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OleksiiRudenko
eraandtobeinlinewiththeearlymodernhumanistdiscoursesaboutan
idealruler.
Thequestionofwhoandhowwasinvolvedintheprocessofshapingthe
royalimageconstitutesthekeypartofthisarticle.Toelaboratefurther,Ifocus
onthesixteenth-centurystrategiesofimageconstructionandthekeyactors
involvedinit.Thestrategiesofroyalrepresentationareherebyunderstood
asconventionalpracticesoflinguistic,artistic,cultural,depictional,andother
naturethatthemainagentsdeliberatelyfollowedwithapurposetoshape-
whatonemaycallusingtheanachronicterm(public)-theimageoftheruler
(ortheheir,asitwasinthecaseofSigismundIIforasignicantperiod).The
imageofSigismundAugustusasaneruditerulercorrespondedtotheroyal
andhumanistrequirementsoftheeraandwasdeliberatelyconstructedsince
hischildhood.Thisactivitycontinuedthroughouthislifeandreign.Various
actorsinvolvedinthebuildingoftheroyalimagecontributedtodifferent
dimensionsofSigismundAugustus)representation,yetitdoesnotimply
thatthathisimage(perceivedinabroadsense)wascompletelyerratic.The
topictouchesupontheissuesofroyalpropagandainthesixteenthcentury,
althoughitisworthunderliningthatroyalrepresentation,albeitessential,
ismerelyoneofmanyelementsofthisbroaderphenomenon,whichiswhy
thesetermscanbedistinguishedfromoneanother.
Thisarticleisnotintendedasacompleteoverviewthatencompasses
theentiretyofstrategiesofcreatingandpromotingroyalauthorityinearly
modernPoland-Lithuania.Instead,itpresentsseveralapproachesintheroyal
representationofthelastJagiellonbeforehissoleaccessiontothethrones
(thusfocusingon1520-1548).Theseexamplesmayserveasastartingpoint
fortheresearchonearlymodernroyalimagologyinPoland-Lithuania.Forthis
purpose,Idrawoninformationfromrelevantchroniclesandseveralpoetic
andvisualexampleswhichshapedthepublicimageofyoungSigismund.
Theselectionoftheperiodisdeliberate.EvenifSigismundIIcontinued
tocountthedatesofhisreignsince1529-1530,itwasafter1544(beginningof
hisactualreigninLithuania)and1548(deathofSigismundtheOld)whenthe
inuenceofhismotherBonaSforzabegantodeclinegradually,enablingAugus-
tusandhiscourttoapplynew,distinctstrategiesofroyalrepresentation.2An
analysisofthelastJagiellon)scollectionofarrasesisalsoomittedconsciously.3
2MentionsaboutBonaSforza)simpactarepresentinSigismundAugustus)correspon-
dencewithMikołaj(theBlack)Radziwiłł.SeeListyoryginalneZygmuntaAugustadoMikołaja
RadziwiłłaCzarnego,ed.S.Lachowicz,DrukiemT
.Glücksberga,Wilno1842,https://www.sbc.
org.pl/dlibra/show-content/publication/edition/10192?id=10192,Accessed:20.11.2021.
IfoundthereferencetothiscorrespondenceinK.Kosior,BecomingaQueeninEarlyModern
Europe:EastandWest,PalgraveMcMillan,NewYork2019,p.171.
3ThersttapestriesarrivedrightbeforeSigismundAugustus)thirdweddingin1553,
hencetheirinclusioninmyarticlemightbereasonablydebatedsincetheydidnotshapehis
publicself-representationbefore1548.