Sigismund II Augustus
Sigismund II Augustus (1520-1572) was a Polish king, the last member of the Jagiellon dynasty.[1] He was also the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1548 to 1572.[2]
| Sigismund II Augustus | |
|---|---|
 Portrait by Lucas Cranach the Younger, 1553 | |
| King of Poland Grand Duke of Lithuania | |
| Reign | 1st April 1548 – 7th July 1572 |
| Coronation | 20th February 1530 |
| Predecessor | Sigismund I |
| Successor | Ernest |
| Born | 1st August 1520 Kraków, Poland |
| Died | 7th July 1572 (aged 51) Knyszyn, Poland |
| Burial | 10th February 1574 Wawel Cathedral, Kraków, Poland |
| Spouse | Elizabeth of Austria (m.1543-1545)
Barbara Radziwiłł (m.1547-1551) Catherine of Austria (m. 1553-1572) |
| Issue | Barbara Woroniecka (illegitimate) |
| House | Jagiellon dynasty |
| Father | Sigismund I |
| Mother | Bona Sforza |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Signature |  |
Biography
Sigismund II Augustus was born in Kraków on 1 August 1520.[3] He was the only son (he had sisters) of king Sigismund I the Old and his wife, Italian princess Bona Sforza. His great grandfather was Jogaila,[4] the founder of the dynasty. Sigismund II Augustus was crowned as a child on 20 February 1530[5] when his father was still alive (in Latin vivente rege).[6] From 1544 he ruled in Lithuania.[7] He was married three times but remained childless.[8] He died on 7 July 1572 in Knyszyn.[9] He was a Roman Catholic, but was known for his tolerance for Protestants.[10]
When king Sigismund II Augustus received diplomats or made important decisions, he did so in the audience hall in the royal castle.[11] This room was also called "Under the Heads" for the carved heads set in the ceiling.[11] One of these was a woman's head.[11] The legend says whenever he would make a decision she would speak in Latin (using rhyme and alliteration): Rex Auguste, iudica iuste ("King August, judge justly").[11] He followed her advice but after that her mouth was covered with a ribbon so she would never again interfere in royal decisions.[11]
References
- ↑ Philip W. Barker, Religious Nationalism in Modern Europe: If God be for Us (London; New York: Routledge, 2009), p. 86
- ↑ Henry Kamen, Who's who in Europe, 1450-1750 (London; New York: Routledge, 2000), p. 274
- ↑ "Lithuania". MedievalCoinage.com. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
- ↑ Władysław II Jagiełło, king of Poland, Encyclopaedia Britannica.
- ↑ Zygmunt II August, Encyklopaedia PWN (in Polish).
- ↑ Elekcja, Encyklopedia PWN.
- ↑ Zygmunt II August, Encyklopedia PWN.
- ↑ Sigismund-II-Augustus, Encyclopaedia Britannica.
- ↑ Sigismund-II-Augustus, Encyclopaedia Britannica.
- ↑ Sigismund-II-Augustus, Nekropole.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Wawel Royal Castle". KAR Net. Kraków Travel. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
Other sources
- Stanisław Cynarski, Zygmunt August, Ossolineum, Wrocław 1988 (in Polish).