GALLICIA AND LODOMERIA. 473 



Juchy, anno 1059. Jagello, who in 1384 mounted the throne, was grand 

 duke of Lithuania, and a pagan ; but on his being elected king of 

 Poland, he not only become a Christian, but used every endeavour to 

 bring over his subjects to that religion. He united his hereditary 

 dominions to those of Poland ; which gave such influence to his poster- 

 ity over the. hearts of the Poles, that the crown was preserved in his 

 family, until the male line became extinct in Sigismund Augustus, 

 in 1572, who admitted the reformed, with Greeks andall other sects, 

 to a seat in the diet, and to all the honours and privileges before con- 

 fined to the catholics He gave such evident marks of favour to the 

 protestant confession, that he Was suspected of being inclined to change 

 his religion. At this time two powerful competitors appeared for the 

 crown of Poland; these were, Henry, duke of Anjou, brother to 

 Charles IX, king of France, and Maximilian of uistria. The French 

 interest prevailed, by private bribes to the nobles, and a stipulation 

 to pay an annual pension to the republic from the revenues of France ; 

 but Henry had not been four months on the throne of Poland when 

 his brother died, and he returned privately to France, which kingdom 

 he governed by the name of Henry III. The party who had espoused 

 the interest of Maximilian, endeavoured once more to revive his pre- 

 tensions ; but the majority of the Poles being desirous to choose a 

 prince who might reside among them, made choice of Stephen Butori, 

 prince of Transylvania, Avho, in the beginning of his reign, meeting 

 with some opposition from the Austrian faction, took the wisest meth- 

 od to establish himself on the throne, by marrying Anne, the sister of 

 Sigismund Augustus, and of the royal house of the Jagellons. Stephen 

 produced a great change in the military affairs of the Poles, by estab- 

 lishing a new militia, composed of Cossacs, a rough and barbarous 

 race of men, on whom he bestowed the Ukraine, or frontiers of his 

 kingdom. Upon his death, in 1586, the Poles chose Sigismund, son 

 of John, king of Sweden, by Catharine, sister of Sigismund II, for 

 their king 



Sigismund was crowned king of Sweden after his father's death ; 

 but being expelled, as we have seen in the history of Sweden, by" the 

 Suedes, a long war ensued between them and the Poles, but termina- 

 ted in favour of the latter. Sigismund being secured in the throne of 

 Poland aspired to that of Russia as well as Sweden ; but after long 

 wars he was defeated in both views He was afterwards engaged in a 

 variety of unsuccessful wars with the Turks and Swedes At last a 

 '.ruce was concluded under the mediation of France and England: but 

 the Poles were forced to agree that the Swedes should keep Elbing, 

 Memel, Braunsberg, and Pillau, together with all they had taken in 

 Livonia. In 1623, Sigismund died, and Uladisiaus, his son succeeded. 

 This prince was successful both against the Turks and the Russians, 

 and obliged the Swedes to restore all the Polish dominions they had 

 taken in Prussia. His reign, however, was unfortunate, by his being' 

 instigated, through the avarice of his nobles and generals, to encroach 

 upon the privileges of the Cossacs in the Ukraine. As the war which 

 followed was carried on against the Cossacs upon ambitious and per- 

 fidious principles, the Cossacs, naturally a brave people, became des- 

 perate; and on the succession of John II, brother to Uladislaus, the 

 Cossac general Schmielenski defeated the Poles in two great battles, 

 atid forced them to a dishonourable peace. It appears that, during the 

 course of this war, the Polish nobility behaved as the worst of ruffians, 

 and their conduct was highly condemned by John ; while his nobilitv 



Vol. I. SP 



