Chicken War: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Rebellion in Poland (1537)}} |
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{{About|Polish Chicken War|the Chicken War of the 1960s|Chicken |
{{About|the Polish Chicken War|the Chicken War of the 1960s|Chicken tax}} |
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'''Chicken War''' or '''Hen War''' ({{langx|pl|'''Wojna kokosza'''}}) is the colloquial name for a 1537 anti-[[Jagiellon dynasty|royalist]] and anti-[[Absolute monarchy|absolutist]] ''[[rokosz]]'' (rebellion) by the [[Poland|Polish]] [[nobility]]. |
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⚫ | The derisive name was coined by the ''[[Magnates of Poland and Lithuania|magnates]]'', who for the most part supported the King and claimed that the conflict's only effect was the near-extinction of the local [[chicken]]s, which were eaten by the nobles gathered for the ''rokosz'' at [[Lwów]], in [[Ruthenian Voivodeship]].<ref name="Authors2013">{{cite book|author= <!--Staff author; no by-line.-->|title=Early Modern Wars 1500–1775|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k_GxAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT63|date=September 17, 2013|publisher=Amber Books Ltd.|isbn=978-1-78274-121-3|page=63}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Samsonowicz | first=Henryk |title=Historia Polski do roku 1795 |trans-title=History of Poland to 1795 | location=Warszawa | publisher=Wydawnictwa Szkolne i Pedagogiczne |year=1976|page=157|language=pl}}</ref> |
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The magnates' choice of "''kokosz''"—meaning "an egg laying hen"—may have been inspired by a [[play on words]] between "''kokosz''" and the similar-sounding "''rokosz''". |
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The Chicken War was the first rokosz of the nobility in Polish history.<ref>Na podstawie: Stanisław Rosik, Przemysław Wiszewski, Poczet polskich królów i książąt, Wrocław 2004, str. 215</ref> |
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==Background== |
==Background== |
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At the start of his reign, King [[Sigismund I the Old]] inherited the [[Kingdom of Poland of the Jagiellons|Kingdom of Poland]] with a century-long tradition of liberties of the [[nobility]] |
At the start of his reign, King [[Sigismund I the Old]] inherited the [[Kingdom of Poland of the Jagiellons|Kingdom of Poland]] with a century-long tradition of liberties of the [[nobility]] that was confirmed in numerous [[privilege (legal ethics)|privileges]]. Sigismund faced the challenge of consolidating internal power to handle external threats to the country. During the rule of his predecessor, [[Alexander I of Poland|Alexander I]], the statute of "[[Nihil novi]]" had been instituted, effectively forbidding kings of Poland to promulgate laws without the consent of the [[Sejm|Parliament]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Wagner|first=W.J.|title=May 3, 1791, and the Polish constitutional tradition|journal=The Polish Review|date=1992|volume=36|issue=4|pages=383–395|jstor=25778591}}</ref> That proved crippling to Sigismund's dealings with his nobles and a serious threat to the country's stability. To strengthen royal authority, he initiated a set of reforms, establishing a permanent [[conscription]] army in 1527 and extending the [[bureaucracy|bureaucratic]] apparatus necessary to govern the state and finance the army.{{citation needed|date=June 2020|reason=The establishment and financing of such an army is nowhere to be found except for this very article.}} Supported by his Italian consort, [[Bona Sforza]], he began buying up land and started several agricultural reforms to enlarge the royal treasury.<ref name="Kosior 2018 pp. 16,17">{{cite book | last=Kosior | first=Katarzyna | title=Queenship and Counsel in Early Modern Europe | chapter=Bona Sforza and the Realpolitik of Queenly Counsel in Sixteenth-Century Poland-Lithuania | publisher=Springer International Publishing | publication-place=Cham | year=2018 | isbn=978-3-319-76973-8 | doi=10.1007/978-3-319-76974-5_2 | pages = 16, 17}}</ref> He also initiated a process of restitution of royal properties, previously pawned or rented to the nobles. |
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==Rokosz== |
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In 1537, however, the King's policies led to a major conflict. The nobility, gathered near [[Lwów]] to meet with a ''[[Pospolite ruszenie|levée en masse]]'', called for a military campaign against [[Moldavia]]. However, the lesser and middle strata of the nobility called a ''[[rokosz]]'', or semi-legal [[rebellion]], to force the King to abandon his reforms. According to contemporary accounts, 150,000 militia had been assembled for the rebellion.<ref name="Bronikowski1834" /> The nobles presented him with 36 demands, most notably:{{citation needed|date = June 2020}} |
In 1537, however, the King's policies led to a major conflict. The nobility, who gathered near [[Lwów]] to meet with a ''[[Pospolite ruszenie|levée en masse]]'', called for a military campaign against [[Moldavia]]. However, the lesser and middle strata of the nobility called a ''[[rokosz]]'', or semi-legal [[rebellion]], to force the King to abandon his reforms. According to contemporary accounts, 150,000 militia had been assembled for the rebellion.<ref name="Bronikowski1834" /> The nobles presented him with 36 demands, most notably:{{citation needed|date = June 2020}} |
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# Confirmation and extension of the privileges of the nobility; |
# Confirmation and extension of the privileges of the nobility; |
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# The carrying out of a law requiring the appointment of only |
# The carrying out of a law requiring the appointment of only local nobles to most important local offices; |
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# Lifting |
# Lifting the toll or exempting the nobility from it; |
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# Exemption of the [[nobility]] from the [[tithe]]s; |
# Exemption of the [[nobility]] from the [[tithe]]s; |
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# A cleanup of the |
# A cleanup of the treasury, rather than its expansion; |
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# A cessation of further land acquisitions by [[Queen consort|Queen]] [[Bona Sforza]]; |
# A cessation of further land acquisitions by [[Queen consort|Queen]] [[Bona Sforza]]; |
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# The creation of a body of permanent advisors to the king - and |
# The creation of a body of permanent advisors to the king - and |
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# Adoption of a law concerning ''[[incompatibilitas]]''—the incompatibility of certain offices that were not to be joined in the same hand (for instance, that of a [[Starosta]] and of a [[Palatine]] or [[Castellan]]); |
# Adoption of a law concerning ''[[incompatibilitas]]''—the incompatibility of certain offices that were not to be joined in the same hand (for instance, that of a [[Starosta]] and of a [[Palatine]] or [[Castellan]]); |
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Finally, the angry protesters criticized |
Finally, the angry protesters criticized Queen Bona, whom they accused of "bad upbringing" of young Prince Sigismund Augustus (future King [[Sigismund II Augustus|Sigismund II]])<ref name="Kosior 2016 pp. 199–223">{{cite book | last=Kosior | first=Katarzyna | title=Virtuous or Villainess? The Image of the Royal Mother from the Early Medieval to the Early Modern Era | chapter=Outlander, Baby Killer, Poisoner? Rethinking Bona Sforza’s Black Legend | publisher=Palgrave Macmillan US | publication-place=New York | year=2016 | isbn=978-1-137-51314-4 | doi=10.1057/978-1-137-51315-1_10 | page = 208 |quote= Zborowski claimed that the young king should have a separate court rather than being a part of his mother’s establishment and be taught to enjoy manly entertainments instead of spending time in the company of women.}}</ref> and of seeking to increase her power in the state,<ref name="Matheson-PollockPaul2018">{{cite book | last=Kosior | first=Katarzyna | title=Queenship and Counsel in Early Modern Europe | chapter=Bona Sforza and the Realpolitik of Queenly Counsel in Sixteenth-Century Poland-Lithuania | publisher=Springer International Publishing | publication-place=Cham | year=2018 | isbn=978-3-319-76973-8 | doi=10.1007/978-3-319-76974-5_2 | pages=22–23}}</ref> even if both involvements were generally positive. It soon transpired, however, that the nobility's leaders were divided and that achieving a compromise was almost impossible.<ref name="Walek 1987 p. 77">{{cite book | last=Walek | first=Janusz | title=Dzieje Polski w malarstwie i poezji | publisher=Wydawn. Interpress | year=1987 | isbn=83-223-2114-7 | oclc=246756060 | language=pl | page=77}}</ref> Too weak to start a [[civil war]] against the King, the protesters finally agreed to what was thought a compromise. |
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The King rejected most of their demands but accepted the principle of ''[[incompatibilitas]]'' the next year and agreed not to force the election of the future king ''[[vivente rege]]'' – in the lifetime of the reigning king.<ref name="Matheson-PollockPaul2018" /> Thereupon the nobility returned to their homes, having achieved little.<ref name="Bronikowski1834">{{cite book|last=Bronikowski|first=Alexander|title=The Court of Sigismund Augustus, Or Poland in the Sixteenth Century|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vww4AAAAYAAJ&pg=PR46|year=1834|publisher=Longmans, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green and Longman|page=46}}</ref> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{Reflist|30em}} |
{{Reflist|30em}} |
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{{Polish uprisings}} |
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[[Category:1537 in Poland]] |
[[Category:1537 in Poland]] |
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[[Category:Conflicts in 1537]] |
[[Category:Conflicts in 1537]] |
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[[Category:Rebellions in Poland]] |
[[Category:Rebellions in Poland]] |
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[[Category:Chickens|War]] |
Latest revision as of 14:52, 27 October 2024
Chicken War or Hen War (Polish: Wojna kokosza) is the colloquial name for a 1537 anti-royalist and anti-absolutist rokosz (rebellion) by the Polish nobility.
The derisive name was coined by the magnates, who for the most part supported the King and claimed that the conflict's only effect was the near-extinction of the local chickens, which were eaten by the nobles gathered for the rokosz at Lwów, in Ruthenian Voivodeship.[1][2]
The magnates' choice of "kokosz"—meaning "an egg laying hen"—may have been inspired by a play on words between "kokosz" and the similar-sounding "rokosz".
The Chicken War was the first rokosz of the nobility in Polish history.[3]
Background
[edit]At the start of his reign, King Sigismund I the Old inherited the Kingdom of Poland with a century-long tradition of liberties of the nobility that was confirmed in numerous privileges. Sigismund faced the challenge of consolidating internal power to handle external threats to the country. During the rule of his predecessor, Alexander I, the statute of "Nihil novi" had been instituted, effectively forbidding kings of Poland to promulgate laws without the consent of the Parliament.[4] That proved crippling to Sigismund's dealings with his nobles and a serious threat to the country's stability. To strengthen royal authority, he initiated a set of reforms, establishing a permanent conscription army in 1527 and extending the bureaucratic apparatus necessary to govern the state and finance the army.[citation needed] Supported by his Italian consort, Bona Sforza, he began buying up land and started several agricultural reforms to enlarge the royal treasury.[5] He also initiated a process of restitution of royal properties, previously pawned or rented to the nobles.
Rokosz
[edit]In 1537, however, the King's policies led to a major conflict. The nobility, who gathered near Lwów to meet with a levée en masse, called for a military campaign against Moldavia. However, the lesser and middle strata of the nobility called a rokosz, or semi-legal rebellion, to force the King to abandon his reforms. According to contemporary accounts, 150,000 militia had been assembled for the rebellion.[6] The nobles presented him with 36 demands, most notably:[citation needed]
- Confirmation and extension of the privileges of the nobility;
- The carrying out of a law requiring the appointment of only local nobles to most important local offices;
- Lifting the toll or exempting the nobility from it;
- Exemption of the nobility from the tithes;
- A cleanup of the treasury, rather than its expansion;
- A cessation of further land acquisitions by Queen Bona Sforza;
- The creation of a body of permanent advisors to the king - and
- Adoption of a law concerning incompatibilitas—the incompatibility of certain offices that were not to be joined in the same hand (for instance, that of a Starosta and of a Palatine or Castellan);
Finally, the angry protesters criticized Queen Bona, whom they accused of "bad upbringing" of young Prince Sigismund Augustus (future King Sigismund II)[7] and of seeking to increase her power in the state,[8] even if both involvements were generally positive. It soon transpired, however, that the nobility's leaders were divided and that achieving a compromise was almost impossible.[9] Too weak to start a civil war against the King, the protesters finally agreed to what was thought a compromise.
The King rejected most of their demands but accepted the principle of incompatibilitas the next year and agreed not to force the election of the future king vivente rege – in the lifetime of the reigning king.[8] Thereupon the nobility returned to their homes, having achieved little.[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Early Modern Wars 1500–1775. Amber Books Ltd. September 17, 2013. p. 63. ISBN 978-1-78274-121-3.
- ^ Samsonowicz, Henryk (1976). Historia Polski do roku 1795 [History of Poland to 1795] (in Polish). Warszawa: Wydawnictwa Szkolne i Pedagogiczne. p. 157.
- ^ Na podstawie: Stanisław Rosik, Przemysław Wiszewski, Poczet polskich królów i książąt, Wrocław 2004, str. 215
- ^ Wagner, W.J. (1992). "May 3, 1791, and the Polish constitutional tradition". The Polish Review. 36 (4): 383–395. JSTOR 25778591.
- ^ Kosior, Katarzyna (2018). "Bona Sforza and the Realpolitik of Queenly Counsel in Sixteenth-Century Poland-Lithuania". Queenship and Counsel in Early Modern Europe. Cham: Springer International Publishing. pp. 16, 17. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-76974-5_2. ISBN 978-3-319-76973-8.
- ^ a b Bronikowski, Alexander (1834). The Court of Sigismund Augustus, Or Poland in the Sixteenth Century. Longmans, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green and Longman. p. 46.
- ^ Kosior, Katarzyna (2016). "Outlander, Baby Killer, Poisoner? Rethinking Bona Sforza's Black Legend". Virtuous or Villainess? The Image of the Royal Mother from the Early Medieval to the Early Modern Era. New York: Palgrave Macmillan US. p. 208. doi:10.1057/978-1-137-51315-1_10. ISBN 978-1-137-51314-4.
Zborowski claimed that the young king should have a separate court rather than being a part of his mother's establishment and be taught to enjoy manly entertainments instead of spending time in the company of women.
- ^ a b Kosior, Katarzyna (2018). "Bona Sforza and the Realpolitik of Queenly Counsel in Sixteenth-Century Poland-Lithuania". Queenship and Counsel in Early Modern Europe. Cham: Springer International Publishing. pp. 22–23. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-76974-5_2. ISBN 978-3-319-76973-8.
- ^ Walek, Janusz (1987). Dzieje Polski w malarstwie i poezji (in Polish). Wydawn. Interpress. p. 77. ISBN 83-223-2114-7. OCLC 246756060.