Preparing Krakow for defense against the attack of the army of Archduke Maximilian III of Austria in 1587

Abstract

The most important moments in the history of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth include the events of 1587 – the time of the interregnum after the death of Stefan Batory and the election of the new ruler. These events were of fundamental importance for Poland’s domestic, and above all international, policy. When the nobility gathered in Warsaw in August 1587 made a double election, the race of Sigismund Vasa and Maximilian Habsburg for the royal crown began. Krakow, as the capital, played a key role in these events.

City accounts and numerous sources, mainly narrative, illustrate the course of Krakow’s preparations to defend the walls and repel the Austrian pretender to the throne. The scattered information shows some regularity. For example, you can see increased activity, especially around the gates, which played a key role in the city’s defense system.

This article is an attempt to look at the problem of the city’s complex and arduous preparations for its defense. The historiography so far did not show the discussed events from the point of view of the logistic and technical background. Thanks to the available sources, we can learn about the ways of functioning of the defense craft, ranging from the working tools used, through defensive architecture, to strategy.