https://doi.org/10.31261/SPiP.2007.04.11
The aim of this paper is to remind some of the aspects of the political crisis in the Kingdom of Poland in 1399-1402 period. Special, transitory solutions were implemented in Poland of 14th and 15th century in case of king’s absence or unusual political situation. They allowed appointing a governor or governors who substituted the king on the territory which was outside the sphere of competence of a starost and outside one land enclosing in theory, intention or de facto the entire Kingdom (1377/1378, 1381-1382, 1399-1402, 1410/1411, 1440-1447). The governor was above administrative hierarchy and his tile was not established (vicarius in regno, vicarious regni generalis, locumtenens regis, vicesjvicesgerens regis, capitaneus generalis regini etc.). The terminal disease of the queen Jadwiga (granddaughter on the distaff side of Casimir the Great and the heiress of the Kingdom) since the end of June and her death (17.07.1399) challenged the formal title of the king Władysław Jagiełło to the Polish throne. Their marriage was a keystone of mutually desired Polish-Lithuanian union. Due to that reason since the first half of 1399 the new legitimisation was sought in Jagiello’s new relationship with a princess of Casimir the Great’s of blood. The contemporary sources reveal that Jadwiga, on her deathbed, advised Jagiełło to marry counts daughter - Anna von Cilli - as the one who had closest hereditary rights to the Polish throne. After Jadwiga’s death Poles swore fidelity to Jagiełło. According to Długosz, a board of officials discouraged Jagiełło from returning to Lithuania (probably during a meeting in Cistercian monastery in Koprzywnica around 24.07.1399) approving him on the Polish throne (August) on the condition of his marrying Casimir the Great’s granddaughter Anna von Cilli. The legitimisation crisis was formally prevented by their marriage (29.01.1402) with a great help of Jan from Tęczyn - one of the “fathers” of the Polish-Lithuanian union 1385/1386 - a castellan of Cracow 1398- 1405, a court marshal and co-executor of the late queen Jadwiga’s will at the same time being approved as a governor/vice king (30.06.1399-12.02.1402). His status as a governor/Vice-Roy in 1399- 1402 period in Lesser Poland and probably in the Lands of Łęczyca and Sieradz was presented in a detailed way by J. Kurtyka from the analysis of Jan from Tęczyns speeches, basing on sources, administrative titulary and legal position and public role. In 2000 the above findings were questioned by J. Nikodem; his argument as not content-related and not methodological was rejected in the following paper after a detailed analysis. J. Nikodem’s claim that during the legitimisation crisis of 1399 Jagieho’s decision about abandoning the Kingdom of Poland was an effective manoeuvre which was calculated on acquiring hereditary rights to the Polish throne contradicts with sources and political situation in countries inheriting Angevin dynastic traditions after Louis the Great (in Poland and Hungary where since 1395 long-term legitimisation crisis began after the death of queen Mary) and in accordance with the research about home affairs crisis in Poland in 1425-1430 period during which Jagiello’s attempts of obtaining szlachta 's consent to inheritance of the throne were in vain. J. Nikodem’s comments questioning status of a governor of Tęczyński are deniable 1) the function of a governor/Vice-Roy did not involve kings withdrawal, and the monarch (e.g. Władysław Warneńczyk in 1440-1444 period) issued documents of many kinds concerning the territory under the administrative influence of a governor/Vice-Roy; 2) the claim that the fact of appointing the governor should have an impact on recognition of royal power outside the country does not agree with sources; 3) contrary to J. Nikodem’s claim’s the competence schemata of Jan from Tęczyn as a governor/Vice-Roy in 1399 1402 period was proved in sources in detail emphasising numerous analogies between spheres of responsibilities of a castellan Jan from Czyżow and a starost of Cracow as vice king in Lesser Poland and Russia in 1440-1447 period; 4) both during the office of Tęczyński (boarder conflict with Hungary in 1401-1404 period) and Czyżowski independent political and military actions were taken within the country boarders on the territories of their jurisdiction; 5) the increase of political significance of Tęczyński in 1399-1402 period was revealed in his (and not the king’s) mobility and his accepting residential model of governing in Cracow; 6) the demand of iron consistency in holding the title of governor is an absurd of a source and each appearance of the king in the official role (independently from the mentioned title: a starost or a governor) should be verified from the point of view of his content and territorial competence to the case engaging him; 7) dating the governing of Tęczyński to the period of 30.06.1399- 12.02.1402 is content-related and recognised in sources.
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2007
Published: 2020-06-18
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