protestant szlachta blocked his plans for war with Sweden in 1635, he turned back to pro-Habsburg politics, sent them military help and married archduchess Cecylia Renata. Had many plans (dynastic, personal, about wars, territorial gains: regaining Silesia, Inflanty (Livonia), incorporation of Ducal Prussia, creation of his hereditary dukedom etc.), some of them with real chances of success, but because of bad luck or objective obstacles almost nothing went as he planned.
Wladislaw died in
1648. His heart and ''
viscera'' were interred in the Chapel of
St. Casimir of
Vilnius Cathedral, which he himself had commissioned. A year after the death of his son, on the eve of the
Chmielnicki Uprising and
The Deluge. He failed to realize his dreams of conquest and he did not reform the Commonwealth. Wladislaw managed to avoid involving the Commonwealth in the bloody Thirty Year's War but his legacy would end the Golden Era of the Commonwealth. The Cossacks, angered because Wladislaw's promises to them failed to materialize, were beginning their greatest revolt against Polish rule, which would be exploited by Swedish invasion.
Ancestors
Other
Fort and town of
Władysławowo was named after him.
See also
★
History of Poland (1569-1795)
★
Adam Kazanowski
★
List of szlachta
★
Magnate
★
Nobles' Democracy
External links
★
Vasa's genealogy
★
WLADISLAUS IV from
1911 Encyclopedia
★
Władysław's biography
★
Short bio and longer generaology
★
Timeline of Władysław's life
★
Quotes about Władysław
References
★
Władysław Czapliński, ''Na Dworze Króla Władysława IV'' (At the Court of King Władysław IV), 1959.
★
Władysław Czapliński, ''Władysław IV i jego czasy'' (Władysław IV and His Times), 1974.
★ ''Poczet Królów i Książąt Polskich'' (The Kings and Dukes of Poland), 1980, ISBN 8307002346.
★ ''Władysław IV Waza 1595-1658.'' Władcy Polski Nr 23.
Rzeczpospolita and
Mówią Wieki. Various authors and editors. 24 July 2007.
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