Hieronymus Jaroslaw Łaski

Hieronymus Jarosław Laski, Lasky, Laszki, Laszky, Laskó, Jeromos, Jerome, Hieronym, Hieronim, (September 27, 1496 – December 22, 1542), was a Polish diplomat born of an illustrious Polish family. Laski was the nephew of Archbishop John Laski and served as palatine of Inowrocław and of Sieradia, Sieradz.^[1]

Biography

Laski's first important mission was to Paris in 1524, ostensibly to contract an anti-Turkish league with the French king François I, but really to bring about a matrimonial alliance between the French king's second son Henri, afterwards Henry II, and the daughter of the King of Poland Sigismund I, a project which failed through no fault of Laski's.^[2] (The oldest French prince, styled the Dauphin, had been engaged years before to Princess Mary of England).^{[citation needed]}

The collapse of the Hungarian monarchy at Mohács (1526) first opened up a wider avenue for Laski's adventurous activity. Contrary to the wishes of his own sovereign, Sigismund I, whose pro-Austrian policy he detested, Laski entered the service of Janos Zapolya, the Magyar competitor for the Hungarian throne, thereby seriously compromising Poland both with the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and with the Pope. Zapolya despatched him on an embassy to Paris, Copenhagen and Munich for help.^[2] France granted Zapolya 20,000 in gold, five thousand of which was to be forwarded immediately, but on Laski's return, he found his patron a refugee in Transylvania, whither he had retired after his defeat by Ferdinand I at Tokay in 1527.^{[citation needed]}

In February 1528, Laski arranged for the king of Hungary Zapolya to become a vassal to the Ottoman Empire.^[3][4] Laski went still further, and without the authority for his action concluded a ten years' truce between his old master King Sigismund of Poland and the Porte. He then returned to Hungary at the head of 10,000 men, with whose aid he enabled Zapolya to re-establish his position and defeat Ferdinand at Saros-Patak. He was rewarded with the countship of Zips and the governor-generalship of Transylvania.^[2]

Conspiration

In the 1530s Laski conspired with Lodovico Gritti, the son of the Doge of Venice and Suleiman against King Zapolya, the man he had helped so much. The plan called for Gritti to become the king of Hungary and Laski to be awarded Transylvania.^[2] But nothing came of this because Zapolya had discovered the plot and arrested Laski, imprisoned him in 1534. In 1535 Laski was freed with help of influential friends and openly changed his allegiance, allying himself with Ferdinand I. In 1539 Ferdinand sent Laski to Constantinople to work out a plan against Zapolya where he was threatened by Suleiman with having his ears and nose cut off for his new alliance with Ferdinand.^{[citation needed]} Laski escaped harm but his influence excited the jealousy of the Magyars, and Zapolya was persuaded to imprison him.^[2] He remained a prisoner in Belgrade for some months, accused of the murder of Suleiman supporter, Antoine de Rincon, ambassador of the King of France to the Sultan between 1532 and 1541).^{[citation needed]}

On being released by the interposition of the Polish grand hetman, Jan Amor Tarnowski, Laski became a violent opponent of Zapolya. Shortly after his return to Poland, Laski died suddenly at Cracow, possibly poisoned by one of his innumerable enemies.^[2]

Remembrance

He is one of the characters on the famous painting by Jan Matejko, Prussian Homage.

Notes

1. ^ Setton 1984, p. 312.
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Bain 1911, p. 234.
3. ^ Arnold-Baker 2001, p. 537.
4. ^ Setton 1984, p. 314.

References

• Arnold-Baker, Charles (2001). The companion to British history (2, revised, illustrated ed.). Routledge. p. 537. ISBN 9780415185837. 
• Setton, Kenneth M. (1984). The Papacy and the Levant (1204-1571):The Sixteenth Century. 3. American Philosophical Society. pp. 312, 314. ISBN 9780871691613. 

Attribution

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Bain, Robert Nisbet (1911). "Laski". In Chisholm, Hugh. Encyclopædia Britannica. 16 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 234, 235. , which in turn cites:
  • Alexander Hirschberg, Hieronymus Laski (Lemberg, 1888) (Polish)

Persondata
Name	Laski, Hieronymus Jaroslaw
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	September 27, 1496
Place of birth
Date of death	December 22, 1542
Place of death