| John II Casimir Vasa | |
|---|---|
 Portrait byDaniel Schultz,c. 1658 | |
| King of Poland Grand Duke of Lithuania | |
| Reign | November 1648 – 16 September 1668 |
| Coronation | 19 January 1649 |
| Predecessor | Władysław IV Vasa |
| Successor | Michael I |
| Born | (1609-03-22)22 March 1609 Kraków,Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth |
| Died | 16 December 1672(1672-12-16) (aged 63) Nevers,Kingdom of France |
| Burial | 31 January 1676 |
| Spouses | |
| Issue | John Sigismund Vasa Maria Anna Vasa |
| House | Vasa |
| Father | Sigismund III Vasa |
| Mother | Constance of Austria |
| Religion | Catholic |
| Signature |  |
John II Casimir Vasa (Polish:Jan II Kazimierz Waza;Lithuanian:Jonas Kazimieras Vaza; 22 March 1609 – 16 December 1672) wasKing of Poland andGrand Duke of Lithuania from 1648 to hisabdication in 1668 as well as a claimant to the throne of Sweden from 1648 to 1660. He was the first son ofSigismund III Vasa with his second wifeConstance of Austria. John Casimir succeeded his older half-brother,Władysław IV Vasa.[1][2]
As a prince, John Casimir embarked atGenoa forSpain in 1638 to negotiate a league withPhilip IV against France, but was captured byCardinal Richelieu and imprisoned atVincennes where he remained for two years. He was released when his brother, Władysław IV, promised never to wage war againstFrance. John Casimir then travelled extensively throughoutwestern Europe and entered the order ofJesuits inRome in 1643. He was made cardinal byInnocent X, but after returning toPoland, he became a layman and succeeded his brother in 1648. His reign commenced amid the confusion and disasters caused by the greatrevolt of the Cossacks underBohdan Khmelnytsky in Ukraine, who had advanced into the very heart of Poland. The power of the king had been stripped of almost all its prerogatives by the growing influence of thenobles.
TheTsardom of Russia andSweden, which had long been active enemies of Poland, renewed their attacks.George II Rakoczy ofTransylvania also invaded the Polish territory, and theSejm was continuously dissolved because of the abuse of theliberum veto law.Charles X Gustav of Sweden triumphantly marched through the country and occupiedKraków in 1655, which forced John Casimir to flee toSilesia. The Swedes were eventually stopped byStefan Czarniecki underCzęstochowa. The wars against the Swedes and the Russians were terminated by treaties involving considerable cessions of provinces on theBaltic and theDnieper on the part of Poland, which also lost its sway over theCossacks, who placed themselves under the protection of Russian Tsars. During the long battles, John Casimir, though feeble and of a peaceful disposition, frequently proved hispatriotism and courage.[3]
The intrigues of his wife for theDuke of Enghien as successor to the Polish throne triggered a series of revolts, including arebellion underHetmanJerzy Sebastian Lubomirski. As a result, John Casimir abdicated at the Sejm ofWarsaw on 16 September 1668. The following year, he retired to France where he was hospitably treated byLouis XIV. John Casimir's reign was one of the most disastrous in the history of Poland.[3] He was the third and last monarch on the Polish throne from theHouse of Vasa.
Official titles:
English translation:
John Casimir was born inKraków on 22 March 1609,[6] the son ofSigismund III Vasa andConstance of Austria.[7] His father, Sigismund III, the grandson ofGustav I of Sweden, had in 1592 succeeded his own father to the Swedish throne, only to be deposed in 1599 by his uncle,Charles IX of Sweden. This led to a long-standing feud wherein the Polish kings of theHouse of Vasa claimed the Swedish throne, resulting in thePolish–Swedish War of 1600–1629. Poland and Sweden were also on opposite sides in theThirty Years' War (1618–1648), although in that conflict Poland for the most part avoided joining any major military actions and campaigns, instead supporting the Austrian Habsburg andCatholic fraction.[8]
John Casimir for most of his life remained in the shadow of his older half-brother,Władysław IV Vasa. He had few friends among the Polish nobility. Unfriendly, secretive, dividing his time between lavish partying and religious contemplation, and disliking politics, he did not have a strong power base nor influence at the Polish court, instead supporting unfavorable Habsburg policies. He did, however, display talent as a military commander, showing his abilities in theSmolensk War againstMuscovy (1633).[9]
Between 1632 and 1635, Władysław IV sought to enhance his brother's influence by negotiating a marriage for John Casimir toChristina of Sweden, then to an Italian princess, but to no avail. In 1637 John Casimir undertook adiplomatic mission toVienna, which he abandoned to join the army of theHoly Roman Empire and fight against the French. After his regiment was defeated in battle, he spent a year living lavishly at the Viennese court where his strong anti-Cossack interests and political views were greatly shaped under the direct influence of the Austrian Emperor.
In 1636 he returned to thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and fell in love with Baroness Guldentern, but his desire to marry her was thwarted by King Władysław. In return, Władysław attempted to make him the sovereign of theDuchy of Courland, but this was vetoed by the Commonwealth parliament (Sejm). Taking offence at this, John Casimir in 1638 left for the Kingdom of Spain to becomeViceroy of Portugal, but was captured by French agents and imprisoned by the order ofCardinal Richelieu until 1640. He was then freed by a diplomatic mission of the appointedVoivode ofSmolensk Krzysztof Gosiewski and as a result ofanti-French Polish-Spanish negotiations.
In 1641 John Casimir decided to become aJesuit. In 1642 he again left the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, accompanying his sister to Germany. In 1643 he joined the Jesuits, against vocal opposition from King Władysław, causing a diplomatic rift between the Commonwealth and the Pope. John Casimir went to Rome when the Jesuits invited him in order to bolster the Catholic faction. From this, he was appointed cardinal, but he would soon resign and return to the Commonwealth when the only son of Władysław died.[10] He attempted to gain the support of theHabsburgs and marry an Austrian princess to create an alliance between the nations in case of an unexpected attack, possibly from the east.
In 1648 John Casimir was elected by the Polish Parliament to succeed his half-brother on the Polish throne. The reign of the last of the Vasas in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth would be dominated by theRusso-Polish War (1654–67), followed by the war with Sweden ("The Deluge"), the scene for which had been set by the Commonwealth's two previous Vasa kings. Most of Poland was invaded by the Swedish army during The Deluge without much of a fight, due to the conspiratorial complicity of Polish and Lithuanian governors and nobility. In the course of a few years, the Commonwealth rose to force the Swedes out of Poland, ending the short-lived intrusions and campaigns, however, at a high cost. Most of the cities and towns in the Commonwealth were sacked, plundered and some were burnt to the ground, mostly by the retreating enemy units. Although the reign of John Casimir is remembered to be one of the most disastrous and perhaps most unsuccessful in the history of Poland and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, he is often referred to as the "warrior king" that fought bravely to save his nation and his people.
In 1660 John II Casimir was forced to renounce his claim to the Swedish throne and acknowledge Swedish sovereignty overLivonia and the city ofRiga in modern-dayLatvia.
John Casimir had married his brother's widow,Marie Louise Gonzaga (Polish:Maria Ludwika),[7] who was a major support to the King. Marie Louise suddenly died in 1667 and this may have caused the monarch's early political decline.
On 16 September 1668, grief-stricken after the death of his wife in the previous year, John II Casimir abdicated the throne of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and returned to France, where he rejoined the Jesuits and became abbot ofAbbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris. Following his abdicationMichał Korybut Wiśniowiecki (Michael I) was elected the new king and was crowned on 29 September 1669.
In the autumn of 1672, John Casimir had intended to return to Poland, but fell ill before departing and was prevented from doing so. The seizure ofKamieniec Podolski by theOttoman Empire distressed him, exacerbating his condition. He requested the assistance ofPope Clement X to defend Poland against the Ottomans. He died on 16 December 1672 fromapoplexy, and his burial took place inside theWawel Cathedral inKraków.[8][11] His heart was interred in theAbbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
On 1 April 1656, during aMass in theLatin Cathedral in Lwów, conducted by thepapal legatePietro Vidoni, John II Casimir in a grandiose and elaborate ceremony entrusted the Commonwealth under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whom he announced asThe Queen of the Polish Crown and other of his countries. He also swore toprotect the Kingdom's folk from any impositions and unjust bondage. This is referred to as theLwów Oath.
As almost the whole country was occupied by Swedish orRussian armies, the vow was intended to incite the whole nation, including the peasantry, to rise up against the invaders. Two main issues raised by the king in the vows were the necessity to protect the Catholic faith, seen as endangered by the Lutheran (and to some extent Orthodox) aggressors, and to manifest the will to improve the condition of the peasantry.
After the King, a similar vow was taken by theDeputy Chancellor of the Crown and thebishop of Kraków,Andrzej Trzebicki, in the name of theszlachta noblemen of the Commonwealth.
The Commonwealth forces finally drove back the Swedes in 1657 and the Russians in 1661. After the war, promises made by John Casimir in Lwów, especially those considering the peasants' lot, were not fulfilled, mostly because of objections by theSejm, which represented theszlachta nobility and was not attracted to the idea of reducing serfdom, which would negatively affect their economic interests.
John Casimir left no surviving children. All his brothers and sisters having predeceased him without surviving issue, he was the last of the line ofBona Sforza. With him, all the legitimate issue ofAlfonso II of Naples died out. His heir in Ferdinand I of Naples and in the Brienne succession was his distant cousin,Henry de La Tremoille,Prince of Talmond andTaranto, the heir-general ofFrederick IV of Naples (second son ofFerdinand I of Naples andIsabella of Clermont), who also was the heir-general of Federigo's first wife,Anne of Savoy.
John Casimir was, after his brother, the head of the genealogical line ofSt. Bridget of Sweden, descending in primogeniture from Bridget's sister. After his death, the headship was offered to his second cousin, the already-abdicatedChristina I of Sweden.
The vast collection of paintings, portraits, porcelain and other valuables belonging to the PolishVasas was mostly looted by the Swedes and Germans ofBrandenburg who brutally sackedWarsaw in the 1650s, during theDeluge.[12] Most of them were sold off to wealthy nobles, displayed in other parts of Europe, or would eventually belong to private collectors, though some of the famous works survived hidden inOpole likeThe Rape of Europa byGuido Reni.
The most important additions to the royal collection were made by John II Casimir, a passionate collector ofDutch paintings, and a patron ofDaniel Schultz (who painted a famous portrait of a son ofCrimeanAga Dedesh, and was made Royalfalconer in reward for his father's contribution during the war with Russia in 1663[13]). A major part of the king's painting collection was acquired in 1660s, by way ofHendrick van Uylenburgh, an agent inAmsterdam, and later his sonGerrit van Uylenburgh. These were mainly Dutch paintings and works byRembrandt. The collection also included works byRubens,Jordaens,Reni,Guercino,Jan Brueghel the Younger, andBassano, among others.[12]
When John Casimir abdicated the Polish–Lithuanian throne, he brought many of his paintings and portraits with him to France. The collection remaining atRoyal Castle inWarsaw was looted during theGreat Northern War or appropriated in 1720 byAugustus II the Strong,Elector of Saxony, like two paintings byRembrandt –Portrait of a Rabbi (1657) andPortrait of a Man in the Hat Decorated with Pearls (1667), today displayed in theGemäldegalerie Alte Meister inDresden, Germany.[12]
John Casimir was a character inHenryk Sienkiewicz's novelsWith Fire and Sword (Ogniem i Mieczem) andThe Deluge (Potop).
| Ancestors of John II Casimir Vasa |
|---|
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
John II Casimir Vasa Born: 22 March 1609 Died: 6 December 1672 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | King of Poland Grand Duke of Lithuania 1648–1668 | Succeeded by |
| Titles in pretence | ||
| Preceded by | — TITULAR — King of Sweden 1648–1660 | Treaty of Oliva |
| Brienne claim 1648-1672 | Succeeded by | |
