Sigismund I the Old
Born	1 January 1467(1467-01-01)
in	Kozienice, Poland
Died	1 April 1548 (aged 81)
in	Cracow, Poland
Buried	on 26 July 1548 Wawel Cathedral, Cracow
Coronation	January 24, 1507 in Wawel Cathedral, Cracow
Family or dynasty	Jagiellon dynasty in Crown of Poland, Gediminid in Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Coat of Arms	Pogoń Litewska. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Kozienice (קאזשניץ Kozhnits) is a Town in central Poland with 21500 inhabitants (1995 Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Kraków, in English also spelled Krakow or Cracow (ˈkrækaʊ M-W: krăk'ou krāk'ō is one of the largest and oldest cities in Poland Events 657 - Battle of Siffin. 811 - Battle of Pliska; Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus Wawel Cathedral &ndash the Cathedral Basilica of Sts Stanisław and Vaclav &ndash is Poland 's national sanctuary located on Wawel Hill in Kraków Events 41 - Gaius Caesar (Caligula, known for his eccentricity and cruel Despotism, is Assassinated by his disgruntled Szlachta ( refers to the noble class in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (since 1569 semi-federal semi-confederal The Jagiellons (Jogailaičiai Jagiellonowie were a royal Dynasty originating from Lithuanian House of Gediminas dynasty that reigned in Central European The Gediminids ( Lithuanian: Gediminaičiai, singular Gediminaitis) were a Dynasty of Monarchs of the medieval Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė old literary Lithuanian Didi Kunigiste Letuvos, Ruthenian: Wialikaje Kniastwa Litowskaje The history of Polish heraldry is an integral part of the history of the Szlachta, the Polish Nobility. Pogoń Litewska - is a Lithuanian coat of arms. Appearing in medieval Lithuanian Heraldry, it was later used by several
Parents	Casimir IV of Poland Elisabeth of Austria
Marriage and children	with Katarzyna Ochstat Telniczanka (mistress):  Jan Ochstat, Regina Szafraniec, Catherine de Montfort
	with Barbara Zapolya:  Jadwiga Jagiellon, Anna
	with Bona Sforza:  Isabella of Hungary, Sigismund II of Poland, Zofia, Anna Jagiellon, Catherine of Sweden and Finland, Wojciech Olbracht

Sigismund I the Old (Polish: Zygmunt I Stary; Lithuanian: Žygimantas II Senasis; 1 January 1467 – 1 April 1548) of the Jagiellon dynasty reigned as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1506 to his death at age 81 in 1548. Casimir IV Jagiellon (Kazimierz IV Jagiellończyk; Kazimieras Jogailaitis Kazimir Jahajłavič 30 November 1427 &ndash Biography Elisabeth was the daughter of Albert II of Germany (1397-1439 and his wife Elisabeth (1409-42 heiress of Bohemia. Ancestors Biography Bona was born in Vigevano, daughter of Gian Galeazzo Sforza of Milan and Isabella of Naples. Ancestors For other nobles of the same name please see Sigismund. Sigismund II Augustus I (Zygmunt II August This article is about the queen regnant of Poland for others with similar names see Anna of Poland (disambiguation. Catherine Jagiellon (Katarzyna Jagiellonka Katariina Jagellonica Katarina Polish ( język polski, polszczyzna) is the Official language of Poland. Lithuanian ( lietuvių kalba) is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognised as one of the official languages of the European Union. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne The Jagiellons (Jogailaičiai Jagiellonowie were a royal Dynasty originating from Lithuanian House of Gediminas dynasty that reigned in Central European Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the Before that, Sigismund had already been invested as Duke of Silesia. Etymology One theory claims that the name Silesia is derived from the Silingi, who were most likely a Vandalic (East Germanic people

Biography

Sigismund I the Old. Drawing by Jan Matejko

The son of King Casimir IV Jagiellon and Elisabeth of Austria, Sigismund followed his brothers John I of Poland and Alexander I of Poland to the Polish throne. Jan Matejko ( (also known as Jan Mateyko; June 24 1838 Free City of Kraków; - November 1 1893 Kraków) was a Polish painter Casimir IV Jagiellon (Kazimierz IV Jagiellończyk; Kazimieras Jogailaitis Kazimir Jahajłavič 30 November 1427 &ndash Biography Elisabeth was the daughter of Albert II of Germany (1397-1439 and his wife Elisabeth (1409-42 heiress of Bohemia. For other monarchs with similar names please see John of Poland. Alexander Jagiellon ( Lithuanian: Aleksandras Jogailaitis; Polish: Aleksander Jagiellończyk; 5 August 1461 – 19 August Their elder brother Ladislaus II of Hungary and Bohemia became king of Hungary and Bohemia. Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic Bohemia (Čechy; Bohemia Czechy is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands, currently the Sigismund was christened the namesake of his mother's maternal grandfather, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, who had died in 1437. For other nobles of the same name please see Sigismund. Sigismund ( February 14, 1368 – December 9,

Sigismund faced the challenge of consolidating internal power in order to face external threats to the country. During Alexander's reign, the law Nihil novi had been instituted, which forbade Kings of Poland from enacting laws without the consent of the Sejm. Nihil novi nisi commune consensu ("Nothing new without the common consent" is the original Latin title of a 1505 act adopted by the Polish This proved crippling to Sigismund's dealings with the szlachta and magnates. Szlachta ( refers to the noble class in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (since 1569 semi-federal semi-confederal Magnate, from the Late Latin magnas, a great man itself from Latin magnus 'great' designates a noble or other man in a high social position

Despite this Achilles heel, he established (1527) a conscription army and the bureaucracy needed to finance it. This article deals with the phrase For other uses see Achilles Heel.

After the death of Janusz III Mazowiecki in 1526, he succeeded in annexing the Duchy of Masovia. Janusz III Mazowiecki or Janusz III of Masovia (1502 &ndash 1526 was a Polish duke of Masovia, last male of the Masovian Piast dynasty. The Duchy of Masovia (Księstwo Mazowieckie was a Duchy formed when the Kingdom of Poland fragmented in 1138.

Intermittently at war with Vasily III of Muscovy, starting in 1507 (before his army was fully under his command), 1514 marked the fall of Smolensk (under Polish domination) to the Muscovite forces (which lent force to his arguments for the necessity of a standing army). Vasili III Ivanovich (Василий III Иванович, also Basil) ( March 25[[ 479]] – December 3[[ 533]] Moscow was the Grand Prince of Moscow The Grand Duchy of Moscow (Великое княжество Московское was a medieval Russian polity centered on Moscow between 1340 and Smolensk (Смоленск is a city in western Russia, located on the Dnieper River, the administrative centre of Smolensk Oblast. Those conflicts formed part of the Muscovite wars. 1515 he entered an alliance with the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. The Holy Roman Emperor (Römischer Kaiser or Römisch-Deutscher Kaiser Romanorum Imperator was the elected monarch ruling over the many varying numbers of states Maximilian I may refer to Maximilian I Emperor of Mexico Maximilian I Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I Duke of Bavaria

In return for Maximilian lending weight to the provisions of the Second Peace of Thorn (1466), Sigismund consented to the marriage of the children of Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary, his brother, to the grandchildren of Maximilian. The Second Peace of Thorn of 1466 (Zweiter Friede von Thorn Drugi Pokój Toruński was a Peace treaty signed in the Hanseatic city of Thorn (Toruń on Through this double marriage contract, Bohemia and Hungary passed to the House of Habsburg in 1526, on the death of Sigismund's nephew, Louis II. Bohemia (Čechy; Bohemia Czechy is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands, currently the Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic

The Polish wars against the Teutonic Knights ended in 1525, when Albert of Brandenburg, their marshal (and Sigismund's nephew), converted to Lutheranism, secularized the order, and paid homage to Sigismund. The Teutonic Order is a German Roman Catholic religious order. Cardinal Albert of Hohenzollern (German; June 28, 1490 &ndash September 24, 1545) was Elector and Archbishop of Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century German reformer Martin Luther In return, he was given the domains of the Order, as the First Duke of Prussia. The Duchy of Prussia or Ducal Prussia (Herzogtum Preußen Prūsijos kunigaikštystė Prusy Książęce was a Duchy in the eastern part of Prussia from This was called the Prussian Homage. The Prussian Homage or Tribute (Preußische Huldigung hołd pruski was the formal investment of Albert of Prussia as duke of the Polish Fief

"Prussian Homage," by Jan Matejko, 1882, 388 x 875 cm, National Museum in Cracow. The Prussian Homage or Tribute (Preußische Huldigung hołd pruski was the formal investment of Albert of Prussia as duke of the Polish Fief Jan Matejko ( (also known as Jan Mateyko; June 24 1838 Free City of Kraków; - November 1 1893 Kraków) was a Polish painter Kraków, in English also spelled Krakow or Cracow (ˈkrækaʊ M-W: krăk'ou krāk'ō is one of the largest and oldest cities in Poland Albrecht Hohenzollern receives the Duchy of Prussia in fief from Polish King Sigismund I the Old in 1525

Sigismund's eldest daughter Jadwiga (Hedwig) (1513-1573) married Elector Joachim II of Brandenburg. Albert of Prussia or Albert of Hohenzollern (in German Albrecht von Hohenzollern) may refer to Albert of Mainz (1490–1545 also known The Duchy of Prussia or Ducal Prussia (Herzogtum Preußen Prūsijos kunigaikštystė Prusy Książęce was a Duchy in the eastern part of Prussia from Under the system of Feudalism, a fiefdom, fief, feud, feoff, or fee, often consisted of inheritable lands or revenue-producing Joachim II Hector (Joachim II Hector or Hektor; 13 January 1505 &ndash 3 January 1571) was a Prince-elector of the

In other matters of policy, Sigismund sought peaceful coexistence with the Khanate of Crimea, but was unable to completely end border skirmishes. The Crimean Khanate or the Khanate of Crimea (Qırım Hanlığı|قريم خانلغى Крымское ханство - Krymskoye khanstvo; Sigismund was a Humanist. Humanism is a broad category of ethical philosophies that affirm the dignity and worth of all people based on the ability to determine right and wrong by appealing to universal He and his third consort, Bona Sforza, daughter of Gian Galeazzo Sforza of Milan, were both patrons of Renaissance culture, which under them began to flourish in Poland and in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Biography Bona was born in Vigevano, daughter of Gian Galeazzo Sforza of Milan and Isabella of Naples. Gian Galeazzo Sforza (also Giovan Galeazzo Sforza) ( June 20, 1469 - October 21, 1494) was the sixth Duke of Milan. Milan (Milano Milan (listen) is one of the largest cities in Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere

On Sigismund's death, his son Sigismund II August became the last Jagiellon king of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. For other nobles of the same name please see Sigismund. Sigismund II Augustus I (Zygmunt II August

Sigismund I owed some allegiance to the Imperial Habsburgs as a member of the Order of the Golden Fleece. The Order of the Golden Fleece (Orden del Toisón de Oro is an Order of chivalry founded in 1430 by Duke Philip III of Burgundy to celebrate his marriage

Sigismund I wearing the Crown of Bolesław the Brave

Coin with likeness of Sigismund I the Old

Polish white eagle with Sigismund`s monogram

Trivia

King Sigismund the Old instituted the death penalty for poaching a Wisent. The only surviving original piece of the Polish Crown Jewels from the time of the Piast dynasty is the ceremonial Sword - Szczerbiec. The wisent (ˈviːzənt or European bison ( Bison bonasus) is a Bison Species and the heaviest surviving land animal in Europe

Ancestors

Patronage

King Sigismund I and bishop Tomicki kneeling before St. Stanisław, a leaf form the Hours of Sigismund I by Stanisław Samostrzelnik

The Sigismund's Chapel of the Wawel Cathedral built for Sigismund I between 1517-1533 by Bartolommeo Berrecci

Wawel Castle courtyard constructed between 1516-1536 on the order of King Sigismund I the Old

Castle in Piotrków Trybunalski was built for the King between 1512-1519 by Master Benedykt of Sandomierz

See also

• History of Poland (1385-1569)
• Zygmunt (bell)