Stańczyk

Stańczyk (* 1480, † around 1560 ) was a court jester at the court of the Polish kings Alexander ( 1501-1506 ), Sigismund I the Old ( 1506-1548 ) and Sigismund II Augustus ( 1548-1572 ).

About his resume, there is little credible information. He was born into a peasant family in Proszowice in Krakow. Its privileged position at court he owed his ingenuity, thanks to the free rein he criticized mercilessly the reckless policies of the rulers.

The Polish writer of the Renaissance: Łukasz Górnicki Jan Kochanowski, Martin Cromer, Mikołaj Rej, among others often cited his outspoken statements (or attributed to him their own thoughts on ).

In the sixties of the 19th century was named after him political grouping emerged in the western part of Galicia, which sought more freedom for the Polish population in the Austrian part of Poland.

In the Polish literature of the last years of the 19th century, he was often depicted as the only one who took care of in the court of Polish kings for the future of the kingdom.

On the famous painting by Jan Matejko Stańczyk was shown as he mourns during the serene court ball to the loss of Smolensk.

Also in the play " The Wedding" by Stanisław Wyspiański (1901 ) appears Stańczyk with his Jester wand among the invited guests to denounce the inaction of the then population of the divided Poland.

Source

• Wielka Encyklopedia Powszechna PWN, t. X, st. 794, PWN, Warszawa, 1968

• Jester
• Pole
• Born in the 15th century
• Died in the 16th century
• Man