Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 19.djvu/304

Rh 292 POLAND [HISTORY. duke of Austria ; Henry of Yalois, duke of Anjou, brother of the French king ; a Swedish prince ; and finally Ivan the Terrible of Russia. The contest, however, really lay between the first two ; the Swedish alliance was despised as likely to bring with it no solid advantage ; the czar was hated both as coming from a race which had ever been hostile to Poland, and also on account of his detestable cruelties, which were well known throughout Europe. The political importance of France and the astute diplomacy of Montluc, the ambassador from that country, caused the Henry, decision to be given in favour of the French candidate. But, just as his name was brought forward as their prob able king, the Poles, many of whom, we must remember, had embraced the Reformed doctrines, were startled by the news of the massacre of St Bartholomew (August 24, 1572). From the awkward dilemma in which he was placed by his complicity in this act, Henry endeavoured to escape by a falsehood, impudently denying at first that anything of the sort had happened. Finding, however, but little credence given to his assertions, he attempted to explain away the affair and to lower the number of its victims, which he reduced to fifty, alleging that they had been really executed for a conspiracy. The Polish ambassadors duly made their appearance in Paris, show ing their gay equipages, quaint and semi- Asiatic ; their bows and arrows and shaven crowns with a single tuft of hair greatly amused the inquisitive French. Loose flowing robes, high boots, and a sword resembling a scimitar completed the tout ensemble of a Polish noble man. 1 Readers of French history must be well acquainted with the character of this duke of Anjou, one of the most de testable of the house of Valois, who afterwards became king of France under the title of Henry III. The articles, some of which the Polish nobles required Henry to sign, Pacta called the pacta conventa so well illustrate the extraordi- conventa. nar y i n fl uence O f the aristocracy, and the shadow to which they had reduced the regal authority, that they are worth quoting in extenso. From this time every Polish king was compelled to accept them, together with the additions sub sequently made. (1) The king was to have no voice in the election of his suc cessor ; the appointment was to depend entirely upon the nobles. 2 (2) He was to keep rigidly the terms of the treaty made with the Dissidents, as the Polish Protestants were called. (3) No war was to be declared nor military expedition undertaken without the consent of the diet. (4) No taxes were to be imposed without the consent of the diet. (5) The king was not to appoint ambassadors to foreign courts. (6) If different opinions prevailed among the members of the diet, the king was to adopt only such as were in accordance with the laws or advantageous to the nation. (7) The sovereign must have a permanent council, consisting of five bishops, four palatines, and eight castellans, who were to be changed every year and elected by the diet. (8) A general diet was to be convoked every two years, or oftener, if there were any need. The assembling of these diets seems to have depended upon the will of the king. (9) The duration of each diet was not to exceed six weeks. 3 (10) None but a native could hold any dignity or benefice. (11) The king must neither marry nor divorce a wife without the consent of the diet. Thus the regal shadow who was to sit upon the throne of Poland was able to interfere but little in questions either 1 The Poles regarded the national dress with peculiar fondness, and Coxe tells us that they were somewhat indignant with their last king, Stanislaus (StanisJaw August Poniatowski, 1764-95), because he always appeared with flowing hair and adopted a French style of dress. They even meditated introducing a new clause toihepactaconventa, requiring that every king of Poland must wear the Polish dress. 2 We shall find, however, this rule sometimes infringed, and instances occur in which the opinion of a sovereign affected the next nominee. Thus the malicious wife of Sobieski was able to exclude her son James from the succession, to which the national voice had almost called him. 3 We shall afterwards see that this mischievous law was fruitful of evil consequences to the country, as frequently debates upon the most important questions would be brought to an end by the interference of one of the nuntii declaring that the legitimate six weeks had elapsed. of peace or war. The latter, we have seen, he could not declare ; and, as each of the palatines held nearly supreme power in his own territories, the king could interfere in little relating to the former. A vexatious control was ex ercised even over his private relations ; his wife could not be of his own choosing, and, however odious she might become to him, she must remain attached as a state ap pendage till his nobles consented to release him. Not that Henry was likely to trouble himself with any scruples on the score of marriage. He arranged all those matters very easily. What was left for the Polish king was chiefly to eat and drink at the expense of his subjects, and to form a glittering addition to their costly and semi-barbar ous pageants. Still his revenue was ample, and when he commanded the army in the field his power was unchecked ; he had also the nomination to the highest ecclesiastical and military appointments. Even before the severe terms of the pacta conventa had been presented to Henry, Montluc had agreed to all, but probably felt convinced that his sovereign would carry out no more of them than he could possibly help. He even promised that France should send a fleet into the Baltic, so that its dominion might be secured to the Poles, and that in the event of a war with Russia she should supply four thousand of her best troops, and herself pay their expenses ; in all cases of war she was to aid Poland with money. Henry was to spend a large portion of the rents which he drew from his estates in France for the benefit of his adopted country ; he was also to pay the crown debts, and to educate one hundred young Polish nobles either at Paris or Cracow. Probably no sovereign in the world ever signed such galling stipulations. Henry, how ever, had no intention of observing them, and had so little relish for his new kingdom that he did not set out till he had almost been driven from France by his brother, and the Polish nobles already talked of a new election. He proceeded on his way slowly, with all the dignity of a royal progress, but did not escape the gibes of the German princes through whose dominions he passed, for his con nexion with the massacre of St Bartholomew. He was feasted at Heidelberg opposite a large picture which delineated the tragedy in all its horrors, and attendants were allotted him selected from French Huguenot refugees. He was crowned at Cracow in February 1574, but soon began to repent of his choice. The eifeminate king re lished but little the throne he had chosen among a war like and turbulent people, where he seemed to enjoy but the shadow of sovereignty a people also in every way inferior in civilization to the agreeable Parisians he had left behind. He felt himself a mere puppet in their hands, and, burying himself in the recesses of his palace, led a life of dissipation. But release was at hand in an unexpected way ; he was destined to be king of Poland for five months only. By the death of his brother Charles IX. he became heir to the French crown. This delightful piece of news he attempted at first to conceal, and to escape before it could get noised abroad in Poland, principally to avoid the ambitious designs of his brother, the duke of Alenc.cn ; but unfortunately the report oozed out. He refused to follow the counsel of his advisers that he should convoke a general diet to see what measures should be taken. On the evening of the 18th July he gave a grand entertain ment in honour of the sister of the late king Sigismund. The conviviality was great ; and never had Henry assumed a more pleasing manner or seemed more genially to identify himself with his new subjects. At the usual hour, to all appearance, he retired to his apartment and the lights were extinguished ; but already the king had flown. He was led by an attendant through secret passages to a chapel in the suburbs of the city, as some say but accord-