Historical calendar: May 6, 1439 – Poles' triumph over Hussites at Grotniki

Historical calendar: an anniversary of a bloody conflict between supporters of Bishop Oleśnicki and Hussites led by Spytek III of Melsztyn.

Today in our calendar we will look at the circumstances that led to this clash.

On 1 June 1434, Władysław Jagiełło died. Thanks to the vigorous action of the Bishop of Krakow Zbigniew Oleśnicki, who broke the opposition of the powerful, a insignificant Władysław III was crowned king of Poland on 25 July of the same year. At the time of the throne, the fresh ruler was only 10 years old. On his behalf, the Care Council ruled with Bishop Oleśnicki at the head. interior politics of the state dominated for respective years the dispute of the bishop's organization with the organization of the Queen of the widow Sophia Holszańska.

Foreign policy, however, proved successful under the direction of Bishop Oleśnicki. The war against the Teutonic Order ended in triumph between 1431 and 1435. The conflict of Wilkometer, fought on September 1, 1435, proved decisive. The Polish-Lithuanian army commanded by Jan Kobylanski sang The parent of God and in just an hr the Teutonic forces, supported by Lithuanian renegades Swidrygiły and Tatars, were destroyed.

Special attention should be paid to the fact that the Teutonic Knights, who so far attacked Poland for alliances with the Innovators, themselves began to support Muslim Tatars. This proved the discovery of the cards by the order, which already openly cared only about expanding its territory and gathering wealth, alternatively than the ideals of spreading the Catholic faith.

Under the peace signed in Brest, the Order gave Poland the castle of Dybów, committed to paying a contribution of PLN 9,500 in Hungarian, to ceasing support of the Świdrygiełla and to the designation of Zygmunt Kiejstutowicz to the Grand Duke of Lithuania.

In 1437, Bishop Oleśnicki conducted negotiations with Emperor Albrecht to guarantee Władysław III's succession of the Hungarian crown. Having learned about these talks, the Husik opposition to the emperor proposed that Władysław besides take over the Czech throne. Bishop Oleśnicki, as an enemy of Hussites, refused, which led to the voluntary election of the Czech king of the younger brother Władysław – Kazimierz Jagiellończyk.

Spice fell into sharp political conflict with the faction of Bishop Oleśnicki besides for another reasons. 1 was to abandon Catholicism and become active with a Hussite sect. The Lord in Melsztin became not only a zealous believer in heresy but besides a powerful guardian of Czech refugees and national converts. Obviously, the bishop couldn't have liked it. Trick with another rich Hussites like Abraham of Persecution led to the instigation of spiritual conflicts, unknown in Poland since the pagan reaction of the 11th century.

This prominent stateman Oleśnicki could not forgive him.

The second reason was that after the death of John's brother, Spytko took over his property and favorably married the only daughter of the deceased, Jadwiga. She became the wife of Zbigniew Oleśnicki – the nephew and namesake of the bishop. He hoped that rapprochement with the mighty home and the bishop himself would velocity up his career. However, this did not happen, and so Spytko became a fierce enemy of Oleśnicki. He felt that he was constantly cleaning up his wealth and life.

After the death of Władysław Jagiełła, he established an opposition against the regency of Bishop Oleśnicki. He officially performed with anti-oligarchical slogans, where the oligarchy was tied to the bishop-stateman. In fact, however, he sought to strengthen his individual political and property position, namely oligarchy, but under his wire.

With the collapse of the regency, he hoped for earthly assignments and offices, as well as raising the Hussice case to a higher level. He even dared to challenge the rights to the throne of the underage prince Władysław, later called Varneńczyk, in his home conflict-inciting activities.

This is why he became active with a clique of the widow Sophia Holszańska, with whom he was linked by aversion to Oleśnicki. Thanks to his acquaintances outside, he gained quite a few powerful supporters, and later besides the title of a white castel. During the reunion in Opatów in July 1434 he stirred the nobility in the hope of thwarting Władysław's election as the Polish king. erstwhile this failed, he tried to block his coronation, causing a scandal in front of the cathedral in Krakow.

Bishop Oleśnicki, knowing that interior disputes could bring external threats to the country, decided to end the dispute and come to an agreement with Spity, but he was already so engulfed in hatred that he remained deaf to the proposals of reconciliation. At the turn of 1437 and 1438, he ignited the dispute. On the 1 hand, he invaded and plundered the good bishop in Uszwa, and on the another hand, he stood openly on the Hussice side.

Poles focused around his organization captured respective Czech cities, but shortly afterwards suffered defeats under the Żelenicas and withdrew to the country. The hostility of the parties increased adequate that 2 fighting confederations were established – 1 under the leadership of Bishop Oleśnicki, and the another under the leadership of the favorable Queen Spytek of Melsztyna.

For supporting the Hussites, the bishop threatened Spytek with a ecclesiastical curse, for which lay punishments would besides follow. He humbled himself before him and Władysław Warneńczyk, but he did not quit his activity for a moment. During the nobility's convention in Korczyn in March 1439, he radicalized the nobility and gained her support for plans for a fresh Czech expedition.

This overt same - control led to an acute reaction from the ruling camp. On 25 April 1439 Bishop Oleśnicki established a confederation aimed at eliminating Czech influences, Hussic heresy and restoring interior order. In response, the prohusik camp established its own confederation, headed by Spytko on May 3. Almost immediately, there were same - justices and robberies in Korczyn and surrounding areas during which Spytek supporters robbed and murdered defenseless Catholics and Oleśnicki supporters.

It was a foretaste of the 16th century Reformation.

The Barbarianism of heretics prompted the queen widow to depart from Spytek and his movement. She made a deal with regent Oleśnicki, which had an immediate effect on the decline in the popularity of revolutionaries. In a fewer days, most of their supporters turned distant from them. Oleśnicki headed the army to grind the remnants of rebels. But he was not going to quit without a fight.

Leading the heretics, he built a Czech-style defence rolling stock, but it did small to do so. On May 6, 1439, a bloody conflict took place at Grotnik, in which his forces were massacred, and he himself perished. Government in the country has been restored.

The defeat of Spytka in conflict with the troops faithful to the bishop at Grotniki ended the dispute of the parties. A compromise was made under which Polish Hussites renounced their beliefs, in return for which they were given the chance to occupy state offices.

Previous entry from our calendar is available Here..