Published: 2016-12-31

Jagiello, Vytautas, Sophia Holshanskaya and dynastic politics

Sobiesław Szybkowski
Section: Recenzje i artykuły recenzyjne
https://doi.org/10.31261/SPiP.2016.12.15

Abstract

The reviewed monograph written by Wioletta Zawitkowska is an attempt to provide a comprehensive account of the political struggle for the succession to the throne after Władysław Jagiełło, focusing on the years 1422-1434. The author reveals the behind-the-scenes efforts of the royal couple - Władysław Jagiełło and Zofia Holszańska - to secure the succession to their sons, Władysław and Kazimierz, despite severe political, dynastic and religious obstacles. The book presents the actions of Jagiello and the Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas, who supported him, in the context of internal rivalry with the political elite of the Polish Kingdom, especially with the camp centered around the Bishop of Cracow Zbigniew Oleśnicki. The work also touches on Polish-Lithuanian relations, revealing tensions arising from different understandings of the union of the two states: the Poles leaned toward incorporation, and the Lithuanians opted for equivalence. The author also reconstructs Vytautas' attempt to crown Vytautas, king of Lithuania, as an element of political blackmail against the Polish nobility. Zawitkowska presents Sophia Holshanskaya as an active participant in dynastic politics, revising earlier assessments of her role. However, the reviewer points out the work's shortcomings: insufficient polemics with contemporary historiography, lack of methodological precision, fragmentary use of sources, and incomplete consideration of alternative interpretations, especially the studies of Jerzy Sperka and Janusz Kurtyka. Nevertheless, the monograph brings new insights into the complex political game in the declining period of Jagiello's reign.

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Szybkowski, S. (2016). Jagiello, Vytautas, Sophia Holshanskaya and dynastic politics. Średniowiecze Polskie I Powszechne, 8, 300–315. https://doi.org/10.31261/SPiP.2016.12.15

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SPP 2016 cover

Vol. 8 (2016)
Published: 2016-12-31


ISSN: 2080-492X
eISSN: 2353-9720

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Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego | University of Silesia Press

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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