Unknown document about the escape of Henry de Valois from Poland

Abstract

Based on a newly discovered document from the Austrian State Archives, the events related to the escape of Henry de Valois from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth are examined. A previously unknown letter from the Polish king dated June 16, 1574, addressed to the Senate and the Polish nobility, allows us to conclude that Henry de Valois did not flee spontaneously, but thought long and carefully about it and prepared his departure from Poland. His goal was, first of all, to obtain the French crown after the death of Charles IX, but at the same time he tried to preserve the Polish throne and unite both crowns – Polish and French – in a personal union.