Shortly after settling in Poland, the wife of Sigmund I became an enthusiastic enforcer of the authority of the royal family, according to the Italian pattern. The first ten years of her royal marriage were devoted to ensuring the inheritance of the throne by her children. It was mostly due to her efforts that her son, Sigmund August, was crowned the King of Poland at the age of 9. His election was neatly crafted after the child was already proclaimed the Great Prince of Lithuania. In the election Bona clearly blackmailed the noble class, and the populace did not appreciate this strategy. After Sigmund August died, free elections were introduced and the noble class could participate in them.
Bona, who held the title of Great Princess of Lithuania, supported the separatist tendencies in that province in order to strengthen the authority of her husband. She was convinced that the Duchy of Lithuania, as the inheritable domain of the Jagiellonians, contributed to the political power and internal strength of the dynasty. She succeeded in getting the lower noble class on her side, as she supported their power struggle with the magnates. Such political maneuvers were conducted to ensure her private interest in Lithuania. She went as far as voting against the succession of the Lithuanian throne to Sigmund August in 1544. She feared that the election of her son could at that time lower the incomes from her Lithuanian estates.
The Queen was aware that the increase of royal authority depended greatly on the size and value of private estates owned by the monarch. Therefore, she re-bought many former royal estates from the magnates, and this proved to be a very good investment. Her smart internal politics proved to be in tune with the interests of Polish and Lithuanian city dwellers, including merchants and small manufacturers.
International politics of Bona
In the 16th century, Poland was one of the strongest world powers. At that time it was the royal family, not ambassadors and attaches, who represented their countries. The death of the monarch meant that all of his representatives lost their authority. The king’s representatives were not protected by any political immunity. The cases of imprisonment of Polish deputies abroad, especially in Turkey, were quite frequent. The distance between the Motherland and the other country enabled the representatives of the King to have more autonomy than ambassadors have nowadays. A Polish diplomat of the 16th century had to be well-educated in the spirit of humanism. He needed to possess a great knowledge about the host country and fluently speak its official language. He was expected to be bright, resourceful and able to handle financial operations as well as bribes. The latter were needed to maintain positive relations with the host court. Expensive gifts were always received with enthusiasm and in some countries, such as in the East, they were almost mandatory.
The Queen of Poland had to deal with the complicated situation of the province of Bari. She came from Bari and treated it as her „private domain.” This ambitious woman fought against the influences of the Pope and Spanish monarch. Although some Italian politicians appreciated her efforts, she confided more in Polish nobleman Pawel Stempniowski, who permanently resided in Italy. Another Pole, diplomat Jan Tyczyn, who spent 30 years in Italy, supported her Italian politics, too.
The objective of Bona’s international politics was to establish an alliance with France. The Queen also cared about having good relations with Turkey, and cooperated with Hungarian and Czech provinces. All of her political energies were aimed against the Habsburgs and Hohenzollerns.
She perceived those powerful dynasties as the main threat to the statehood of Poland.
The ironic side of it can be seen in the fact that it was the Emperor Maximilian Habsburg who came up with the idea of Bona’s marriage to Sigmund I. In Bona’s opinion, a close alliance with France could provide competition to the power of the Habsburgs in Europe. The treaty with France was signed in 1534 but it was never ratified. The attempts to join Polish and French ruling dynasties by marriages were not successful.
Bona fought with the Habsburg influences on the Hungarian and Czech territories. After the death of Ludwik Jagiellon, Bona tried to talk her husband into taking the Hungarian throne. For the same reason, she arranged the marriage of her daughter Isabella to the Hungarian King Jan Zapoyla. Bona’s opposition against Habsburgs caused her much trouble in Italy. In 1524 the Emperor Charles V tried to prevent Bona from taking the inheritance after her mother.
In the end Bona lost the competition with the Habsburgs. Marriages of her son to the Emperor’s Ferdinand I daughters, Katherine and then Elizabeth, were tantamount to Bona’s defeat.
In order to minimize the threat from the Habsburg and Hohenzollern dynasties, Bona helped the Primate Jan Laski to eliminate the Teutonic Order from Prussia. Among Bona’s merits are the 1524 treaties with the Prince of Western Pomerania; the Prince of Maklemburg, Henry, and the King of Denmark Frederick I. In 1525 Prussian elector Albrecht Hohenzollern paid homage to the Polish King Sigmund I. This act was the last of Bona’s political intrigues, efforts and wise strategizing.
On that day „one hundred servants followed the Queen. All the dames of court surrounded her. Although they were all dressed beautifully, Bona’s beauty shined the most. She wore a wonderful pale green dress with silver embroidery and jewels attached to it. Even the head-dress of her horse was decorated with jewels and glittered in the sun.”
Finally, the most anticipated moment became reality and the proud last master of the Teutonic Order took his oath of loyalty. Kneeling in front of the Polish King he said: „I, Albrecht, the Prince of Prussia, Margrave of Brandenburg, promise to the God Almighty that from this very moment till eternity I, along with my vassals, whether civil or clergy, want to be completely faithful, obedient and loyal to the most powerful monarch and master, Sigmund I and his followers, as well as the Polish Crown, and therefore I will remain under the homage and devoted to the idea of peace and cooperation.”
In the following years female Polish royalty prevented Brandenburg electors from the succession of authority in Prussia.
Supporters and opponents
The noble class of Poland did not support Bona’s political plans. Her political strategy involved participating in her husband’s decision-making process and distribution of civil and church estates. This resulted in having a small circle of loyal supporters, who were neither rich nor powerful. An exceptional figure among them was Piotr Kmita, the Marshall of the Court, who later became the Marshall of the Crown. This man came from a very influential and rich family. Not only was he a great military leader and skilled diplomat, but a generous sponsor of poets as well. He enjoyed respect and popularity among the noble class. His role in the everyday life of the court was limited, due to his volatile personality and extreme pride.
One of the Queen’s favorite people was Piotr Gamrat, who benefited greatly from her goodwill. Due to Bona’s protectorate, Gamrat beca-me the Archbishop of Gniezno, and later the Primate of Poland. He always had a rather high opinion of Bona’s international politics. Respected by the noble class, he was able to calm its hostility towards Bona.
The title of the Archbishop of Gniezno was also given to another protégé of the Queen named Andrzej Krzycki, who proved to be a good politician and a gifted poet. Bona also helped with the diplomatic career of Jan Dantyszek, whose background was noble. Dantyszek represented Poland in German provin-ces, in Austria, England, Spain and the Netherlands. For his loyal services to Bona, he was rewarded with the bishoprics of Chelmno and Varmia.
Samuel Maciejowski, the Chancellor and Bishop of Cracow, should also be mentioned among the people who benefited from Bona’s favorable disposition. Maciejowski was known for his amazing memory. Upon hearing a sermon once, he could repeat it word for word. The noble class liked him. On the other hand, artists and humanists appreciated his financial contributions.
The Queen had many powerful and affluent enemies. Their leader was the Great Chancellor of the Crown, Krzysztof Szydlowiecki, the friend of the aging king. He was also considered one of the richest people in Europe. The Chancellor had a great interest in art and science, and he sponsored various Italian artists. Szydlowiecki had a lot of influence on the king’s decisions in the area of international politics. As a politician he was trying to bring the Polish King and German Emperor closer together. Those pro-Habsburg preferences were in contradiction to the pro-French politics of Bona. For the same reason, the opposition to the Queen included people like Piotr Tomicki, Vice-Chancellor of the Crown, who also held a Krakow bishopric, and Jan Tarnowski, the Commander-in-Chief.
The differences of opinions regarding domestic and international policy caused a lot of conflicts between the Queen and the magnates. Polish and Lithuanian magnates were particularly against further enforcement of the royal authority. Bona was determined to defend the interests of the Jagiellonian dynasty by all means. When magnate Jan Sapieha announced that Bona wanted to destroy the magnates, she accused him of the offence against her majesty. He was imprisoned and deprived of all his titles and authority. All of his property was confiscated.
The functions of the Royal Chancellor’s Office
The Royal Chancellor’s Office played an important part in conducting international and domestic politics. The Chancellor fulfilled the functions of today’s ministers of foreign and internal affairs. He and the Vice-Chancellor enacted documents and organized correspondence of the King. The office was located in the WawelCastle and consisted of several chambers where the secretaries wrote instructions for the representatives of the King abroad, letters from the King or the Queen, and protocols. Some of the correspondence was coded, and this required having appropriately trained writers. The secretaries were carefully chosen to prevent the spread of confidential information. For their services and ability to keep secrets, they received generous pay. All their needs and expenses were taken care of by the Court.
Return to Italy
What prompted Bona to return to Italy was the conflict with her son over his marriage to Barbara Radziwill. The bride was disliked by the Court and by the noble class. After Barbara’s death Bona was accused of poisoning her daughter-in-law. The death of Sigmund I in 1548 and the death of the Archbishop of Gniezno, Piotr Gamrat, which soon followed, limited Bona’s political power. The decision regarding the return to her homeland followed. She finally left Poland in 1556. Over one hundred carriages were needed to transport all of the goods Bona had accumulated in Poland. (Quotations: A. Domanska – Hold Pruski)
Internal politics of the Queen