Chicken War
Encyclopedia
Chicken War is the colloquial name for a 1537 anti-royalist
and anti-absolutist
rokosz
(rebellion) by the Polish
nobility
. The derisive name was coined by the magnate
s, who for the most part supported the King and claimed that the "war's" only effect was the near-extinction of the local chicken
s by the nobles gathered for the rokosz at Lwów, in Małopolska. (The magnates' choice of "kokosz" — it actually means "laying hen" — may have been inspired by a play on words between "kokosz" and the similar-sounding "rokosz.")
At the start of his reign, King Zygmunt I the Old inherited a Kingdom of Poland with a century-long tradition of liberties of the nobility
, confirmed in numerous privilege
s. Zygmunt faced the challenge of consolidating internal power to handle external threats to the country. During the rule of his predecessor, Alexander I, the statute of "Nihil novi
" had been instituted, effectively forbidding kings of Poland to promulgate laws without the consent of the Parliament
. This proved crippling to Zygmunt's dealings with his nobles and magnates, as well as a serious threat to the country's stability. To strengthen his power, Zygmunt initiated a set of reforms, establishing a permanent conscription
army in 1527 and extending the bureaucratic
apparatus necessary to govern the state and finance the army. Supported by his Italian consort, Bona Sforza
, he began buying up land to enlarge the royal treasury. He also initiated a process of restitution of royal properties, previously pawned or rented to the nobles.
In 1537, however, the King's policies led to a major conflict. The nobility, gathered near Lwów to meet with a levée en masse
, called for a military campaign against Moldavia
. However, the lesser and middle strata of the nobility called a rokosz
, or semi-legal rebellion
by the peers, to force the King to abandon his reforms. The nobles presented him with 36 demands, most notably:
Finally, the protesters criticized the role of Queen Bona, whom they blamed for the "bad education" of young Prince Zygmunt August (the future King Zygmunt II August), as well as for seeking to increase her power and influence in the state.
It soon transpired, however, that the nobility
s leaders were divided and that achieving a compromise was almost impossible. Too weak to start a civil war
against the King, the protesters finally agreed to what was thought a compromise. The King rejected most of their demands, while accepting the principle of incompatibilitas
the following year and agreeing not to force the election of the future king vivente rege
, that is, in the lifetime of the reigning king.
Thereupon the nobility returned to their homes, having achieved little.
Jagiellon dynasty
The Jagiellonian dynasty was a royal dynasty originating from the Lithuanian House of Gediminas dynasty that reigned in Central European countries between the 14th and 16th century...
and anti-absolutist
Absolute monarchy
Absolute monarchy is a monarchical form of government in which the monarch exercises ultimate governing authority as head of state and head of government, his or her power not being limited by a constitution or by the law. An absolute monarch thus wields unrestricted political power over the...
rokosz
Rokosz
A rokosz originally was a gathering of all the Polish szlachta , not merely of deputies, for a sejm. The term was introduced to the Polish language from Hungary, where analogous gatherings took place at a field called Rákos....
(rebellion) by the Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
nobility
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
. The derisive name was coined by the magnate
Magnate
Magnate, from the Late Latin magnas, a great man, itself from Latin magnus 'great', designates a noble or other man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or other qualities...
s, who for the most part supported the King and claimed that the "war's" only effect was the near-extinction of the local chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
s by the nobles gathered for the rokosz at Lwów, in Małopolska. (The magnates' choice of "kokosz" — it actually means "laying hen" — may have been inspired by a play on words between "kokosz" and the similar-sounding "rokosz.")
At the start of his reign, King Zygmunt I the Old inherited a Kingdom of Poland with a century-long tradition of liberties of the nobility
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
, confirmed in numerous privilege
Privilege
A privilege is a special entitlement to immunity granted by the state or another authority to a restricted group, either by birth or on a conditional basis. It can be revoked in certain circumstances. In modern democratic states, a privilege is conditional and granted only after birth...
s. Zygmunt faced the challenge of consolidating internal power to handle external threats to the country. During the rule of his predecessor, Alexander I, the statute of "Nihil novi
Nihil novi
Nihil novi nisi commune consensu is the original Latin title of a 1505 act adopted by the Polish Sejm , meeting in the royal castle at Radom.-History:...
" had been instituted, effectively forbidding kings of Poland to promulgate laws without the consent of the Parliament
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
. This proved crippling to Zygmunt's dealings with his nobles and magnates, as well as a serious threat to the country's stability. To strengthen his power, Zygmunt initiated a set of reforms, establishing a permanent conscription
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
army in 1527 and extending the bureaucratic
Bureaucracy
A bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a governmental or organization who implement the rules, laws, and functions of their institution, and are occasionally characterized by officialism and red tape.-Weberian bureaucracy:...
apparatus necessary to govern the state and finance the army. Supported by his Italian consort, Bona Sforza
Bona Sforza
Bona Sforza was a member of the powerful Milanese House of Sforza. In 1518, she became the second wife of Sigismund I the Old, the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and became the Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania.She was the third child of Gian Galeazzo Sforza and his wife...
, he began buying up land to enlarge the royal treasury. He also initiated a process of restitution of royal properties, previously pawned or rented to the nobles.
In 1537, however, the King's policies led to a major conflict. The nobility, gathered near Lwów to meet with a levée en masse
Pospolite ruszenie
Pospolite ruszenie , is an anachronistic term describing the mobilisation of armed forces, especially during the period of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The tradition of wartime mobilisation of part of the population existed from before the 13th century to the 19th century...
, called for a military campaign against Moldavia
Moldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
. However, the lesser and middle strata of the nobility called a rokosz
Rokosz
A rokosz originally was a gathering of all the Polish szlachta , not merely of deputies, for a sejm. The term was introduced to the Polish language from Hungary, where analogous gatherings took place at a field called Rákos....
, or semi-legal rebellion
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
by the peers, to force the King to abandon his reforms. The nobles presented him with 36 demands, most notably:
- A cessation of further land acquisitions by QueenQueen consortA queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
Bona SforzaBona SforzaBona Sforza was a member of the powerful Milanese House of Sforza. In 1518, she became the second wife of Sigismund I the Old, the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and became the Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania.She was the third child of Gian Galeazzo Sforza and his wife...
; - Exemption of the nobilityNobilityNobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
from the titheTitheA tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
s; - A cleanup of the Treasury rather than its expansion;
- Confirmation and extension of the privileges of the nobility;
- Lifting of the toll or exemption of the nobility from it;
- Adoption of a law concerning incompatibilitasIncompatibilitasIncompatibilitas was a principle instituted in the Kingdom of Poland which forbade an individual to hold two or more official administrative positions...
— the incompatibility of certain offices that were not to be joined in the same hand (for instance, that of a StarostaStarostaStarost is a title for an official or unofficial position of leadership that has been used in various contexts through most of Slavic history. It can be translated as "elder"...
and of a PalatinePalatineA palatine or palatinus is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman times...
or CastellanCastellanA castellan was the governor or captain of a castle. The word stems from the Latin Castellanus, derived from castellum "castle". Also known as a constable.-Duties:...
); - The carrying out of a law requiring the appointment of only the local nobles to most important local offices; and
- The creation of a body of permanent advisors to the king.
Finally, the protesters criticized the role of Queen Bona, whom they blamed for the "bad education" of young Prince Zygmunt August (the future King Zygmunt II August), as well as for seeking to increase her power and influence in the state.
It soon transpired, however, that the nobility
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
s leaders were divided and that achieving a compromise was almost impossible. Too weak to start a civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
against the King, the protesters finally agreed to what was thought a compromise. The King rejected most of their demands, while accepting the principle of incompatibilitas
Incompatibilitas
Incompatibilitas was a principle instituted in the Kingdom of Poland which forbade an individual to hold two or more official administrative positions...
the following year and agreeing not to force the election of the future king vivente rege
Vivente Rege
Vivente Rege is a form of king's election, where the king's successor, usually of the same dynasty, was elected before the old king died...
, that is, in the lifetime of the reigning king.
Thereupon the nobility returned to their homes, having achieved little.
See also
- RokoszRokoszA rokosz originally was a gathering of all the Polish szlachta , not merely of deputies, for a sejm. The term was introduced to the Polish language from Hungary, where analogous gatherings took place at a field called Rákos....
- Zebrzydowski's RokoszZebrzydowski's RokoszZebrzydowski's Rebellion , or the Sandomierz Rebellion , was a rokosz in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against King Sigismund III Vasa...
- Lubomirski's RokoszLubomirski's RokoszLubomirski's Rokosz, or Lubomirski's Rebellion , was a rebellion against Polish King Jan II Kazimierz Vasa, initiated by the Polish nobleman, Jerzy Sebastian Lubomirski.In 1665-66, Lubomirski's supporters paralyzed the proceedings of the Sejm...