Natalia Nowakowska Books

This study explores the early Reformation and the Polish monarchy, focusing on why King Sigismund I's reign (1506-1548) did not see the persecution of Lutherans. It presents a new narrative of Luther's significant influence in this context, highlighting the violent urban Reformations and the establishment of Christendom's first Lutheran principality by 1525, all within a broader European framework. The Polish realm exemplifies sixteenth-century religious toleration, as the king permitted local Reformations in his Hanseatic ports, maintained good relations with his Lutheran vassal in Prussia, allied with pro-Lutheran princes across Europe, and refrained from enforcing heresy edicts. Polish church courts frequently acquitted suspected Lutherans. The study examines these instances, arguing that toleration was not merely a result of political pragmatism. It delves into the cultural beliefs about religion and ecclesiology held by the king, bishops, courtiers, literati, and clergy, questioning their understanding of "Lutheranism" and "Catholicism." Ultimately, it posits that the Polish ruling elites did not view Lutheranism as a threatening Other, but rather as a variant of Catholic Christianity within a diverse late medieval church, where social unity outweighed doctrinal differences.