Historical calendar: 5 July 1634 – approval of the first Polish state award

Historical calendar: anniversary of the Pope's approval of the first state award for merit in Poland history.

Today in our Calendar we will look at the little-known episode in our past of the establishment of the Order of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary.

The thought of the award was invented by the Crown treasure Jerzy Ossolinski, who infected with the thought of King Władysław IV in 1632. According to the project, the order's bachelors' assembly was to focus prominent patriots and Catholics around the king in support of the interior and abroad policies of the court, including the thought of enlarging the army, reforms, and the general strengthening of the monarchy's position, according to the spirit of the era.

The number was to be seventy-two appointed by the king of national and twenty-four abroad members. The draft charter was to oblige them to obey the large master of the order, which was to be all Polish king.

In 1633 the plan of the award was presented to the Pope for acceptance Urban VIII. On 5 July 1634 he issued a bull approving the foundation of the first Polish state award in history.

Revers and reverses of the Order of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, according to Sigismund Gloger

Unfortunately, many magnates, mostly Protestants, were against the order. On the 1 hand, how fiercely divismocrats feared the emergence of the king's position, on the another hand – Poland regained its erstwhile Catholic character. The leader of the opposition was Protestant Lithuanian hetman Krzysztof Radziwiłł. He wrote a dissertation entitled 18 Raties Against the Cavalry. In addition, Protestants sold pashquils on King and Chancellor Ossoliński, threatening absolutism, hitting only right, dissmocratic free election, etc.

Jacob Sobieski (the father of the future king John III) defended the Order in the work entitled Responses to the Rations Against the Cavalry. Sobieski rightly pointed out, among others, that another countries have their honorary medals and distinctions, so Poles should besides have specified a thing for the most deserved.

In 1638, pressed by the magnates, the king abandoned the plan of the distinction. Thus, the first full-fledged award for merit became the infamous Order of the White Eagle, established by August II Sasa on 1 November 1705. During the 3 centuries it was given a immense number of traitors, enemies and pests of the Polish cause.

Previous entry from our calendar is available Here.