Herzog Albrecht von Preussen, die polnischen Eliten und die Reformation

Abstract

Summary Dealing with the Confessional Issue.Albrecht Duke of Prussia, the Polish Elites and the Reformation The article analyses the relations between the first Lutheran Duke in Europe, Albrecht of Hohenzollern, and the Catholic elites in the Kingdom of Poland, in the first half of the 16th century. Among the correspondents of the Duke of Prussia, the author examines the Duke’s relationship with the king’s family and the royal court, a group of high officials (like Piotr Tomicki or Krzysztof Szydłowiecki), and Catholic bishops. Despite differences in the denominational affiliation and religious outlooks, the connection between the two regions was very strong and complex. This makes it possible to cast a new light on the practices of toleration. Gifts, gossip, and people were sent across the borders and exchanged between Albrecht and Poles. The intense communication reveals that denominational differences were present, but the correspondents relied on tactics of dissimulation to marginalize these differences and deprive them of importance.