Hieronymus Jaroslaw Łaski
Encyclopedia
Hieronymus Jarosław Laski, Lasky, Laszki, Laszky, Laskó, Jeromos, Jerome, Hieronym, Hieronim, (September 27, 1496 – December 22, 1542), was a Polish
diplomat
born of an illustrious Polish family. Laski was the nephew of Archbishop John Laski and served as palatine
of Inowrocław and of Sieradia
, Sieradz
.
, and the daughter of the King of Poland Sigismund I
, a project which failed through no fault of Laski's. (The oldest French prince, styled the Dauphin, had been engaged years before to Princess Mary of England).
The collapse of the Hungarian
monarchy at Mohács
(1526) first opened up a wider avenue for Laski's adventurous activity. Contrary to the wishes of his own sovereign, Sigismund I, whose pro-Austrian
policy he detested, Laski entered the service of Janos Zapolya
, the Magyar competitor for the Hungarian throne, thereby seriously compromising Poland both with the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and with the Pope. Zapolya despatched him on an embassy to Paris, Copenhagen
and Munich
for help. France granted Zapolya 20,000 in gold, five thousand of which was to be forwarded immediately, but on Laski's return, he found his patron a refugee in Transylvania
, whither he had retired after his defeat by Ferdinand I
at Tokay
in 1527.
In February 1528, Laski arranged for the king of Hungary
Zapolya to become a vassal to the Ottoman Empire
. Laski went still further, and without the authority for his action concluded a ten years' truce between his old master King Sigismund of Poland and the Porte. He then returned to Hungary at the head of 10,000 men, with whose aid he enabled Zapolya to re-establish his position and defeat Ferdinand at Saros-Patak
. He was rewarded with the countship of Zips and the governor-generalship of Transylvania.
, the son of the Doge of Venice and Suleiman against King Zapolya, the man he had helped so much. The plan called for Gritti to become the king of Hungary and Laski to be awarded Transylvania. But nothing came of this because Zapolya had discovered the plot and arrested Laski, imprisoned him in 1534. In 1535 Laski was freed with help of influential friends and openly changed his allegiance, allying himself with Ferdinand I
. In 1539 Ferdinand sent Laski to Constantinople to work out a plan against Zapolya where he was threatened by Suleiman with having his ears and nose cut off for his new alliance with Ferdinand. Laski escaped harm but his influence excited the jealousy of the Magyars, and Zapolya was persuaded to imprison him. He remained a prisoner in Belgrade for some months, accused of the murder of Suleiman supporter, Antoine de Rincon, ambassador of the King of France to the Sultan between 1532 and 1541).
On being released by the interposition of the Polish grand hetman
, Jan Amor Tarnowski, Laski became a violent opponent of Zapolya. Shortly after his return to Poland, Laski died suddenly at Cracow, possibly poisoned by one of his innumerable enemies.
, Prussian Homage
.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
born of an illustrious Polish family. Laski was the nephew of Archbishop John Laski and served as palatine
Palatine
A palatine or palatinus is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman times...
of Inowrocław and of Sieradia
Sieradz Voivodeship
Sieradz Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in the years 1975–1998, superseded by Łódź Voivodeship.-1975-1998:Capital city: SieradzMajor cities and towns: :* Zduńska Wola ;...
, Sieradz
Sieradz
Sieradz is a town on the Warta river in central Poland with 44,326 inhabitants . It is situated in the Łódź Voivodship , but was previously the eponymous capital of the Sieradz Voivodship , and historically one of the minor duchies in Greater Poland.It is one of the oldest towns in Poland,...
.
Biography
Laski's first important mission was to Paris in 1524, ostensibly to contract an anti-Turkish league with the French king François I, but really to bring about a matrimonial alliance between the French king's second son Henri, afterwards Henry IIHenry II of France
Henry II was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559.-Early years:Henry was born in the royal Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, the son of Francis I and Claude, Duchess of Brittany .His father was captured at the Battle of Pavia in 1525 by his sworn enemy,...
, and the daughter of the King of Poland Sigismund I
Sigismund I the Old
Sigismund I of Poland , of the Jagiellon dynasty, reigned as King of Poland and also as the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1506 until 1548...
, a project which failed through no fault of Laski's. (The oldest French prince, styled the Dauphin, had been engaged years before to Princess Mary of England).
The collapse of the Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
monarchy at Mohács
Mohács
Mohács is a town in Baranya county, Hungary on the right bank of the Danube.-History:Two famous battles took place there:# Battle of Mohács, 1526# Battle of Mohács, 1687...
(1526) first opened up a wider avenue for Laski's adventurous activity. Contrary to the wishes of his own sovereign, Sigismund I, whose pro-Austrian
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
policy he detested, Laski entered the service of Janos Zapolya
John Zápolya
John Zápolya was King of Hungary from 1526 to 1540. His rule was disputed by Archduke Ferdinand I, who also claimed the title King of Hungary between 1526 and 1540. He was the voivode of Transylvania before his coronation.- Biography :...
, the Magyar competitor for the Hungarian throne, thereby seriously compromising Poland both with the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and with the Pope. Zapolya despatched him on an embassy to Paris, Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
and Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
for help. France granted Zapolya 20,000 in gold, five thousand of which was to be forwarded immediately, but on Laski's return, he found his patron a refugee in Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
, whither he had retired after his defeat by Ferdinand I
Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand I was Holy Roman Emperor from 1558 and king of Bohemia and Hungary from 1526 until his death. Before his accession, he ruled the Austrian hereditary lands of the Habsburgs in the name of his elder brother, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.The key events during his reign were the contest...
at Tokay
Tokay
Tokay may refer to:* Tokaji wine , wines produced in the Tokaj-Hegyalja region of Hungary* Tokaj , wine region in South-Eastern Slovakia and wines produced in that region.* Grape varieties:...
in 1527.
In February 1528, Laski arranged for the king of Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
Zapolya to become a vassal to the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. Laski went still further, and without the authority for his action concluded a ten years' truce between his old master King Sigismund of Poland and the Porte. He then returned to Hungary at the head of 10,000 men, with whose aid he enabled Zapolya to re-establish his position and defeat Ferdinand at Saros-Patak
Sárospatak
----Sárospatak is a town in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, northern Hungary. It lies northeast from Miskolc, in the Bodrog river valley. The town, often called simply Patak, is an important cultural centre.- History :The area has been inhabited since ancient times...
. He was rewarded with the countship of Zips and the governor-generalship of Transylvania.
Conspiration
In the 1530s Laski conspired with Lodovico GrittiLodovico Gritti
Lodovico Gritti Aluise Aloysi Luigi Louis Gritti, Ludovico or, as the Venetians called him, Alvise Gritti, and the Hungarians Lajos Gritti. He was influential in the Hungarian Kingdom under the reign of King John I of Hungary. He was also a minister of the Turkish sultan, and regent of Hungary...
, the son of the Doge of Venice and Suleiman against King Zapolya, the man he had helped so much. The plan called for Gritti to become the king of Hungary and Laski to be awarded Transylvania. But nothing came of this because Zapolya had discovered the plot and arrested Laski, imprisoned him in 1534. In 1535 Laski was freed with help of influential friends and openly changed his allegiance, allying himself with Ferdinand I
Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand I was Holy Roman Emperor from 1558 and king of Bohemia and Hungary from 1526 until his death. Before his accession, he ruled the Austrian hereditary lands of the Habsburgs in the name of his elder brother, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.The key events during his reign were the contest...
. In 1539 Ferdinand sent Laski to Constantinople to work out a plan against Zapolya where he was threatened by Suleiman with having his ears and nose cut off for his new alliance with Ferdinand. Laski escaped harm but his influence excited the jealousy of the Magyars, and Zapolya was persuaded to imprison him. He remained a prisoner in Belgrade for some months, accused of the murder of Suleiman supporter, Antoine de Rincon, ambassador of the King of France to the Sultan between 1532 and 1541).
On being released by the interposition of the Polish grand hetman
Hetman
Hetman was the title of the second-highest military commander in 15th- to 18th-century Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which together, from 1569 to 1795, comprised the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, or Rzeczpospolita....
, Jan Amor Tarnowski, Laski became a violent opponent of Zapolya. Shortly after his return to Poland, Laski died suddenly at Cracow, possibly poisoned by one of his innumerable enemies.
Remembrance
He is one of the characters on the famous painting by Jan MatejkoJan Matejko
Jan Matejko was a Polish painter known for paintings of notable historical Polish political and military events. His most famous works include oil on canvas paintings like Battle of Grunwald, paintings of numerous other battles and court scenes, and a gallery of Polish kings...
, Prussian Homage
Prussian Homage (painting)
The Prussian Homage is an oil on canvas painting by Polish painter Jan Matejko painted between 1879 and 1882 in Kraków, then part of Austria-Hungary. It depicts a tribute made by Albrecht Hohenzollern, the Duke of Prussia, to King Sigismund I the Old in the Kraków market square on 10 April 1525;...
.