1 April 1548 A.D. Sigismund 1 Passes—the Polish King Who Tolerated the Reformation
1 April 1548 A.D. Sigismund 1 Passes—the Polish King Who Tolerated the Reformation Graves, Dan. “Sigismund I, Polish King Tolerated Reformation.” Christianity.com. Jun 2007. http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1501-1600/sigismund-i-polish-king-tolerated-reformation-11629977.html . Accessed 1 Apr 2015. Poland is known today as one of the most Catholic of European countries. The native land of Pope John Paul II, the faith of its people helped bring down the Soviet empire. There was a time, however, when it appeared that Poland might become Protestant. Thirty-nine year old King Sigismund I took the throne in 1506. He was a humanist--that is, one who appreciated the arts and literature. As such, he corresponded with Erasmus (everyone of importance corresponded with Erasmus!) the humanist whose writings had precipitated the Protestant Reformation. The permissive Sigismund allowed a variety in faith. On the one hand, Nicolas Copernicus flourished as a ...