April 8, 1525, Krakow (Cracov)
Margrave Georg von Brandenburg, and Frederick II, Prince of Legnica (authorized by the Great Master of the Order of Teutonic Knights to conduct negotiations with the Polish king), list 31 articles of the peace treaty to be concluded by Albrecht von Brandenburg-Ansbach, the Great Master of the Order of Teutonic Knights, and Zygmunt I, King of Poland.

Comments: Shortly after its conclusion in 1466, the Great Masters of the Teutonic Order were busily seeking to undermine the Second Treaty of Torun by way of diplomatic intrigue, and refused to swear the oath of vassal loyalty to the Polish king. In the years of 1519-1520, a Polish-Teutonic conflict flared up, leading to the so-called Compromise of Torun (April 5, 1521) introducing a four years’ armistice and leaving both sides with their respective territorial gains.

The ongoing social and political changes in Teutonic Prussia provided a fertile soil for reformist trends, which became apparent in the early 1520s. In 1523, Martin Luther published an open letter to the members of the Teutonic Order, calling them to reject celibacy. Later, after a meeting between Luther and the Great Master Albrecht, the Reformation was clearly gaining ground in Teutonic Prussia. As early as 1523, the Polish side too entered into talks with the Great Master with the aim of secularizing Prussia. However, decisive arrangements were reached only in March 1525, after brief negotiations with the Great Master’s representatives, Georg, Margrave of Brandenburg, and Frederick II, Prince of Legnica. The agreed version of the treaty was endorsed by the Polish King Zygmunt I, his Chancellor Krzysztof Szydlowiecki, and Vice-Chancellor Piotr Tomicki.

Under the terms of what came to be known as the Treaty of Krakow, the Teutonic Order was to be liquidated, and its lands granted in fief to Albrecht, Margrave of Brandenburg, and his male descendants. The right of succession was also secured to the brothers of the Great Master: Georg, Johann and Casimir, and to their male offspring. All lands conquered from the other party during the last war were to be exchanged. Albrecht gave up Nowe Miasto, Braniewo and Tolkmick in exchange for a life annuity from the Polish King. He was also obligated to swear an oath of vassal loyalty, and to provide military aid to the Polish King. The Treaty of Krakow created stronger links between Ducal Prussia and Poland than it was the case in the Second Treaty of Torun (1466), and it eliminated the risk of mutiny in the major Prussian cities, whose Lutheran leanings threatened to push them into Albrecht’s camp. The Treaty eradicated completely the decrepit body politic of the Order’s Prussian state, replacing it with the secular authority of the German family of Hohenzollern ruling as vassals of the Polish Crown. Despite its limitations, the Treaty potentially opened the way for a future full unification of the Prussian fief with the Polish Crown, subject to the fulfilment of all its terms. (Janusz Grabowski)

Description: Original, in Latin, document consists of four parchment bifolia sized 350x460 mm; 4 seals appendant by gold and red cords; signatures of Zygmunt I, King of Poland, Georg, Margrave of Brandenburg, Frederick II, Prince of Legnica, and Albrecht, Margrave of Brandenburg and Prince of Prussia; 16 pp

Collection: The Central Archives of Historical Records in Warsaw, Zbiór dokumentów pergaminowych (Collection of Parchment Records), no. 185.

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