WI Sigismund Vasa abdicates from the Polish throne

I was trying to research some data about Anna Vasa, the sister of Sigismund III of Poland, and I’ve found this text (http://swordandsea.blogspot.com/2009/04/anna-vasa.html) with some interesting information:

“…Anna accompanied her brother, Sigismund, to Poland, when he was elected King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1587. Anna was an able politician, and her father, King John of Sweden, hoped to use her to further Swedish interests in the Baltic, especially in the long-standing dispute over Estonia between Poland and Sweden. Anna remained in Poland for two years. During this period, Sigismund, frustrated with the turbulent Polish nobility, decided to abdicate. He planned to marry Anna to an Austrian Archduke, who would assume the Polish throne in his place. Nothing, however, came of these plans. Political circumstances obliged Sigismund to remain King of Poland, and his sister's marriage never materialized…”


After researching a bit more I’ve found a book (A Short History of Sweden, by Ragnar Svanstrom) that also makes this reference about Sigismund intending to abdicate the Polish throne during that period.

So, WI he had really abdicated? Could he have kept the Swedish throne instead? And who could become king of Poland in his place?
 
My best guess as for who Anna would married would be Archduke Albrecht, the youngest surviving son of Maximilian II. I therefore suggest that is would be Albrecht who took the Polish throne after Sigismund.
 
My best guess as for who Anna would married would be Archduke Albrecht, the youngest surviving son of Maximilian II. I therefore suggest that is would be Albrecht who took the Polish throne after Sigismund.

I'm not so sure about that. By then Albert was much more linked to Spain than to his German relatives. He was already vice-king of Portugal, and Philip wanted him as a counsellor in Madrid. Probably he was already planning to marry him to Isabella.
Also, there is the problem that the Polish throne was elective, and the Habsburgs were defeated in the previous elections. I'm not sure if the Polish would change their mood.
 
Just as a curiosity, I've found this other source (http://www.uni-mannheim.de/mateo/camenaref/cmh/cmh405.html#168) about Sigismund's plans of abdication:

"...The repulse of Maximilian from Cracow, where Sigismund held his entry, and the surrender of the Archduke after a decisive battle at Pitschen in Silesia (January, 1588), did not bring the troubles of the former to an end. Some hated Sigismund for his Swedish birth, which made him in their eyes no better than the Germans whose dress and language he affected. Many missed in him the frank, genial, and martial temper of a Polish sovereign. Zamoyski, i-ather than the King, led the ascendant party in the State. Sigismund's position in many respects resembled that of William III in England, who likewise wearied of the crown. Early in 1589 he entered upon secret negotiations with a view to installing the Archduke Ernest in his stead.
The conspiracy against the Republic was chastised by a public humiliation which left the monarchy even weaker than before. At the so-called Diet of Inquisition in 1592 the Primate of Gnesen solemnly arraigned the conduct and policy of the King. " Sire ! think upon your oath," he cried, " take warning by your predecessor, Henry (of Valois), who broke faith and perished miserably." Zamoyski, who remained till his death in 1605 the champion of Polish nationality, added words of defiance and warning and demanded the dismissal of the foreign guards. At length the King capitulated, and promised in writing that he would never abandon the kingdom, or diminish the privileges of the nation, or nominate his successor..."
 
Sigismund might have abdicated Polish throne, altough I consider it very unlikely. Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was at that time quite powerful and rich state, even if with a strange political system. Anyway, had Sigismund abdicated, he would have had no influence whatsoever on who his successor would be. Polish noblemen would have been furious - they granted Sigismund the greatest honor they could and he threw it away with scorn. Any candidate of his would have been rejected exactly for being Sigismund's candidate.
That also would have hurt Zamoyski's position. Two kings supported by him abdicating? Polish and Lithuanian noblemen would have had a lot of doubts about chancellor's judgement.
I wonder if there was some other good candidate for Polish crown. Not a Habsburg (since they are discredited by Sigismund's support). Someone from Transylvania? Germany?
 
I seriously doubt that he would have been allowed to
keep the Swedish throne, he was a catholic and absolutely
no match for his uncle duke Karl later Karl IX who was a very
ruthless man who had no problems with executing complaining
nobles in Linköping later on. Karl and Johans father Gustaf
Eriksson Wasa was the person who decided with the
parliaments consent to make Sverige protestant, he of course
had other reasons to, to get his hands on the wealth from the
monasteries, Gustaf was a very practial man indeed and his son
Karl shared many of his traits, there would still be a civil war
between the duke and his nephew Sigismund.
 
Sigismund might have abdicated Polish throne, altough I consider it very unlikely. Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was at that time quite powerful and rich state, even if with a strange political system. Anyway, had Sigismund abdicated, he would have had no influence whatsoever on who his successor would be. Polish noblemen would have been furious - they granted Sigismund the greatest honor they could and he threw it away with scorn. Any candidate of his would have been rejected exactly for being Sigismund's candidate.
That also would have hurt Zamoyski's position. Two kings supported by him abdicating? Polish and Lithuanian noblemen would have had a lot of doubts about chancellor's judgement.
I wonder if there was some other good candidate for Polish crown. Not a Habsburg (since they are discredited by Sigismund's support). Someone from Transylvania? Germany?

In the same text I quoted above they say who were Sigismund's competitors in the last election:

"...His competitors were the Tsar Feodor, Andreas, brother of the late King, and four Austrian Archdukes. Thanks in great part to the unscrupulous tongue of Sparre, Sigismund was able to outbid them all with a delusive undertaking to cede to Poland the Swedish conquests in Livonia. The Queen Dowager and the Chancellor Zamoyski procured his election by the nobles on August 9,1587 ; but three days later the Zborowski faction prevailed upon the Senate to choose Archduke Maximilian as King. In mid-September Sigismund landed at Danzig, only to find himself dependent for throne and safety on Zamoyski's troops ; while the impossibility of either repudiating or fulfilling his bargain with regard to Livonia heightened the difficulty of his position..."

A Habsburg would be almost impossible, as you say, and the Russian Tsar wouldn't be an option two. So probably they could choose Andrew Cardinal Báthory (who was a nephew, not a brother of Stephen Bathory). Apparently IOTL he was supported by Zamoyski, who later changed his mind to Sigismund.
Of course, I'm not sure if the fact that he had Zamoyski's support to Andrew before could be obstacle, but maybe the fame of his uncle would be of some help. Stephen also got the Polish throne after a king that abdicated (Henry of Valois) and was considered a good monarch. The comparison probably wouldn't be missed by the nobles. Also, being a Cardinal would probably mean that many extreme Catholics that usually supported the Habsburgs could accept his name.

I seriously doubt that he would have been allowed to
keep the Swedish throne, he was a catholic and absolutely
no match for his uncle duke Karl later Karl IX who was a very
ruthless man who had no problems with executing complaining
nobles in Linköping later on. Karl and Johans father Gustaf
Eriksson Wasa was the person who decided with the
parliaments consent to make Sverige protestant, he of course
had other reasons to, to get his hands on the wealth from the
monasteries, Gustaf was a very practial man indeed and his son
Karl shared many of his traits, there would still be a civil war
between the duke and his nephew Sigismund.

I thought about that too. He probably would lose the throne, thanks to his religious bigotry. But this time there wouldn't be a Poland where he could escape to.
 
I read a funny thing about Sigismunds grandfather Gustaf a while
ago, there were apperently a few plans to kill him now and then
one involved putting a keg of gunpowder under his chair in church
and blowing it up when he was attending sermon, it failed because
one of the conspirators was a total drunk and told a neighbour
about it who rapported it to the king, the conspirators were all
executed of course and then Gustaf seized their property in Stockholm,
a very practical man indeed! After that Gustaf forbade the citizenry
in Stockholm to own artillery and other heavy weapons, it must
have been interesting, if you are a rich merchant you could have your
own artillerypieces. I have always known that the citizenry in this
country always have been heavily armed but artillery!
 
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