Chicken War or Hen War ( Polish : Wojna kokosza ) is the colloquial name for a 1537 anti- royalist and anti- absolutist rokosz (rebellion) by the Polish nobility .
6-535: The derisive name was coined by the magnates , who for the most part supported the King and claimed that the conflict's only effect was the near-extinction of the local chickens , which were eaten by the nobles gathered for the rokosz at Lwów , in Ruthenian Voivodeship . The magnates' choice of " kokosz "—meaning "an egg laying hen"—may have been inspired by a play on words between " kokosz " and
12-559: A levée en masse , called for a military campaign against Moldavia . However, the lesser and middle strata of the nobility called a rokosz , or semi-legal rebellion , to force the King to abandon his reforms. According to contemporary accounts, 150,000 militia had been assembled for the rebellion. The nobles presented him with 36 demands, most notably: Finally, the angry protesters criticized Queen Bona, whom they accused of "bad upbringing" of young Prince Sigismund Augustus (future King Sigismund II ) and of seeking to increase her power in
18-449: The bureaucratic apparatus necessary to govern the state and finance the army. Supported by his Italian consort, Bona Sforza , he began buying up land and started several agricultural reforms to enlarge the royal treasury. He also initiated a process of restitution of royal properties, previously pawned or rented to the nobles. In 1537, however, the King's policies led to a major conflict. The nobility, who gathered near Lwów to meet with
24-491: The rule of his predecessor, Alexander I , the statute of " Nihil novi " had been instituted, effectively forbidding kings of Poland to promulgate laws without the consent of the Parliament . That proved crippling to Sigismund's dealings with his nobles and a serious threat to the country's stability. To strengthen royal authority, he initiated a set of reforms, establishing a permanent conscription army in 1527 and extending
30-571: The similar-sounding " rokosz ". The Chicken War was the first rokosz of the nobility in Polish history. At the start of his reign, King Sigismund I the Old inherited the Kingdom of Poland with a century-long tradition of liberties of the nobility that was confirmed in numerous privileges . Sigismund faced the challenge of consolidating internal power to handle external threats to the country. During
36-431: The state, even if both involvements were generally positive. It soon transpired, however, that the nobility's leaders were divided and that achieving a compromise was almost impossible. Too weak to start a civil war against the King, the protesters finally agreed to what was thought a compromise. The King rejected most of their demands but accepted the principle of incompatibilitas the next year and agreed not to force
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