[1] King Casimir V was born in 1552 to Barbara Radziwill, who died giving birth to him. As a young man, Casimir V would be given the best education that a prince could have and would grow up to be an intelligent and capable young man, worthy as a successor to his father when he died in 1572. During his 17-year reign, Casimir V would spend his reign centralizing his realm and generally stabilizing it during his reign. As ruler, Casimir V would prove to be a ruler who would ensure that the nascent Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth would be on an even footing, especially with his moderate approach towards the rise of Protestantism and his wars with the Russians under Ivan the Terrible. Casimir V would marry
Elisabeth of Austria in 1575 with the two having three children with Casimir dying in 1597 from smallpox, being succeeded by his son, Aleksander.
[2] During the year, King Aleksander come to the Polish throne, the unpopular but Catholic, King Sigismund of Sweden was deposed and replaced by his uncle, Karl. Sigismund fled to Poland and asked for their help to defeat his traitorous uncle. Young, hotblooded and eager to prove himself, the new King Aleksander agreed despite many of his vessels not wishing to get involved in the other country's matters.
Aleksander lead the Polish forces himself to Kalmar 1599, declaring that God was on his side. Unfortunately, wiser heads were aware that the Almighty Lord seldom get involved in the affairs of mortals. The battle in the fields outside Kalmar were a bloodbath with the young Aleksander taken prisoner.
He was taken to King Karl Vasa. Their meeting has been depicted numerous times and depending on who was telling the tale, Karl Vasa was either a temperamental loon and Aleksander was a regal man wise beyond his years or King Karl was stern but fair man while Aleksander was a foolish spoiled brat. In contrast, eye witness statements to the true meeting described both men as polite and respectful with no sight of grudges even if Aleksander was a bit gloomy with seeing his military venture having ended in such a humiliating way.
The terms of Aleksander's release were straight forward. He would withdraw his support to Sigsmund or his children's claim to the Swedish throne, his youngest sister would marry Karl's heir, Gustavus Adolphus. Upon his sister, Barbara, arrival in Sweden with her dowry/his ransom, Aleksander was sent home, humbled and a bit more mature for the experience.
From them on, he focused on making Poland stronger, fearing that his hasty actions would tempt Russia into attacking, taking advantage of their weakness. He also made it a point to focus on trade instead of getting involved in wars.
In 1603, he married Constance of Austria, his cousin once removed. They ended up having seven children even though only three lived to adulthood.
In 1620, he was assassinated by Michał Piekarski, a deluded young man. He ambushed the king and his guards with an axe managing to strike the king's neck before his bodyguards could intervene. He was succeeded by his son Aleksander.
[3] Born in 1606 as the second son of Aleksander II and Constance of Austria, Aleksander became the heir to the throne of Poland-Lithuania after the death of his brother Sigismund in 1616 due to smallpox. Unfortunately, Aleksander didn't reign long as a couple months into his reign he died while hunting due to a horse accidentally kicking him off a cliff. As he had no children Aleksander was succeeded by his sister, Katarzyna
[4] Katarzyna Jagiellon was born in 1603 as the oldest child of King Aleksander II and would become known as "The Unlikely" for how no one expected her to become Queen after her brothers both died young with Sigismund dying at the age of 11 from smallpox and Aleksander dying from a fall from his horse and the subsequent kick. While few expected Katarzyna Jagiellon to be Queen of Poland-Lithuania, she would prove to be an intelligent and capable ruler, presiding over a golden age for the Kingdom of Poland.
During her reign, she would see Poland defend itself against Godunov Russia and the rising Swedish Empire in the Baltic War of 1635-1641 which saw Sweden lose its Baltic territories and the annexation of Prussia into Poland-Lithuania in the aftermath of the Polish victory in the war. Her reign would also be a reign which would be marked by relative peace and economic prosperity with Poland-Lithuania becoming a powerful realm in the aftermath of the Baltic War. During her reign, Katarzyna would gain a reputation as a ruthless and strict but fair ruler who would reign effectively during her reign.
To preserve the Jagiellonian dynasty, Katarzyna Jagiellon would marry her first cousin Casimir with the two having six children, even if only four would make it to adulthood and three would outlive their mother, who died on October 1, 1664 from what appears to be a sudden heart attack. She would be succeeded by her son Bolesław.
[5] Bolesław was his mother's second child, first son. He was named for King Bolesław I the Brave of Poland. He was born in 1629. Upon reaching adulthood, he married Luisa Cristina of Savoy, a niece of the King of France. They married in 1645. Despite their tense marriage (as King Boleslaw was known to have many mistresses and bastards), the couple had eight children.
In the last years of Queen Catherine's reign, the Prince of Transylvania invaded Poland. Prince Boleslaw was actually on the battlefield when news reached his army of his mother's death. It is said that upon learning of his mother's sudden passing, Boleslaw cursed the Translyvanian prince for taking him from his mother's side and he sought the older man out, wanting to kill him personally. In truth, Boleslaw would not hear of his mother's death until the battle was already over.
Leaving his troops to end the war, Boleslaw returned to Warsaw to be crowned along with his wife. When the Prince of Translyvania was defeated, Boleslaw decided, much like the English Prince of Wales, all heirs of Poland would be called the Prince of Translyvania, annexing the principality into his domain.
In order to protect his lands from Sweden and Russia, Boleslaw made an alliance with King Fredrick III of Denmark, and Holy Roman Emperor Leopold. In 1672, this alliance would come in handy when the Ottoman Empire declared war on Poland. It lasted ten years, ending with Poland loosing half of their territories in Ukraine. It was a hard blow, but one that Boleslaw was certain they could recover from if they could convince Europe to focus on beating back the Turks.
In 1684, he spearheaded the Treaty of Warsaw, creating a Holy League of the European nations. Despite being in his early sixties, he lead the army himself. He would die on in combat. His last words were reportedly: "I become king on the battlefield and thus I die here as well." He was succeeded by his grandson-in-law, Henryk of Prussia.
[6] Born in 1676, Henryk of Prussia would be raised in Warsaw, as his father duke George was one of King Boleslaw's top commanders. This would see him raised close to the royal family and would see his vast education. This closeness to the royal family would see Henryk married to Anna Jagiellona, King Boleslaw's eldest granddaughter by his first son, Sigismund of Poland, who would, unfortunately, die without a son, throwing Henryk into the succession alongside his wife.
It would be thus that Henryk would be raised by both the King and his father to the throne, developing well rounded martial ability and a deep hatred of everything Turkish. In 1689, as he became King, Henryk would commence preparations for his grand war with the turks and their Tatar vassals, and would in 1793 invade the Ottoman Empire during a succession crisis. He would reconquer southern Ruthenia, reaching the Black Sea in just six months, but various Ottoman armies would re-invade Southern Ruthenia, leading to most of the war being fought there. This would see Ruthenia heavily depopulated, and Henryk would organize the re-settlement of much of Ruthenia with Polish and German catholic immigrants.
Henryk's martial genius would eventually see Poland-Lithuania carry victory in the war - which would be extremely costly for the Ottoman Empire, as they would lose over 300 thousand men during the war. Poland would come out of the war with the annexation of Southern Ruthenia and Crimea, while taking over both Moldavia and Wallachia as overlord. He would cement peace and an alliance with Tsar Boris Godunov by marrying his sister Helene to him, and the Tsar and the Russians would also reach the black sea by taking everything east of the newly-built frontier city of Henrykopol (Otl Melitopol), including the city of Azov and Rostov. The Russians would, supported by Poland, thrust deep into North Caucasia, conquering various Muslim populations and establishing themselves as overlords of the autonomous Principality of Circassia, where Orthodoxy would make a deep comeback under the guidance of it's princes and Moscow.
After the war, the Sejm would enter conflict with Henryk over influence in the new territories, but the huge victory would see Henryk and his favourites, the lower nobility and bourgeoisie beat over the powerful polish magnates. Henryk's new-found influence would see him organize the event now know in Polish-Lithuanian history as the "Breaking of the Sejm" as Henryk would assert himself as King independent from the Sejm, taking many of it's powers from it. He would permanently end the idea of a Polish Electoral monarchy, with his more than 12 children assuring the line of succession.
He would die from cancer in 1711, being succeed by Sigismund III.
[7] Sigismund III would reign for only a decade but his reign would be something that would in many ways change Poland-Lithuania forever. Born in 1693 as the oldest son of King Henryk, Sigismund III would acceed to the throne at the age of eighteen, a young and energetic man who had big plans and visions for his realm with his reign being marked by a contiuation of his father's policies of favoring the bourgeois and the gentry over the magnate with a major portion of this being the abolition of serfdom in Poland-Lithuania in 1713, the creation of a strengthened bureaucracy and central government, and his general support for economic reforms to modernize the economy with his reign being a reign which would be marked by his energy and ambition as ruler. However, his reign would be one which would see an early end due to his planned invasion of the Ottoman Empire being one which ended in disaster in 1721 with Sigismund III dead at the age of 28 and his nephew, Władysław IV as the new ruler.
[8] The hildless death of king Sigismund III left the country with no clear successor. The army deliberated for three weeks whom to make the new King until Jan Stanisław Jabłonowski started to act. The ambitious magnate, although one of Sigismund III's chief supporters turned his back on house of Hohenzollern. He called for house of Jagiellon to return to the throne, and thus backed Władysław, most senior male Jagiellon alive (although he was also son of one of many sisters of Sigismund III) as Sigismund's succesor.
Not to mention, that, conveniently for Jabłonowski, he was married to Jabłonowski's niece and was known to be weak-willed man, easy to manipulate, especially by his brother-in-law.
The heirs of eldest of Sigismund's sisters were child and a lackwit so army stormed the capital and forced primate of Poland, Teodor Potocki to crown Władysław king, which he did (although he managed to secure bribes for himself and his family, which turned Potocki family into one of biggest supporters of new regime).
The beginning of the new reign was marked by turn in Poland's policies. Jabłonowski, married to a French noblewoman had no interest in fighting Ottomans and thus switched to support France and it's ambitions to place Wittelsbach on HRE's throne. He also denied request of emperor Karl VI to send Sigismund's widow, Maria Josepha of Austria back to Vienna and arranged her remarriage to eldest son of Władysław, now prince of Transylvania Wacław.
Jabłonowski negotiated a white peace with Turks in name of his puppet King and practiced a new policy. It was the policy of financial austerity, avoiding many wars and concentrating on building strong naval base, which involved Poland-Lithuania in some kind of conflict with Great Britain, because of Jabłonowski's attempt to set up trade companies in Levant, India and Persia, directly threatening interests of British East India Company. He even managed to place pro-Polish monarch on throne of Persia and Poland acquired naval base in Kuwait.
That was, until 1748. The death of emperor Karl VI sparked the war and Jabłonowski, nearing 80s felt like it was the great chance to exploit. He hated Habsburgs, having served under Henryk Aleksander and having been disgusted with emperor Leopold's blunt and arrogant attitude towards his Polish allies, so he conviced his puppet king to join the alliance to support prince of Bavaria's claim to Austria and HRE. The initial Polish invasion was a success. Oppeln (in Polish Opole) was taken and as was Kassa (Koszyce/Kosice) with entirety of eastern Slovakia with rich mines of copper, vital for Polish economy. The pro-Maria Theresia forces managed to put up a decent fight only in middle of Upper Hungary (Slovakia), but Jabłonowski's health rapidly deteriorated, and the King, interested only in arts and science didn't know what to when the stroke which Jabłonowski suffered left him in control of army. He just asked his general what should he do with remaining army.
The war seemed like a disaster, with Habsburgs being able to make a skirmish to Kraków, former capital of Poland. But the following factors turned the tide of fate in Polish favor:
- Jabłonowski finally dying. Old man wasn't that great of a commander anymore, plagued by dementia, so when Jan Sobieski, his deputy took over, the quality of fighting increased
- Bavarians received extensive French aid and managed to take most of Bohemia and besiege Vienna itself.
Jan Sobieski was more willing to negotiate with Hungarian nobility than Jabłonowski, who expected unconditional obedience and preyed on powerful Rakozi family's opposition to Vienna, enabling him to take most of Slovakia and city of Buda itself. The Silesian front also witnessed Poles taking Breslau (Wrocław), capital of the province. Maria Theresia finally negotiated, enabling Władysław (though with no advantage on his own) to take all captured lands for Poland, title of King of Hungary (Maria Theresia remained Queen of Croatia and remained in control of Burgenland and border lands of western Slovakia) and also Władysław and his descendants were named heirs to Habsburg properties in the event of Maria Theresia's line failing.
That happened in 1752 and after the war, Władysław returned to his usual self of doing nothing and letting his top advisor rule in his stead. He founded 20 new universities, though and the courtly life flourished under him.
He was said to write 30 new plays as well as 15 philosophical treaties. The only thing he insisted on was introduction of compulsory education for all male population and abolition of serfdom, and before his death, he succeeded in both goals.
He died in his sleep in 1761 being succeeded by his cousion, Sigsmund IV.
[9] The man who would become Sigismund the IV was born in Konigsberg/Kroweliec, in the year 1731 to Sigismund the III sickly and mentally ill younger brother, Casimir Frederick. Jan Stanislaw Jablonowski had allowed the man to live, as he was expelled by his own brother from the line of succession of Poland due to his mental illness, but had allowed him to continue as Duke of Prussia (Now both East and West), with it's revenues, and had married Casimir to one of his own allies, Jadwiga Oblowski.
Jadwiga was a frugal, stubborn and smart woman, who quickly took over the reigns of rule in Prussia. Being very unpopular in her first years, her growing dispute with Jablonowski's intrusion in Prussian affairs would see the woman break off from his patronage, raising his sons as a Prussian German but also a Prussian Pole, making her very popular among Prussia. It was thus that Sigismund Frederick would be born, quickly followed by the death of his father, and the young boy, who was perhaps one of the "cleanest" heads of state of Europe at the time would grow to have a splendorous, harsh and practical education, all under Jablonowski's eyes. This would undoutedly mark the appeal of Sigismund in his older years.
The war of Austrian succession would also mark the end of Sigismund's regency in Prussia. Jablonowski had realized by this time that he had made a grave mistake in allowing the Hohenzollern's to continue, as the young Sigismund Frederick, the most powerful magnate in Poland behind Jablonowski himself, had quickly united and made friendship with the largely unhappy lower and less powerful nobility of Ruthenia, Lithuania and the bourgeousie of the country. This allowed Sigismund to push for command of the Silesian army in the Sejm, and his successes in conquering Silesia from the Austrians and his then ability to quickly pacify the region made him a hero in the eyes of much of the army, who finally started to slip from the fingers of Jablowski and his second, Sobieski. Jablowski's refusal to cooperate with Sigismund afterwards would see the Austrians reach Krakow, and many believed that civil war between both men would have started if not for Jablowski's untimely death.
Sobieski, recognizing Sigismund's advantage, would make peace with him and Sigismund would protect and secure Poland and reinforce Sobieski's push into Hungary that would see the war come to an end. Sigismund came out of the war with huge profit - His position in the army would become solidified, due to his closeness to the soldiers, his standing politically severely increased and his base of support solidified in opposition to Wladyslaw.
For most of Wladyslaw's nature as puppet of Jablowski for most of his reign, he was not stupid and had quickly come to the realization that a large part of the country now looked to Konigsberg for guidance and lordship, not Warsaw. He saw the position of his heir Waclaw, Prince of Transylvania in danger, as Sigismund become more and more popular as time went on. Wladyslaw entered in personal missives with Sigismund, appealing to their familial links (Wladyslaw was the son of Sigismund's eldest aunt, Sophia of Poland and Prussia). Sigismund is famous for writing back to Wladyslaw in late 1761, saying, "How loyal of a cousin were you, when you usurped my father's throne." It was a direct attack on Wladyslaw's legitimacy, but Sigismund did not move and neither did his loyal men in the army, and Wladyslaw let it pass, despite Sobieski's urging to act. His death would soon change things, however.
Despite Waclaw's attempt to crown himself as King of Poland, the part of the army loyal to Sigismund would move onto, dictating that since the Sejm had allowed Jablowski's coup of the last legitimate line, in contrast to King Henry's succession laws, the Sejm would have to reconvene and elect a new King. It became clear to Waclaw that Sigismund had an advantage of supporters in the Sejm, due to his support among the lower nobility, and thus Waclaw would attempt to force his way into Warsaw, being beaten back by the army. He and Sobieski would convene much of the army loyal to Jablowski and his cronies, while the rest rushed to Prussia and joined with Sigismund and his commanders. Hungary, Transylvania and Poland Proper and Galicia would side with Waclaw, while Prussia, Silesia, Lithuania and much of the very mixed east of the country sided with Sigismund. Sigismund would revolutionize warfare, fighting a successful war despite his lower numbers, (Like the OTL Frederick the Great). Sigismund's victories would turn into a true anti-magnate war, as the remaining Magnates of the country had sided with Waclaw in large numbers. Sigismund would fight a ruthless war as he would execute large portions of the higher nobility of the country, seizing their properties and handing them out to the very same serfs Wladyslaw had freed. Eventually, Sobieski's capture in the battle of Krakow would see the man himself executed, and Waclaw would flee Transylvania as the Hungarians revolted under Razoki, hiding among his bavarian allies. The civil war would see Sigismund crowned and made King, restoring the house of Hohenzollern to the throne.
After the war, the "Polish Empire would be divided thus":
- The Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth, which included Poland, Galicia, Prussia, Lithuania, White Russia and Ruthenia (Ukraine West of the Dnieper) all the way to the black sea, alongside Silesia and Slovakia, would come under the reign of Sigismund IV.
- Hungary and Transylvania would come under the rulership of Leopold Rakoczi, leader of the Hungarian rebels.
- The title of Duke of Prussia would substitute the title of Prince of Transylvania as the title of the heir to Poland and Lithuania.
- The elective monarchy of the commonwealth was both outlawed and forbidden, and the male-prefered primogeniture was established as the form of inheritance to the Kings of Poland and Grand Dukes of Lithuania.
- The Greek noble Constantine Kantakuzenos was to be made ruler of both Wallachia and Moldavia in subservience to Sigismund the IV.
The war would see the House of Jagiellon hunted out of Poland or extinguished and the power of the nobility permanently crushed. Poland-Lithuania would embrace a new aristocracy, of successful thinkers and military leaders, of acomplished statesmen and councillors. Huge swathes of land were sold to either the lower nobility and the emerging bourgeousie, while a large part of it was given to retired soldiers and free peasants.
The Sejm would become reformed, granted a few new powers but having it's power of obstructing the state removed from them. It was the birth of Poland's semi-constitutional monarchy, and Sigismund Frederick would make the best of it. Roads, universities, armouries, fortresses, ports, Poland-Lithuania would face the birth of it's own industrial and agricultural revolution and a renaissance of it's cities and whole infrastructure. The Commonwealth would rise up as Eastern Europe's major power, and perhaps Europe's strongest land-power, close to France.
This was all followed by the growth of Poland in the seas - the Polish navy was divided in three - the larger Black and Baltic navies, while an active overseas navy was expanded. The War of the Two Sicilies, in which Poland participated on the side of France and Bavaria against Spain and Britain, would see Prusso-Polish Admiral Heinrich von Marienburg land and organize the settlement of Frydekoprystan in Spanish Texas, which Poland would take as it's first true colony on the American continent. The new colonial office organized by Sigismund would fund the settlement of the new colony with Polish, Prussian, Lithuanian and Courlander families.
The colonial growth was also present in the East, where Oman was conquered to add to Poland's Arabic colony of Kuwait, while new ports were conquered in the East Indies. A few fortress towns were also founded in Sierra Leone and Hohenzollern island (Otl Reunion) was colonized.
Sigismund's reign would be one of profound change and economic growth - pointed by historians as undoutedly Poland's golden age in terms of development. The wars fought by Sigismund would be brief and would show Poland's enormous military might, while his alliances would be cemented by his own marriage to French princess Maria Adeline two years after his reign, with the couple having a brood of well over six children, and his friendships with Tsar Peter Godunov of Russia and the admiration of many German princes for the Germano-Polish King, especially the influential cousin of Sigismund - August Frederick of Brandenburg-Pomerania.
Sigismund Frederick would die a peaceful death in 1803, surrounded by his wife, children and friends. He was succeeded by his son, Casmir.
