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Mayor Albert's Rebellion (Polish:bunt wójta Alberta) was a 1311–12 rebellion by theburghers of thePolish city ofKraków against DukeWładysław I the Elbow-high.[1] The rebellion was led by Albert, the vogt orwójt (Latin:advocatus), who underMagdeburg Law was effectivelymayor of Kraków.[2] It ended with the victory of Duke Władysław and the punishment of Kraków townsmen.
After Kraków had been devastated during the 1241Mongol invasion of Poland, it was re-established in accordance with theMagdeburg Law by PrinceBolesław V the Chaste.[3] In 1291 theDuchy of Kraków fell to thePřemyslid kingWenceslaus II of Bohemia who in 1300 also became King of Poland. Upon the extinction of the Přemyslids in 1306, thePiast dukeWładysław I the Elbow-high assumed rule at Kraków, while in 1310 the Bohemian Kingdom passed to theHouse of Luxembourg. The new king,John of Bohemia, continued to claim the Polish royal title and moreover sought to vassalize thePiast dukes of the adjacentSilesian region.
In 1311wójt Albert (?-1317), mayor of Kraków (1290-1312), launched a rebellion against the rule of Prince Władysław, with the goal of turning the city – then the capital of the PolishSeniorate Province – over to the BohemianHouse of Luxembourg.[4] The rebellion was pro-German and anti-Polish, both politically and culturally.[5]Albert, himself of German[2] or Czech[6] origin, had the support of some of the city's Germanburghers.[4] He also had the support of BishopJan Muskata, himself of German-Silesian origin, and the Silesian dukeBolko I of Opole, as well as of many Kraków citizens. After Władysław laid siege to the city, the revolt ended in failure.[2][4] Similar rebellions took place in several other cities, particularlySandomierz andWieliczka; these were also crushed by Władysław.[citation needed]
Albert fled toBohemia[4] and his house was demolished, while the PolishPrimate ArchbishopJakub Świnka ofGniezno charged Bishop Muskata with being "an enemy of the Polish people". In the aftermath of the rebellion, the city of Kraków lost many of its privileges due to the support some of its burghers gave to the uprising. From Prince Władysław's point of view, the revolt had been motivated by sentiment against Poland and the German subject and citizens proved their disloyalty.
According to a single source, so calledKrasiński's Annals, to distinguish the German-speaking burghers of Kraków, theshibbolethSoczewica, koło, miele, młyn ("Lentil, wheel, grinds (verb), mill) was used. Those who could not properly pronounce this phrase were executed.[7]
The uprising was chronicled in a contemporaryLatin poemDe quodam advocate Cracoviensi Alberto ("About a Certain Reeve Albert of Kraków") written by an anonymous author, which can be described as "germanophobic".[5]
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