![]() ![]() Although Sigismund in his youth enjoyed reading and learning, observers did not acknowledge his intelligence. Catherine ensured that her son was educated in the spirit of Catholicism and Polish patriotism the young prince was made aware of his blood connection to the Jagiellonian dynasty which ruled Poland in its finest period for two hundred years. He was also proficient in German, Italian, and Latin. Īs a child, Sigismund was tutored in both Polish and Swedish, thus making him bilingual. In 1589, Sigismund's half-brother John, the future Duke of Östergötland, was born. He maintained good relations with his father despite John's second marriage to Gunilla Bielke, a Protestant noble lady of lower status and Catherine's former maid of honour. In January 1569, Eric XIV was deposed and Sigismund's father ascended the throne of Sweden as John III. In October 1567 Sigismund and his parents were released from prison at the request of his uncle Charles. His younger sister Anna was a Lutheran, but the close relationship between the two siblings remained unchanged until her death in 1625. Sigismund's older sister Isabella died aged two in 1566. His mother Catherine was the daughter of Polish king Sigismund the Old and Bona Sforza of Milan, all of whom where practicing Catholics. Although Protestant Christians were growing political wing in Poland at the time, Sigismund was raised as a Roman Catholic. The couple was being held prisoner at Gripsholm since 1563 when John staged a failed rebellion against his deranged brother Eric XIV of Sweden. An 1859 painting by Józef Simmler.īorn on 20 June 1566 at Gripsholm Castle, Sigismund was the second child and only son of Catherine Jagiellon and Grand Duke John of Finland. John III, his wife Catherine Jagiellon and young Sigismund imprisoned at Gripsholm. It was commissioned after Sigismund's death by his son and successor, Władysław IV. He was commemorated in Warsaw by Sigismund's Column, one of the city's chief landmarks and the first secular monument in the form of a column in modern history. Considerable contributions to the arts and architecture as well as military victories were tarnished by intrigues and religious persecutions. On the other hand, it was also during his rule that the seeds of decline surfaced. One of the country's most recognisable monarchs, his long reign coincided with the Polish Golden Age, the apex in the prestige, power and economic influence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Sigismund remains a controversial figure in Poland. After a series of skirmishes ending in a truce, King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden launched a campaign against the Commonwealth and annexed parts of Polish Livonia. However, the Polish–Swedish conflict had a less favourable outcome. Sigismund's army also defeated the Ottoman forces in southeastern Europe, which hastened the downfall of Sultan Osman II. He actively interfered in the affairs of neighbouring countries his invasion of Russia during the Time of Troubles resulted in brief control over Moscow and seizure of Smolensk. He suppressed internal opposition, strengthened Catholic influence and granted privileges to the Jesuits, whom he employed as advisors and spies during the Counter-Reformation. Sigismund attempted to hold absolute power in all his dominions and frequently undermined parliament. Opposition in Protestant Sweden caused a war against Sigismund headed by Sigismund's uncle Charles IX, who deposed him in 1599. Elected monarch of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1587, he sought to unify Poland and Sweden under one Catholic kingdom, and when he succeeded his deceased father in 1592 the Polish–Swedish union was created. Sigismund was the son of King John III of Sweden and his first wife, Catherine Jagiellon, daughter of King Sigismund I of Poland. As an enlightened despot, he presided over an era of prosperity and achievement, further distinguished by the transfer of the country's capital from Kraków to Warsaw. A religious zealot, he imposed Roman Catholic doctrine across the vast realm, and his crusades against neighbouring states marked Poland's largest territorial expansion. He was the first Polish sovereign from the House of Vasa. ![]() N.S.) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1587 to 1632 and, as Sigismund, King of Sweden and Grand Duke of Finland from 1592 to 1599. Sigismund III Vasa ( Polish: Zygmunt III Waza, Lithuanian: Žygimantas Vaza 20 June 1566 – 30 April 1632 ![]() Anna Catherine Constance, Hereditary Countess Palatine of Neuburg
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