Women in politics- Bona Sforza

After some time of hesitation, I finally decided to choose Bona Sforza as an important woman in politics. My purpose was to appreciate a woman from the distant past, because as we all know it was not such a piece of cake for a woman to become active in political life at that times...


Bona Sforza (1494 – 1557)


The Italian Princess Bona, of the Sforza family, became Queen of Poland in 1518 as the second wife of Sigmunt I. I. At that time no one anticipated how significant a role she would play in European history. She was twenty-seven years younger than her husband, and had been raised at her parents' Italian court in Bari, where she learned the diplomatic skills. She received instruction in history, law, administration and theology. She was thrifty, economical, and she also had the ability to influence people. She demonstrated this skill in all her activities.

Almost from the beginning of her life in Poland, Queen Bona tried to gain a strong political position.She was intelligent, well educated and her aspirations went beyond the traditional role of royal wife and mother.She began to form her own cabal and also benefited from the support of the king. She was also supported by Piotr Kmita, Andrzej Krzycki and Piotr Gamrat.

Shortly after settling in Poland, the second wife of Sigmund I took the initiative in buying off those royal domains that aristocratic creditors put up for auction. By doing so, Bona pursued her own interests and enforced the authority of her husband. In a very short time, 16 Polish cities and 191 villages were in Bona's possession. In the 1520s, her properties acquired in Poland were bringing in an income of 50 thousand zloty per year. Bona's profits increased after she got her estates in Naples under control and started investing.

Bona's objective was to ensure her own interests and to build a solid financial basis for the future of the Jagiellonian dynasty. She understood that the political power of the throne's successors needed to be secured with money. Bona spent a lot of time and energy on recovering royal properties that had been in the hands of creditors who charged the state budget mercilessly. In this area Bona's activities were met with the support of her husband.

The objective of Bona's international politics was to establish an alliance with France. The Queen also cared about having good relations with Turkey, and cooperated with Hungarian and Czech provinces. All of her political energies were aimed against the Habsburgs and Hohenzollerns. She perceived those powerful dynasties as the main threat to the statehood of Poland.

Bona Sforza came to a country where dark clouds stubbornly covered and introduced a totally new model of female behavior, unknown in the northern part of Europe. Her involvement in politics and economic affairs set a precedent in the Polish political arena. Before Bona, Italian humanism was known in Poland, but was often losing to Russian and Byzantine influences. Bona changed that and ensured the dominance of Latin culture in Poland.

Although Polish historians have treated Bona rather roughly, one must not be forgotten -Poland owes a rich period of cultural developments specifically to her. Thanks to her and Sigmund I, the Polish Renaissance reached its apogee, with a host of Italian influences in all aspects of life not only the cuisine:)