Historedia
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Election of Władysław IV Vasa as King of Poland

When
1632
Where
Warsaw's Royal Castle
Episodes
1

Following the death of Sigismund III Vasa on 30 April 1632, Władysław IV was elected King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1632. The election sejm chose him without serious opposition, ending years of failed attempts to secure his succession during his father's lifetime.

Episodes

  1. 30 April 1632 · Warsaw's Royal CastleDeath of Sigismund III

    Sigismund III died on 30 April 1632 after a stroke, triggering the need for a new royal election.

Background and detail

Background. Władysław IV, the eldest son of Sigismund III Vasa, had long lobbied for the Polish-Lithuanian throne. However, the nobility rejected the idea of securing his election during his father's lifetime, leading to repeated failures at the Sejm, including in 1631. The succession process relied on royal elections rather than inheritance.

The Election. Sigismund III suffered a stroke in late April 1632 and died on 30 April. This event forced the succession matter to be raised again. The election sejm of 1632 eventually chose Władysław, who faced no other serious contenders for the position of King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania.

People involved

Sources

  1. Sigismund III Vasa Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-22
  2. Władysław IV Vasa Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-23

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.