Free choice (1648)

1632  ← October 6, 1648 - November 17, 1648 →  1669
Elected King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania
candidate	John II Casimir	Karl Ferdinand Wasa
Political party	Peace group	War faction
be right	4,352
Before the election of Władysław IV. Wasa		Elected Johann II Casimir

The free election of 1648 was the fifth of its kind to determine the king and grand prince of the Royal Republic of the Polish Crown and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania by the nobility as a whole. It took place from October 6th to November 17th, 1648. As a result, the new King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania became John II Casimir , younger brother of the previous ruler Władysław IV Wasa , who died on May 20, 1648.

Johann II Casimir , painted by Daniel Schultz

background

The death of King Władysław IV. Wasa in Merkinė was hardly surprising for the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, as he suffered from gout and kidney failure despite his age of 52 . Władysław IV. Wasa died at the beginning of the Khmelnytskyi uprising , which devastated the southeastern part of the country. According to the general law, Poland-Lithuania was led by an Interrex , the Primate Maciej Łubieński . As a result of Lubienski's health problems, statesman Jerzy Ossoliński de facto took over his position as Interrex .

Karl Ferdinand Wasa , painted by Daniel Schultz

The free election of 1648 had been influenced to a large extent by the ongoing conflict in the Ukrainian provinces of Poland. The two opposing factions that arose during the election:

• The peace group, led by Jerzy Ossoliński and the Starost of Kiev Adam Kisiel . They supported the candidacy of John II Casimir ,
• The war faction, led by Jeremi Wiśniowiecki and Aleksander Koniecpolski . This camp supported Johann Kasimir's brother, the prince-bishop of Breslau Karl Ferdinand Wasa .

Apart from the Wasa dynasty , the Protestant aristocracy supported Sigismund II. Rákóczi , son of the prince of Transylvania Georg I. Rákóczi . In addition to the Orthodox Christians, Bohdan Khmelnyzkyj also favored him .

Sejm assembly

The Sejm meeting was convened in Warsaw on July 16, 1648 and met until August 1 of the same year. The two camps quarreled when the war faction accused the late King Władysław Wasa and Jerzy Ossoliński of having broke out an uprising in the Polish Ukraine. At the request of Ossolinski , the Sejm became a confederation in order to begin negotiations with Khmelnytskyi and to destroy the alliance between the Zaporozhian Cossacks and Crimean Tatars .

choice

The election began on October 6, 1648 and was held in the shadow of a disastrous Polish defeat at the Battle of Piławce . The Polish troops were commanded by Władysław Dominik Zasławski , Mikołaj Ostroróg and Aleksander Koniecpolski . All three supported the Prince-Bishop of Breslau, Karl Ferdinand Wasa , but the outcome of the election was uncertain.

Since both candidates enjoyed a lot of support from the electorate, there was a risk of double elections , similar to that in 1587 . The situation did not change after Princess Luisa Maria Gonzaga expressed her approval for Johann Casimir . He was also promoted by the Kingdom of France , Sweden and the territories of Brandenburg-Prussia .

The stalemate ended when Rákóczi backed out after his father's death on October 11, 1648. The hetman Janusz Radziwiłł , who initially supported Rakoczi, then expressed his support for Kasimir . Also Khmelnitsky , himself a Polish citizen, the siege of the same time fortress Zamość commanded, wrote a letter to Warsaw , by announcing his support for Casimir. Khmelnitskyi's letter was welcomed by voters who had hoped for a truce with the Cossacks .

Karl Ferdinand Wasa was aware that his election would mean a war and that the situation in the confederation was difficult and therefore decided to withdraw on November 11, 1648. In exchange he received the Duchy of Opole and Ratibor , as well as two monasteries .

On November 17th, John II Casimir was elected the new King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. Three days later he signed the Pacta conventa , whereupon Primate Maciej Łubieński confirmed the nomination. The coronation took place on January 17, 1649 in Wawel Cathedral .

swell

• S. Grzybowski, Dzieje Polski i Litwy (1506-1648), pod red. S. Grodziskiego, w: Wielka Historia Polski, Kraków 2003
• U. Augustyniak, Historia Polski 1572-1795, Warszawa 2008
• Z. Wójcik, Wiek XVI-XVII, Warszawa 1991
• M. Markiewicz, Historia Polski 1494-1795, Kraków 2002