THE FRENCH EXPERIMENT 313
Empire's ambitions. As Charles IX said to his brother before he left, 'Nous
tenons les deux bouts de la courroie.' (We now hold both ends of the bridle.)
In Cracow, Henry's arrival was awaited with impatience and high expecta-
tions. In the eighteen months of the interregnum much had been achieved.
Under the guidance of Jan Zamoyski, the convocational Sejm had successfully
concluded the constitutional debate which had dragged on ever since the Union
of Lublin was signed. The details of electoral procedure and of the Pacta
Conventa had been agreed without demur. On 28 January 1573, in the
Confederation of Warsaw, the entire Sejm had resolved to maintain freedom of
conscience and religious toleration as a cardinal principle of public life. The
election itself had passed off in May with exemplary speed and harmony. Held
for the first time at the Wola Field near Warsaw with the active participation of
40,000 noble electors, it caused no major disturbance. The eloquent promises of
the French ambassador, Jean de Monluc, Bishop of Valence, gave the Valois an
early lead from the start. The supporters of the rival candidates — of Archduke
Ernest of Austria and John III, Vasa King of Sweden - were persuaded to relent.
As a sign of reconciliation, Henry Valois was proclaimed King on 12 May 1573
by the leading opponent of his candidature, the Protestant Marshal of the
Crown and Palatine of Cracow, Jan Firlej.
Yet the air of harmony was deceptive. Trouble began at the Coronation on 21
February. The king had already taken communion and sworn the oath, when
Firlej advanced to the altar with his hat firmly on his head. He was not content
with the traditional wording of the oath and insisted that Henry swear
specifically to the terms of the Confederation of Warsaw. He said, 'Jurabis aut
non regnabis' (You shall swear or you shall not reign). He was not going to leave
room for a Polish St. Bartelemy. Henry replied cautiously, 'Conservare curabo'
(I shall take care to uphold it). The Bishop of Kujawy exclaimed 'Salvis iuribus
nostris' (Our laws are saved); and Henry rejoined, 'Salvis iuribus vestris' (Your
laws are saved). It was a tense moment.
Two days later, murder was committed. The Zborowski clan were among the
foremost supporters of the French party. Of the five brothers, Andrzej, and Jan,
Castellan of Gniezno, were Catholics; Piotr, Krzysztof, and Samuel were
Calvinists. Between them, they carried great weight. They were flushed with
success and not to be crossed. At the tourney held in honour of Henry's coro-
nation, the youngest brother, Samuel Zborowski had ridden into the arena and
thrown down a gauntlet which no one of substance accepted. Challenged by a
common soldier in the service of the Teczynski family, he took it as a mortal
insult and raised an affray. In front of the Castle Gate at Wawel, and in full view
of the King, he tried to assault Teczynski in person, and struck with his mace at
a courtier who had tried to keep them apart. The man, Wapowski, died. The
penalty for murder committed during a session of the Sejm was death.
Wapowski's widow brought the corpse and laid it out beneath the King's win-
dow. Her relations were baying for revenge. The Zborowskis were pleading for
lenience. Henry resolved on compromise. His first judgement in Polish justice