Medieval Lithuania, Sigismund I “The Old”, King Of Poland And Grand Duke Of Lithuania (1506-1548), Half Groschen(C)

A successful monarch of the Jagiellon dynasty and a great patron of arts, he established Polish suzerainty over Ducal Prussia (East Prussia) and incorporated the duchy of Mazovia into the Polish state, securing the nation’s wealth, culture and power. Sigismund, influenced by his wife, brought Italian artists to Kraków and promoted the development of the Polish variety of the Italian Renaissance. Although a devout Catholic, he accorded religious toleration to Greek Orthodox Christians and royal protection to Jews. At first, he vigorously opposed Lutheranism but later resigned himself to its growing power in Poland.