Probably, in our time, not even every historian can remember who Sigismund II Augustus was, what he did for his people, where he ruled and in what years. But this is really an outstanding person who did a lot for his country, in fact creating a powerful monolith from disparate parts. Therefore, it is useful for every erudite person to learn more about him.
Who is this
Let's start with the fact that Sigismund II August was the Grand Duke of Lithuania, as well as the King of Poland. It was under him that such a powerful state as the Commonwe alth appeared, which for many years fought not only against the Ottoman Empire, but also against the powerful Russian Empire.
During his reign, many important reforms were carried out, affecting both the economic side of the life of his subjects, and the social one. He did not live too long, but left a serious mark on the history of Europe.
Short biography
Sigismund II was born on July 1 (according to other sources - August 1), 1520. His father was a prince of Lithuania and PolandSigismund I is old, and his mother is Bona Forza, an Italian princess.
A combination of circumstances led to the fact that back in 1529 he became the prince of Lithuania, and soon the king of Poland at the age of nine!
Of course, in the first years he had this title only nominally. In fact, his mother ruled - an extremely cruel, domineering woman, not used to sharing influence over her son and the country with anyone.
He was married three times, but none of the marriages brought him happiness.
His first wife was Elisabeth of Austria (daughter of Ferdinand I himself) in 1543. But she died two years later. According to some sources, this happened from an attack of epilepsy, and according to others, she was poisoned by Sigismund's mother.
Soon he married a second time, secretly from his mother and the entire ruling elite, to Barbara Radzivil, the heiress of the Gashtold family. Despite threats and persuasion, he refused to end the marriage. Alas, his second wife also died a year later. Historians believe that the insidious Bona Forz could not have done here either.
The third marriage took place in 1553. Moreover, the sister of the first wife, Catherine of Austria, became the new wife of Sigismund. However, this time the king did not find happiness. They soon parted, having gone through the extremely difficult divorce procedure at the time.
He died in 1572, at the age of 51, without leaving any heirs. However, during his life he managed to do a lot for the country. First of all, the king united the Principality of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland into a single state - RechCommonwe alth.
The need for agrarian reform
The king, although he is prescribed indecisiveness and gentleness, was not stupid at all. In the middle of the sixteenth century, a real stream of gold and silver poured into Europe from the New World. As a result, agriculture and industry in many countries fell into decay. Why work if you own kilograms of gold and tens of kilograms of silver?
However, the country of Sigismund did not participate in raids in the New World. Therefore, the right decision was made: to increase the amount of agricultural products. Moreover, against the backdrop of depreciating precious metals, they rose sharply in Western Europe.
Therefore, the agrarian reform was carried out by Sigismund II Augustus in 1557. For the first time in the history of the state, the rights and obligations of peasants were legislated.
For example, it was prescribed that every farmer who received a plot of land from the state had to work not only on his own land, but also on the royal one. For two days every week he worked for the benefit of the state and his overlord.
Previously abandoned lands were put into circulation, three fields became mandatory (a third of the land was planted with ordinary crops, a third with winter crops, and a third was left fallow - the land rested, restored fertility). Fishing was banned during spawning.
Some historians believe that all this was done in the interests of the feudal lords only, and the rights of ordinary peasants are even greateroppressed. However, thanks to the reforms, the efficiency of agriculture has increased significantly, both feudal lords and peasants began to live richer.
Unification of the two states
The most important reform carried out by the king was the signing of the Union of Lublin in 1569, shortly before his death. As a result, two relatively weak states were united into the Commonwe alth. It lasted until the end of the eighteenth century, representing a serious economic and military power in Eastern Europe.
However, the signing of the Union of Lublin was almost derailed. Many gentry did not like the unification, and especially representatives of the Catholic church. They did not want to unite with the Principality of Lithuania, whose religion was Orthodoxy.
As a result, a new coin resembling the Lithuanian currency was issued at the mint in Tykocin, where the taler of Sigismund II Augustus was minted. The obverse depicted a scene of a chase, and on the reverse an inscription from the Bible was carved: "The one who lives in heaven will laugh, the Lord will mock them." By this they wanted to say that anyone who goes against Catholicism will be punished by God.
Because of this, the very possibility of an alliance was in danger.
Only by signing the universals prohibiting the re-minting of such coins, Sigismund II Augustus was able to calm the Lithuanian elite, to persuade them to join the new state.
Introduction of a series of transformations
Also, the king carried out many reforms. One of the main was the equalization of rightsCatholics and Orthodox - irreconcilable enemies who now had to live in a united state.
It is important that peasants were more evenly distributed on the territory of modern Belarus. Before that, they lived in small plots, while vast lands were empty, not benefiting the people and the treasury.
Conclusion
As you can see, Sigismund II Augustus left a considerable mark in the history of his state. Very few monarchs can boast as many reforms that have managed to improve the lives of ordinary people in a relatively short period of time and at the same time increase the economic power of the country.
