Tacierzyństwo i samotne ojcostwo. Zygmunt III i jego dzieci w latach 1593—1605

W artykule ukazano króla Zygmunta III w roli ojca i jego stosunek do potomstwa zrodzonego z małżeństwa z Anną Habsburżanką. Skoncentrowano się na okresie po śmierci pierwszej małżonki monarchy, co pozwoliło pokazać, jak król wypełniał zadania samotnego ojca i jakie emocje temu towarzyszyły. Omówiono również główne zadania stojące przed królewskim ojcem, takie jak: wybór dla dziecka imienia i rodziców chrzestnych oraz modelu wychowania, wyznaczenie opiekunów i wychowawców, a także zaplanowanie przyszłości dzieci przez zacieśnianie więzów rodzinnych z najważniejszymi rodami panującymi Europy.

In her article, Aleksandra Barwicka-Makula discusses King Sigismund III in the role of a father. She analyses this monarch’s attitude to the offspring born from his marriage to Anna Habsburg and focuses on the period after the death of his first wife, which provides an opportunity to present how the king fulfilled the task of a single father and what emotions accompanied his fulfilment of this task. A characteristic feature of Sigismund III’s upbringing style is that it was based on Habsburg models, developed at the Graz court by Archduchess Maria of Bavaria. The monarch consciously sought to strengthen family ties with the Styrian Habsburgs. In his will of May 19th, 1598, he appointed his mother-in-law and his brother-in-law, Archduke Ferdinand, later to become the emperor, as legal guardians of his offspring in the event of his own death. He hoped that his active contacts with the court in Graz, and through it with other European courts, would in future provide his children with appropriate connections to enable them to reach high dignities and honors.