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74-450: Among the oldest towns in Poland, Głogów was founded in the 10th century as a Piast defensive settlement and obtained city rights in the 13th century from Duke Konrad I . Due to the town's strategic location on several trade routes, the townspeople received many privileges and benefits, which brought wealth and greatly reflected on the city's architecture. Over time, Głogów grew to be one of

148-526: A Franco-Hungarian alliance with King John Zápolya in 1528. After the death of Janusz III of Masovia in 1526, Sigismund succeeded in uniting the Duchy of Masovia and Warsaw with the Kingdom of Poland. There was speculation whether Janusz and his younger brother Stanisław were poisoned by a subject of Queen Bona. The accusations were so pervasive and rampant that Sigismund ordered an investigation, as

222-643: A grad by a West Slavic tribe called the Dziadoszanie , one of the Polish tribes . In the 10th century it became part of the emerging Polish state under first historic ruler Mieszko I of Poland , who erected a new stronghold there. The first known historic record comes from 1010, in Thietmar of Merseburg 's chronicles, after the troops of King Henry II of Germany in the conflict over the March of Lusatia and

296-503: A litter . However, despite his age, Sigismund was of sound mind throughout and remained active in politics until death. In 1543, he recovered from an influenza which spread in Kraków and in 1545 he enjoyed a last hunting excursion to Niepołomice. Sigismund died on 1 April 1548, Easter day at the age of 81 and was buried on 7 July at Wawel Cathedral in Kraków. He was succeeded by his only legitimate son, Sigismund II Augustus , who became

370-571: A contemporary 200- złoty banknote. Sigismund was married twice, first to noblewoman Barbara Zápolya from Hungary and then to Bona Sforza, the daughter of Gian Galeazzo Sforza , Duke of Milan . Their only son and the last Jagiellon king, Sigismund Augustus, was co-crowned vivente rege in 1529 and formally assumed throne when Sigismund the Old died in 1548. Sigismund was the son of King Casimir IV Jagiellon and Elisabeth Habsburg of Austria . He followed his brothers John Albert and Alexander to

444-573: A convention of Kings Casimir IV Jagiellon of Poland and George of Poděbrady of Bohemia at which a Bohemian-Polish alliance was concluded. In 1504 century, the Głogów line of the Silesian Piasts died out with the death of Jan II the Mad . Jan's cruel measures had provoked the resistance of the Głogów citizens, and in 1488 the troops of King Matthias Corvinus appeared at the city gates and expelled

518-605: A folk tale. In 1522, a truce was signed between Lithuania and Muscovy which extended until 1534. In 1534, when Grand Hetman Jerzy Radziwiłł and the Tatars pillaged western Russia, the Muscovites in retaliation invaded Lithuania once more. They were eventually stopped by Polish commander Jan Amor Tarnowski and allies at Starodub in 1535. Their defeat strengthened the Polish-Lithuanian union's eastern flank until

592-552: A part of the North German Confederation . Because the stronghold status had slowed down the city's development for many years, the citizens tried to abolish the stronghold status in the 19th century; the fortifications were only moved to the east in 1873, and finally taken down in 1902, which allowed the city to develop. After 1871, the city was part of the German Empire , within which it remained after

666-570: A result of which a special edict was declared on 9 February 1528 confirming that the Masovian princes died naturally or due to related illness. According to chronicler Jan Długosz , the real cause of the death of both princes could have been inherited tuberculosis . In other matters of policy, Sigismund sought peaceful coexistence with the Khanate of Crimea , but was unable to completely end border skirmishes . Over two centuries of wars against

740-540: Is Wawel Castle in Kraków, the seat of Polish monarchs as well as one of the largest castles in Central Europe. Situated on a hill overlooking Old Town , the fortified residence was extensively reconstructed in the Renaissance style and to the personal needs of the royal family. The Italian cloistered courtyard in the shape of a quadrangle , corridors, archways and portals were designed by Fiorentino with

814-563: Is not documented in contemporary sources. The first "Piasts", probably of Polan descent, appeared around 940 in the territory of Greater Poland at the stronghold of Giecz . Shortly afterwards they relocated their residence to Gniezno , where Prince Mieszko I ruled over the Civitas Schinesghe from about 960. The Piasts temporarily also ruled over Pomerania , Bohemia and the Lusatias , as well as part of Ruthenia , and

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888-564: The Battle of Głogów . In 1157 the town finally fell to the forces of Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa , invading the Silesian lands in aid of Duke Władysław II the Exile and his sons. In 1180, under the rule of Władysław's II youngest son Konrad Spindleshanks , Głogów was rebuilt and became the residence of his principality, which fell back to the Duchy of Silesia upon his death about 1190. In

962-602: The Duchy of Masovia (until 1526) and in the Duchies of Silesia until the last male Silesian Piast died in 1675. The Piasts intermarried with several noble lines of Europe, and possessed numerous titles, some within the Holy Roman Empire . The Jagiellonian kings ruling after the death of Casimir IV of Poland were also descended in the female line from Casimir III's daughter. The early dukes and kings of Poland are said to have regarded themselves as descendants of

1036-591: The Duchy of Mazovia with Warsaw , while retaining the nation's wealth and prominence in the region. He made sure that his nephew Albert, Duke of Prussia , and Albert's Protestant successors would pay feudal homage or tribute to Polish monarchs as a sign of political and diplomatic dependence. This was observed until the Treaty of Bromberg in 1657 when Prussia gained its sovereignty. Sigismund and his commander Jan Amor Tarnowski also defeated Moldavia at Obertyn in 1531, and Muscovy in 1535, thereby strengthening

1110-692: The Germanized name of Groß-Glogau ("Greater Glogau") to differentiate it from the town of Oberglogau ("Upper Glogau", present-day Głogówek ) in Upper Silesia . Despite Germanisation attempts, the population of the area around Głogów was still largely Polish. During the Napoleonic Wars , the Polish forces of General Jan Henryk Dąbrowski were stationed in the town, and the city was also visited three times by Napoleon Bonaparte . Glogau

1184-629: The Milceni lands had attacked the forces of the Polish Duke Bolesław I Chrobry and again besieged Głogów on August 9, 1017, without result. The next year Henry and Bolesław concluded the Peace of Bautzen . In 1109, King Henry V of Germany, entangled in the fratricidal war between the Piast dukes Bolesław III Wrymouth and Zbigniew besieged the town, but could not overcome the Polish forces in

1258-683: The Teutonic Knights ended in 1525 with the Treaty of Kraków after the final Polish–Teutonic War (1519–1521) . Previously, the Second Peace of Thorn (1466) placed the Teutonic Order under Polish suzerainty and interfered with German interests in Livonia , Pomerania , Warmia and Masuria . The Order attempted to avoid paying tribute to Polish monarchs which was a demonstration of weakness and dependence. In accordance with

1332-586: The Treaty of Versailles of 1919. In 1939 it had 33,000 mostly German inhabitants. During World War II , the Germans established six forced labour camps in the town, including a subcamp of the Nazi prison for youth in Wołów (in the present-day Paulinów district). In 1942–1945, there was also a transit camp for kidnapped Polish children intended for Germanisation , and in 1944, a transit camp for Poles transported from

1406-726: The " Prussian Homage ", which was often featured in arts. The Prussian Landtag and parliament assembled in Königsberg , where envoys embraced both the new Duke and the Protestant Reformation . Thereupon, the Teutonic Order lost its importance as a military order in Prussia and retreated to the Holy Roman Empire where it became secluded. Sigismund had a profound interest in Renaissance humanism and

1480-515: The Austrian throne. Both efforts failed. In 1497, King John I Albert, his older brother, led an invasion of Moldavia that was intended to place Sigismund on its throne. This, too, was a disastrous failure. Finally, his eldest brother Vladislaus II , King of Bohemia and Hungary, granted him the duchies of Głogów (1499) and Opava (1501), and in 1504 Sigismund became governor of Silesia and Lower Lusatia . John I Albert died suddenly in 1501, and

1554-555: The Brave ( Bolesław I Chrobry ). Głogów is twinned with: Piast The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland . The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I ( c.  960 –992). The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of King Casimir III the Great . Branches of the Piast dynasty continued to rule in

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1628-842: The Czech Crown during the rule of the Jagiellonian dynasty until 1526, when it was inherited by the Austrian House of Habsburg and was incorporated into the Habsburg monarchy . During the Thirty Years' War , Głogów was turned into a stronghold in 1630. It was conquered by Protestants in 1632, reconquered by Imperial troops in 1633, fell to Sweden in 1642, and finally reverted to the Habsburgs in 1648. One of two main routes connecting Warsaw and Dresden ran through

1702-636: The House of Habsburg in 1526, on the death of Sigismund's nephew, Louis II , who led his forces against Suleiman the Magnificent of the Ottoman Empire in the disastrous Battle of Mohács . Worried about the growing ties between the Habsburgs and Russia, in 1524 Sigismund signed a Franco-Polish alliance with King Francis I of France to avoid a possible war on two fronts. Francis I himself

1776-582: The Hungarian Spiš region in present-day Slovakia . The ruler bore the title of a duke or a king , depending on their position of power. The Polish monarchy had to deal with the expansionist policies of the Holy Roman Empire in the west, resulting in a chequered co-existence, with Piast rulers like Mieszko I, Casimir I the Restorer or Władysław I Herman trying to protect the Polish state by treaties, oath of allegiances and marriage alliances with

1850-712: The Imperial Ottonian and Salian dynasties. The Bohemian Přemyslid dynasty , the Hungarian Arpads and their Anjou successors, the Kievan Rus' , later also the State of the Teutonic Order and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were mighty neighbours. The Piast position was decisively enfeebled by an era of fragmentation following the 1138 Testament of Bolesław III Wrymouth . For nearly 150 years,

1924-599: The Piasts became extinct with the death of Duke Janusz III in 1526. The last ruling duke of the Silesian Piasts was George William of Legnica who died in 1675. His uncle Count August of Legnica , the last male Piast, died in 1679. The last legitimate heir, Duchess Karolina of Legnica-Brieg died in 1707 and is buried in Trzebnica Abbey . Nevertheless, numerous families, like the illegitimate descendants of

1998-587: The Polish state shattered into several duchies, with the Piast duke against the formally valid principle of agnatic seniority fighting for the throne at Kraków , the capital of the Lesser Polish Seniorate Province . Numerous dukes like Mieszko III the Old , Władysław III Spindleshanks or Leszek I the White were crowned, only to be overthrown shortly afterwards, and others restored and ousted, at times repeatedly. The senior branch of

2072-431: The Polish throne. Their eldest brother Vladislaus became king of Bohemia , Hungary , and Croatia . Sigismund was christened as the namesake of his maternal great-grandfather, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund . When Casimir died in 1492, Sigismund was his only son without any titles or land. From 1495 to 1496, he petitioned his brother Alexander to provide him with land, and Elisabeth of Austria attempted to install him on

2146-453: The Polish-Lithuanian realm was divided between the remaining two older sons, with John Albert being crowned King of Poland, and Alexander as Grand Duke of Lithuania. Alexander inherited Poland following John Albert's sudden death in 1501. Hence, Sigismund's reign only began when he succeeded Alexander to both titles in 1506 at the age of 39. A capable monarch and a patron of arts, Sigismund established Polish rule over Ducal Prussia and annexed

2220-460: The Sejm, usually obtaining funds on state defence. However he was unsuccessful at attempting to create a permanent fund for defence from the annual income tax. Despite this, in 1527 he established a conscript army and the bureaucracy needed to finance it. He set up the legal codes that formalised serfdom in Poland, placing the peasants into the private estates of nobles. Likely related to tax matters

2294-518: The Silesian Piasts, descendants of Bolesław III Wrymouth 's eldest son Duke Władysław II the Exile , went separate ways and since the 14th century were vassals of the Bohemian Crown . After the Polish royal line and Piast junior branch had died out in 1370, the Polish crown fell to the Anjou king Louis I of Hungary , son of late King Casimir's sister Elizabeth Piast . The Masovian branch of

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2368-501: The Silesian duke Adam Wenceslaus of Cieszyn (1574–1617), link their genealogy to the dynasty. About 1295, Przemysł II used a coat of arms with a white eagle – a symbol later referred to as the Piast coat of arms or as the Piast Eagle . The Silesian Piasts in the 14th century used an eagle modified by a crescent, which became the coat of arms of the Duchy of Silesia . Piast kings and rulers of Poland appear in list form in

2442-586: The Tatars to destroy Christendom". Regardless of victory, the Polish–Lithuanian troops were incapable of moving quickly enough to retake Smolensk. In 1518, Russian forces were again beaten during the siege of Polotsk , when according to legend the Lithuanian forces were inspired by the sight of their patron saint , Saint Casimir , the older brother of Sigismund. However, this was dubbed by historians as

2516-452: The act, unlike the senators, whom he personally appointed. Eventually, during his reign, Sigismund benefited from the advice of the local nobility, competent ministers in charge of the royal judiciary system, and the wealthy influential treasurers of Kraków. Although he was reluctant to the parliamentary system and political independence of the nobility, he recognised the authority of legal norms, supported legalism and summoned annual sessions of

2590-469: The administrative reform of 1999 it became part of Lower Silesian Voivodeship . The city's major sports clubs are handball team SPR Chrobry Głogów , which competes in the Polish Superliga , the country's top division, and football team MZKS Chrobry Głogów , which competes in the I liga , the country's second division (as of 2023–24). Both teams are named after medieval Polish King Bolesław I

2664-404: The agreement, the son of Francis, Henry, Duke of Orléans , was to marry one of Sigismund's daughters, and Sigismund's eldest son was to marry a daughter of Francis I. The negotiations came to an end and the alliance was disbanded when Francis' troops were defeated by Charles V at the Battle of Pavia in 1525. Disturbed by the failure of his campaign, Francis turned to Hungary instead and formed

2738-543: The agricultural economy, looked after the development of the royal cities and recovered numerous goods of the treasury belonging to the crown that were under lien. During the financial activities, the King received full support of his wife, Queen Bona, who aimed to expand the royal estates by purchasing and improving economic efficiency. In 1514 he set up the Council of Four Lands and put Abraham of Bohemia in charge of it. At

2812-409: The army. Supported by his Italian consort Bona Sforza, he began buying up land and issue agriculture reformas to enlarge the royal treasury. He initiated a process of restitution of royal properties, previously pawned or rented to the nobles. The nobility gathered near the city to meet to a levée en masse and called for a military campaign against Moldavia . However, the lesser and middle strata of

2886-593: The beginning of the Livonian War in 1558. In 1515 Sigismund entered into an alliance with the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I . In return for Maximilian lending weight to the provisions of the Second Peace of Thorn (1466) , Sigismund consented to the marriage of the children of Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary , his brother, to the grandchildren of Maximilian. Through this double marriage contract, Bohemia and Hungary passed to

2960-407: The bell rung on some of the most significant moments in Polish history and is one of Poland's national symbols . Sigismund suffered from numerous illnesses and diseases, especially towards the end of his life. Most notably, he was tormented by constant fevers since youth as well as gout and acute rheumatism in the autumn of 1528. The condition, which severely affected his joints and right leg,

3034-541: The city and the majority of Lower Silesia fell into the Soviet Zone of Occupation who expelled its German population in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement and began replacing them with Polish settlers who came to the once again Polish city of Głogów to find a seriously war-damaged town; it has not been fully rebuilt to this day. The town started to develop again only in 1957, after a copper foundry

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3108-717: The city in the 18th century and Kings Augustus II the Strong and Augustus III of Poland traveled that route many times. Głogów remained part of the Habsburg-ruled Crown of Bohemia until the First Silesian War . In March 1741 it was captured in a night attack by the Prussian Army under General Prince Leopold II of Anhalt-Dessau , and like the majority of Silesia became part of Kingdom of Prussia under King Frederick II . The city became known by

3182-611: The country's eastern borders. His 42-year reign was further marked by decisive contributions to Polish architecture , cuisine , language , and customs, especially at the behest of his second wife, the Italian-born Bona Sforza . Italian styles and fashions dominated at the height of the Polish Renaissance and Polish Golden Age , which developed the Catholic identity of Poland . He was commemorated on

3256-512: The country. The role of the Incompatibilitas was to prevent wealthy magnates from usurping too much power at the expense of lesser nobles. However, the revolt soon transpired that the nobility's leaders were divided and that achieving a settlement was almost impossible. Too weak to start a civil war against the King, the protesters finally agreed to what was thought a compromise. Sigismund rejected most of their demands, while accepting

3330-514: The course of the fragmentation under Duke Bolesław II the Bald and his younger brother, the Duchy of Głogów under Duke Konrad I was established in 1251. Two years later he vested the town with Magdeburg rights . From the 13th century the city prospered thanks to trade and craft, brewing and clothmaking developed. Likewise the many Duchies of Silesia , Głogów also fell under the overlordship of King John of Bohemia in 1329. In 1462, Głogów hosted

3404-570: The duke. In 1491–1506 Głogów was ruled by John Albert and Sigmund the Old , future kings of Poland. In 1506 the duchy was incorporated into the Bohemian (Czech) Kingdom, although Polish King Sigismund I the Old still claimed the duchy before renouncing claims in 1508, while his wife, Polish Queen Bona Sforza still made attempts to reintegrate the city and the duchy with the Kingdom of Poland in 1522, 1526 and 1547. Nevertheless, it remained under

3478-595: The field. In 1512, Grand Hetman of Lithuania , Konstanty Ostrogski , ransacked the region of Severia and vanquished a Russian force of approximately 6,000 men. On 8 September 1514, Muscovy suffered a major defeat at the Battle of Orsha , which prevented the Russians to place all the former Kievan Rus ' lands under their lordship. Poland exploited the battle for propaganda purposes with strong anti-Russian sentiment. A letter sent to Rome stated that "Muscovites are not Christians; they are cruel and barbaric; they are Asians and not Europeans; they are in league with Turks and

3552-436: The fifth son of Casimir IV and his wife Elizabeth of Austria . He was one of thirteen children and was not expected to assume the throne after his father. Sigismund's eldest brother and rightful heir Vladislaus II instead became the King of Bohemia , Hungary and Croatia as the successor to George of Poděbrady in Bohemia and then to Matthias Corvinus in Hungary, thus temporarily uniting these kingdoms. When Casimir died,

3626-481: The following table. For a list of all rulers, see List of Polish monarchs . Sigmund I of Poland Sigismund I the Old ( Polish : Zygmunt I Stary , Lithuanian : Žygimantas I Senasis ; 1 January 1467 – 1 April 1548) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1506 until his death in 1548. Sigismund I was a member of the Jagiellonian dynasty , the son of Casimir IV and younger brother of Kings John I Albert and Alexander I Jagiellon . He

3700-401: The help of Benedykt from Sandomierz . A similar design was undertaken in Niepołomice Castle , the hunting retreat of the Jagiellons. The most prominent example of Sigismund's architectural legacy is a funerary monument in the form of a chapel at Wawel Cathedral . It was constructed between 1519 and 1533 according to plans by Bartolomeo Berrecci of Florence , and serves as a mausoleum of

3774-437: The high-ranking nobles and their interests. Sigismund I achieved several economic successes, including partial debt reduction, separation of accounts of public taxation from the royal treasury, strengthening of the activities of the mint operating in Kraków, and the attempt to organise the processing of income from operating salt mines. Furthermore, he issued a statute for the Armenians (1519) and strongly intended to harmonise

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3848-405: The illustrious figures that guested or lived in Poland at the time were Bartholommeo Berecci , Francesco Fiorentino , Santi and Mateo Gucci , Bernardo Morando , Giovanni Battista di Quadro and Hans Dürer . Most of the decorators working for the court were foreigners, especially Italians and Germans who had a profound impact on Poland's architecture as a whole. The centrepiece of their work

3922-420: The judicial system across the country. Between 1530 and 1538 the king issued two statutes defining the rules for the selection of the monarch, which permanently established the election viritim . The laws held that all social groups, regardless of their wealth, could watch the election process ( unusquisque qui vellet ), and the election was to be free ( electio Regis libera ). Sigismund successfully organised

3996-430: The largest fortified towns in Lower Silesia . The demolition of fortifications at the beginning of the 20th century improved the chances for further growth. However, towards the end of the Second World War Głogów was once again turned into a defensive fortress and as such suffered almost complete destruction. Currently reconstruction works are being carried out with the aim of restoring the historic pre-war appearance of

4070-515: The last Jagiellon king of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. In 1587 Sigismund the Old's grandson, Sigismund III from the House of Vasa , was elected King of Poland. He was the son of Catherine Jagiellon and her husband John III Vasa of Sweden . Hence, Sigismund III could not belong to the Jagiellonian dynasty by his mother, but the Jagiellon bloodline of Polish monarchs continued until the death of Sigismund Vasa's second son John II Casimir . In 1512, Sigismund married Barbara Zápolya (d. 1515),

4144-486: The last Jagiellons. The exterior dome is gold-plated and interior tombs made of marble were designed by Santi Gucci. Historians, experts and architects unanimously voted the chapel as "the most beautiful example of the Tuscan Renaissance north of the Alps". The monarch also commissioned a 12.6-tonne bell which was named in his honour. The Royal Sigismund Bell was installed 13 July 1521 on Wawel Cathedral's northernmost tower. Apart from religious and national holidays,

4218-411: The most part supported the King and claimed that the "war's" only effect was the near-extinction of the local chickens, eaten by the nobles gathered for the rebellion at Lwów in eastern part of Lesser Poland . To strengthen his power, Sigismund initiated a set of reforms, establishing a permanent conscription army in 1527 and extending the bureaucratic apparatus necessary to govern the state and finance

4292-457: The new Treaty of Kraków, the Order was abruptly secularized and turned de facto into a puppet state of Poland which lasted until the Treaty of Bromberg in 1655. Sigismund's nephew Albert, Duke of Prussia , converted to Lutheranism under the persuasion of Martin Luther , and paid a feudal homage to Sigismund. In return he was granted the domains of the Order as the First Duke of Prussia . This became known in Polish and Lithuanian history as

4366-428: The nobility organised a revolt to force the King to abandon his risky reforms. The nobles presented him with 36 demands, most notably a cessation of further land acquisitions by Queen Bona, exemption of the nobility from the tithe , confirmation and extension of privileges for nobles and adoption of a law concerning Incompatibilitas — an individual wouldn't be able to hold two or more official administrative positions in

4440-413: The principle of Incompatibilitas the following year and agreeing not to force the election of the future king in vivente rege . Thereupon, the nobility returned to their homes having achieved little. Sigismund was intermittently at war with Vasili III of Muscovy beginning in 1507, before the Polish army was fully under his command. Further tensions escalated when Vasili also discovered that Sigismund

4514-441: The revival of classical antiquity. His second consort Bona Sforza, daughter of Gian Galeazzo Sforza of Milan, was also instrumental in developing the Polish Renaissance and brought renowned Italian artists, architects and sculptors from her native country. It was under Sigismund's reign that Renaissance began to flourish in Poland and in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Sigismund II Augustus later continued his father's legacy. Among

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4588-428: The semi-legendary Piast the Wheelwright ( Piast Kołodziej ), first mentioned in the Cronicae et gesta ducum sive principum Polonorum (Chronicles and deeds of the dukes or princes of the Poles), written c. 1113 by Gallus Anonymus . However, the term "Piast Dynasty" was not applied until the 17th century. In a historical work, the expression Piast dynasty was introduced by the Polish historian Adam Naruszewicz ; it

4662-417: The start of his reign, King Sigismund I the Old inherited a Kingdom of Poland with a century-long tradition of liberties of the nobility, confirmed in numerous privileges. A rebellion in Lwów widely known as the Chicken War ( Polish : Wojna kokosza ) was an anti-royalist and anti-absolutist rokosz (revolt) by the Polish nobility that occurred in 1537. The derisive name was coined by the magnates, who for

4736-413: The town. The castle, which was rebuilt between 1971 and 1983, now houses the Historical and Archaeological Museum, displaying artifacts such as Lusatian burial artifacts from Wróblin Głogowski . Since 1984 the town also has been the venue for the Głogów Jazz Festival, which features local and international singers, musicians and performers. Głogów is one of the oldest towns in Poland. It was founded as

4810-432: The transit camp in Pruszków near Warsaw after the suppression of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising . Many Polish resistance members were imprisoned and sentenced to prison or death in the city. The city was made into a stronghold by the German government early in 1945 in the last stages of World War II. It was besieged for six weeks by the Soviet Red Army , which left 98% of the buildings completely destroyed. After May 1945

4884-440: Was an unsuccessful attempt on the life of the king, made on 5 May 1523. The identity of the would-be assassin - who shot the ruler while he was strolling in the evening around the cloisters of the Wawel castle - and his potential supporters was never established. Unclear motives remained after the assassination attempt. Three weeks before the event, Sigismund I introduced a new edict that was very unfavourable and somewhat hostile to

4958-412: Was bribing Khan Meñli I Giray to attack the Grand Duchy of Moscow . In December 1512, Muscovite forces marched into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania seeking to capture Smolensk , a major trading center between Russia and Europe. The initial six- and four-week sieges in 1513 were a failure, but the city fell to the Muscovites in July 1514 . Russia subsequently suffered a series of disastrous defeats in

5032-479: Was built there. It is still the largest industrial company in the town. It has since become a major world supplier of silver, which along with gold is often found in copper ore. In 1974, Głogów was awarded the Order of Polonia Restituta , one of the highest Polish state decorations . In 1945–1950, Głogów was part of Wrocław Voivodeship and in 1950 became part of the newly created Zielona Góra Voivodeship . In 1975–1998 it belonged to Legnica Voivodeship , and after

5106-422: Was captured by French forces after the Battle of Jena in 1806. The town, with a garrison of 9,000 French troops, was besieged in 1813–14 by the Sixth Coalition ; by the time the defenders surrendered on 10 April 1814, only 1,800 defenders remained. In 1815, after the Congress of Vienna , Glogau became part of the Prussian Province of Silesia and was therefore a part of the German Confederation and as of 1867

5180-437: Was crowned four days later in Wawel Cathedral by Primate Andrzej Boryszewski. The internal situation in Poland was characterised by broad authorisation of the Chamber of Deputies, confirmed and extended in the constitution of Nihil novi . During Alexander's reign, the law of Nihil novi had been instituted, which forbade kings of Poland from enacting laws without the consent of the Sejm . Sigismund had little control over

5254-438: Was looking for allies in Central Europe to curtail the increasing power of Habsburg Emperor Charles V , whose realms were labelled " the empire on which the sun never sets ". Furthermore, Queen Bona was instrumental in establishing an alliance between Poland and France, with the objective of recovering Milan . The official negotiations were conducted by Antonio Rincon in 1524, who was then followed by Jerome Laski . Through

5328-404: Was nicknamed "the Old" in later historiography to distinguish him from his son and successor, Sigismund II Augustus . Before ascending to the Polish and Lithuanian thrones, he was Duke of Głogów from 1499, Duke of Opava from 1501, and governor of Silesia from 1504 on behalf of his brother, King Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary. Sigismund was born in the town of Kozienice in 1467 as

5402-407: Was repetitive and continued in 1529 and 1534. It is likely that Sigismund Augustus was co-crowned vivente rege in 1529 as a result of these pervasive pains and in case his father died unexpectedly. Furthermore, bad eating habits and a poor diet contributed to the king's ailing health, in particular large amounts of beer and mead . Eventually, the king's inability to walk forced him to be carried in

5476-818: Was succeeded by Alexander I, who died in 1506. After his death, Sigismund arrived in Vilnius , where he was elected by the Lithuanian Ducal Council on 13 September 1506 as Grand Duke of Lithuania , contrary to the Union of Mielnik (1501), which proposed a joint Polish-Lithuanian election of a monarch. On 8 December 1506, during the session of the Polish Senate in Piotrków , Sigismund was elected King of Poland. He arrived in Kraków on 20 January 1507 and

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