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Election of Stefan Batory as King of Poland (1576)

Type Event Region Europe Time 1575–1576

In 1576, after Henry III's abdication, Polish nobles at an election sejm in Warsaw chose Transylvanian Duke Stefan Batory as king after a fierce cont…

Timeline

  1. 1574–1575Kingdom of Poland · PolandFrench King Henry III returned home to inherit the French throne only months after being elected King of Poland, leaving the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's throne vacant again as the nobility began preparing a new royal election.
  2. 1575–1576Warsaw · PolandAn election sejm convened in Warsaw in November 1575, with the main candidates being Habsburg Maximilian II and Transylvanian Duke Stefan Batory. Their supporters debated fiercely, with liberal nobles preferring a foreign monarch who could defend the Commonwealth's independence.
  3. 1576Kraków · PolandIn May 1576 the election sejm formally confirmed Stefan Batory as King of Poland, and he was subsequently crowned at Wawel Cathedral in Kraków. Batory pledged to respect noble privileges and religious tolerance, and set about reforming the military and administration to meet the eastern Livonian war situation.

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