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Si Deus Nobiscum: A Polish-Lithuanian Scion Quest
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The young Prince Stanisław Radziwiłł is many things: a rising diplomat and general, an aspiring politician, and a son of one of the newborn Commonwealth's most powerful houses. Now gravely wounded by war and illness, he finds himself coping with profound change in a world that will not wait for him to catch up. In this era of great instability and even greater opportunity, will you drown in your loss or ascend into the skies of greatness despite it?
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Sertorius Corrections 1
Ok, so for starters a few small things to clarify:
prince Henryk Walezy
For the uninitiated this is the Polonised name under which Henry III of France is known.
This is pre-Liberum Veto, and the Sejm and Senat vote by majority, so things aren't ruined yet.
Nope, Liberum Veto existed, it just wasn't used. Parliament's acts were formally to be made by unanimous decision from the very beginning and some clever guy noticed one day, that if a single delegate was to block the proceedings, he can nullify the whole session. It's just that there was a certain sense of duty, that prevented this from being abused earlier. If someone didn't agree with the majority decision, he usually sat quiet, which of course doesn't mean that there was no hard political bickering earlier. Plus, the poor soul would be immediately threatened to recant his decision by the other delegates.
Nihil novi: no new laws or taxes can be made without the Sejm's consent via a simple majority vote.
The nobility was free from any taxation with the exception of 2 Groschen per peasant lan owned or administered and whatever taxes were established by the Sejm. Even so, it is not uncommon to greet tax collectors with loaded muskets.
Immunity from legal punishment unless a specific warrant is issued. A noble may only be arrested after being found guilty.
The courts can order a nobleman's arrest without finding him guilty in the first place. This is especially true for poor nobles, who have no holdings and may simply disappear after murdering someone. We have to differentiate between two groups of nobles: those with land and those that don't own any holdings (so called hołota or gołota, vaguely meaning rabble). Landed nobles enjoy all the rights and privileges as stated. Landless nobles can be arrested on a whim and without a warrant. Therefore owning even a small strip of land in a hamlet granted a nobleman legal protection enjoyed by the rich. Another privilege that required being a landowner was the right to be chosen as a delegate to the Sejm and various smaller Sejmiks (provincial parliaments) and to vote in said gatherings. Hołota could only officially vote during free elections of the monarch which made them the preferred group to be showered with bribes by different delegations. The thing is, they usually took the money and then went to the other candidates for more money, so their vote wasn't certain. There are also 2 other situations that overrule legal protection even of a landed noble. Being captured in recenti (red-handed) when committing a crime or within 48 hours after it, enables you to immediately lock the nobleman up legally to await trial. The second rule is derived from the first, that is the so-called Four Town Articles: arson, assault of a nobleman's home, rape and kidnapping of a damsel, highway robbery. A fellow captured red-handed while committing any of these crimes not only is arrested immediately, but can also be subject to summary judgement by the local Starosta. Since this means the death penalty without the right to appeal (outrageous for the freedom-loving Polish nobility), most nobles with any connections used them to get an appeal with the King or a local higher court (in 1563 such were created for each voivodeship because the royal court simply couldn't keep up).
A promise from the crown that all "high positions" would be given to them or to the clergy.
Basically every higher office required you to be a noble. Since clergy were nobles by default (or were treated as such once having been made bishop), the difference means little.
Around 15% of the population belong to the szlachta class, one of the largest proportions of nobility in Early Modern Europe.
More like 10%, but some go as high as 20%, therefore it's acceptable. In terms of raw numbers the Commonwealth had more nobility than any other country of Europe. Only Spain had a similar, yet smaller number.
All official documents are written in Polish, Latin, and sometimes Lithuanian. The primary languages of the szlachta and the court are Polish, Latin, and Lithuanian, though the Ruthenian dialects supplant the role of Polish in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
Lithuanian is drastically falling out of favour with the nobility of the GDL. It's primarily the language of peasantry from the northern parts of the country. Ruthenian is much more common, besides Polish. Not only that, the official legal documents of Lithuania are written in Ruthenian as well. Latin and Polish are used in the Kingdom of Poland.
If need be, the King with the Sejm's approval may call for the pospolite ruszenie, or "mass mobilization". It is analogous to the traditional medieval levy: the szlachta are obligated to provide a force of soldiers. Magnates and wealthy nobles send portions of their own private armies, while lesser families send some of their able-bodied peasants or a well-equipped second son. Soldiers yielded from a pospolite ruszenie usually vary wildly in quality, but add a great deal of manpower.
Pospolite ruszenie proved to be inadequate as early as 100 years ago and it's quality only got worse. Right now it's only called in desperate times and usually fails miserably. It's the exact equivalent of calling medieval knights and their banners to arms. Unfortunately, war doesn't work that way anymore. Not answering the call can mean confiscation of lands and losing the status of a noble. Besides that, when used on foreign soil, PR gets paid like professional soldiers and the King is then obliged to buy the freedom of any nobles taken prisoner.

All in all I find it fantastic, that someone is willing to do a Commonwealth Quest. I do plan to eventually resurrect my own (that lost chapter really clipped my wings) and can't wait to see what will happen in this one.

[X] Cancer, the Crab. June 21-July 22, 1552.
[X] Old money.
 
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A note on the intro scrawl and "Russian"
No way would a PLC noble refer to Muscovy and Muscovites as "Russia" or "the Russians", when the Polish kings hold the title of "Russieque dominus et heres". No, differentiating Russia from Ruthenia does not work in this context at that age. The Germans, for example would treat Muscovite grand duke's embassy declaring him "Imperator of All Russias" seriously (more or less, as their records of the meetings show), but for the PLC this is a matter of contesting a title (Ruthenia/Ruscia/Russia - all of these were latinizations of Rus that were used) with usurpers/pretenders.
 
Sertorius on Chargen II
You are the third son of Prince Mikołaj Radziwiłł the Red, a brother to the (at the time of your birth) recently-deceased Queen Barbara and cousin of the influential Prince Mikołaj Radziwiłł the Black. Your father -- "Rudy" -- gives "Czarny" a run for his money in terms of wealth, respect, and titles, with vast tracts of Lithuanian land and noble ears under his control.
It is true, that while Birże Radziwiłłs headed by "Rudy" ("The Red") were richer, the Nieśwież line of his cousin "Czarny" ("The Black") was more influential so long as he lived. It was he, who in 1547 got the whole family the title of Princes of the Holy Roman Empire. By custom, all the ancient princely families descended from Giedymin or Ruryk could use their titles freely, while any other foreign title (count, baron, duke, prince, etc.) given to Polish nobility by foreign powers was frown upon and in time they will be all forbidden. No Polish title of that kind exists beyond the old princes. Radziwiłłs were not among them, but because of their huge influence, they managed to push through and nobody ever questioned their title. Beyond that, huge protectors of Protestantism in Lithuania and with great influence there overall. "Rudy" actually was something of a viceroy of the GDL when king Sigismund II Augustus died. One more thing: his is not the Grand Hetman of Lithuania anymore. The Hetman office became for life in 1581 (all the other offices are for life and cannot be taken away unless high treason is on the agenda) and until that time the king could dismiss him at will. He is the Lithuanian Grand Chancellor and Voivode of Wilno now. Fun fact: being a third son may lead to some funny arguments. "Czarny" could not agree with his younger brother Jan about who inherits what after their father's death. They finally went with the bizarre solution of dividing everything in half: every scrap of land, every building, every outhouse. Luckily for "Czarny", his brother soon passed away and he got everything.
You are the first surviving son of Hieronim Sieniawski, heir to the Voivode and aging patriarch Mikołaj. The friendship your grandfather formed serving under the great Grand Hetman Jan Amor Tarnowski against the Tatars and Moldavians in the decades leading up to your birth lead to a strong familial bond and alliance, culminating in the Sieniawski family's adoption of Tarnowski heraldry. This association of your family with the Tarnowscy have led to a great increase in familial estates and responsibilities in the years since. Although nominal Calvinists, only Grandfather seems to profess the faith seriously, while the family is united by its strong support for the Piast faction and a strengthened union between the Kingdom and Grand Duchy.
The patriarch Mikołaj died in 1569. Hieronim is the current head of the house. His younger brother, also Mikołaj, lives. The Sieniawski family had the Leliwa coat of arms since times immemorial, much like the Tarnowskis. Remember, that currently you can only adopt commoners, not other nobility. Until 1578 adoption was technically legal, ennoblement by the king as well. Starting with that year both required additionally the Sejm's consent. The same with the indygenat, that is, conferment by the king of the rights of a Polish noble to a foreign noble. These three paths were the only way to earn nobility in the Commonwealth. Naturally, the Sejm wanted to limit this as much as possible in order to stop abusers, like rich burghers and other unworthy individuals from earning nobility, thus starting with 1578 it became harder to be a knight. As for the Sieniawskis, an influential family to be sure, somewhat supportive of Protestantism. Hieronim is currently Castellan of Kamieniec (Podlaskie Voivodeship) and a famous soldier known for his bravery. His brother Mikołaj is the Field Crown Hetman, spending his time in the Ukraine, guarding it against Tatar incursions.
Although not necessarily projecting power like the Radziwiłłowie or Tarnowscy, your family is by far the most influential in Halicz or Kameniec and perhaps in all of Podolia. Your grandfather Jan was Voivode of Podolia and died a few years before you were born, but not before marrying the heiress of the once-rival Buczacki family, only strengthening the family's grip over the region. Though Tworowski control over the region is beginning to slowly wane in the years after Jan's death, your family still commands great sway among Pole and Ruthenian alike at the cost of being stereotyped as provincial; Tworowscy would much rather rule Podolia than politick in the Sejm, or so they say. Your father and house head Krzysztof, meanwhile, is not without his own troubles.
Ok, after some quick research I must admit that I found no Krzysztof. Jan Tworowski was indeed Voivode of Podolia and Field Crown Hetman to boot and did took the heiress of the Buczacki fortune as his wife. His descendants started to use the name of Buczacki-Tworowski because of the prestige associated with it. He had a few sons (eldest Andrzej dies in 1569, no children; Jan dies around 1557, had a son and descendants; Mikołaj lives), but no Krzysztof among them, unless of course he is fictional. Fun fact: Mikołaj, a Calvinist (converted from Catholicism), married in 1570 a daughter of Radziwiłł "Czarny" and is a local Starosta of Bar.
You are a scion of the House of Firlej, a disparate yet influential interdenominational family smattered across several estates in central Poland, a week's ride or so from Krakow. Several Firlejowie have ascended to voivodeships throughout the region over the years, but your father Jan is quickly gaining influence as a potential leader for the Lutherans and Calvinists of the realm; by the time of your birth, he will be on the cusp of his election to the Senat and then onwards to several Voivodeships. His impassioned oratory and resolute stands for Protestantism will soon make him a powerful man indeed, and you in turn a powerful man's heir.
Nice, nothing to add. Jan Firlej was indeed a force of nature for the Protestant cause in the Commonwealth. Great Crown Marshal, Voivode of Kraków, very rich, very influential. Unfortunately he died in 1574. One note, that both Sieniawski and Firlej families were ardent enemies of the Executionists. They and their ancestors benefited from the previous kings' grants and treated them more or less as their private property. Having to lose them (one of the main goals of the movement was to revindicate all the grants of land, etc. that have been illegally retained by the beneficiaries and their descendants so that the Crown may benefit from their return) would be a bad thing for their estates. Thus, they greatly supported the Union of Lublin as a red herring.

[X] Into the princely Lithuanian House of Radziwiłł.
 
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Sertorius on languages used in the PLC
Indeed, while I was reading about the commonwealth I was surprised to see the Lithuanian language not being one of the official languages.
Lithuanian nobility by this time had long been Ruthenised. It was the dominant language and culture in their giant country, therefore it quickly gained prominence among the elites. Now Ruthenian is being gradually replaced by Polish.

Fun fact: did you know, that at the Court in the Kremlin and among the nobles and boyars of Muscovy the Polish language was widespread? It was widely considered the language of educated nobility, because all the Western innovations, ideas and goods came there via the Commonwealth, since they did not have a port on the Baltic Sea. Therefore up until the end of the XVII century knowledge of Polish was considered a sign of good education in Muscovy.
 
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Sertorius on Chargen III
A few things I noticed (sorry for not seeing it sooner):

Tatjana, the Ruskaja nanny.
While Ruskaja is the correct form of contemporary Ruthenian, it's an adjective with a feminine gender. It's fine when in context ("Ruthenian nanny").
You'd even speak Ruskaja like a native, though the tutors will certainly not enjoy the rustic accent.
Yet when talking about the tongue it should be written as Ruski language. Ruski native, Ruski speaker, Ruski sword... the masculine gender, it's more correct when used with English words. In general, using Ruthenian is advised because Polish and Ruski maintain the classic masculine, feminine and neuter grammatical genders, so using Ruskaja or Ruski may sound... strange when combined with some words. Not to be confused with the Russian language, also named Ruski. Both Ruthenian and Russian are called that way in their respective languages, because they are from the same source, yet started to diverge since the Middle Ages until the start of the Quest, when Ruthenian was influenced greatly by Latin and Polish, while Russian by Church Slavonic, the liturgical tongue of the Orthodox Church. By the way, Church Slavonic was the official language of Muscovy and its elites up until the XVII century. Also, Ruski is not an insult during this time. Historiography named Ruthenian Old Belarusian during the XIX century precisely to differentiate it from Russian, because due to both being named Ruski earlier, the Russians claimed that they are one and the same. That the Western variants are simply Russian dialects in order to promote their vision of One Russia, with no Belarusians and Ukrainians as seperate nations.
One isn't exactly inspired to virtuous acts by the idea of predestination. Not to mention, these sermons! Death, death, death, sin, sin, sin, Hell, Hell, Hell. God's world is beautiful out there! And we are all sinners, yes, but many are truly trying their hardest. It's unclear at this point whether you're sympathetic to Catholicism, repelled by Calvinism, or are just simply too choleric-sanguine to sit through all this. An implicit optimism to your thinking, too.
Fun fact: Calvinism and its egalitarian rules found many adherents among the nobility of the Commonwealth, which loved the idea of equality among peers. However, predestination was not among them. The freedom-loving Polish nobles simply wouldn't accept the fact, that they are damned or saved from birth. They preferred to retain the belief, that it's their good deeds that grant them Salvation along with having the possibility of choice. Of course, this is the general rule, individuals could believe in what they please.
Oh, a very sad edit, one that will make you sad, too, so it's worth mentioning: there are no cool Deluge sabers yet. Not only that, but its introduction is dependent on post-PoD events playing out historically. I had written "saber" for one of the choices, learned this horrid fact, later only making reference to Marszowski fighting with a longsword or rapier, but have now edited the choice itself. So sad. Shouldn't effect votes.
Sabres were present in the Commonwealth, it's just that they became widespread with the ascension of Stephen Báthory to the throne and his Hungarian style, which quickly became very popular.

[X] Plan: The Young Hussar
-[X] Stanisław, Stanislaus.
-[X] Felt the rage flow through you. A desire to not let it happen again. You asked for saber lessons the next day.
-[X] Tatjana, the Ruskaja nanny.
-[X] Sir Andrzej Marszowski, your physical trainer.
-[X] "Quick-witted lad!"
-[X] You missed Father Janusz.
-[X] The French Court, with classes at the Collège Royal.

By they way, that page situation? Should our young Princeling tell that to anyone, the little twerp not only would be done for at court, but his parents might experience the wrath of the Radziwiłłs as well. I'm surprised such an option was not present. Radziwiłłs were a proud and vengeful bunch so it's very unwise to make enemies among them. In trying times to whole family stuck together regardless of religious differences and would always support each other (unless of course high treason was involved).
 
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On the Real St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre
Also I should note now that it's all over with:

the 100% accurate Massacre actually occured in two waves, not a general massacre as I chose to depict for dramatic/truncation purposes. Overnight, Coligny and other leading Protestants -- both prominent townsmen and noble leftovers from the royal marriage -- were assassinated.

It wasn't until midday on the 24th, prompted by the miraculous blooming of a hawthorn bush (perhaps a common signifier of both divine and demonic intervention in early modern France, see its relevance during the 1630s Possession at Loudun) in a cemetary adjacent to the site of the contentious Gastines Cross, that the general Catholic population turned on their Calvinist neighbors.

It's unclear whether or not the plotters intended for this to happen, but it was likely met with some mix of satisfaction and disgust -- King Charles' laugh-cry fits as alluded to by Alexandre/Henri III are historically-attested and probably encapsulate the mood somewhat. As for the plotters themselves: it could've been any combination of some or all of the Royal family, certainly some Guise affiliates, and perhaps with prodding from the Italian contingency at court. We'll never quite know.

French royal proclamations struggled with the legality of all that transpired. I can't be bothered to pull the exact sources but the wording is wonky and generally can be interpreted as "We disavow this awful massacre but maybe it was good and had to happen? There were some real traitors in that corpse pile after all."
 
Radziwiłł Family Tree
Sorry if already posted this but..! If anybody smart notices an error please report as I post this in somewhat of a hurry. Zooming necessary!

I realized I'll actually have decent downtime this vacation so hopefully I can get a big sesh or three in by nightfall. Don't wanna get anybody's hopes up but there may be some speedy(ish) updates in our future!

 
Sertorius Notes for Part II — 10/31/72
[X] "Let come what may, then."

also @Sertorius let's hear what I got wrong lol
No, no, you've done your homework, everything looks fine and it's a nice read.

"But, to be fair, he's married to Princess Katarzyna, and his son and heir is of royal blood therefore. The Emperor's great-grandfather is Kazimierz Andrzej but, you know, proximity and all…"
Besides the unmarried Anna and Katarzyna (and her Vasa offspring that would gain the throne in time), there are also the fairly forgotten Jadwiga (wife of the deceased Elector of Brandenburg Joachim II Hector, yet they only had daughters) as well as Zofia (wife Henry V of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, childless). I believe due to having no male heirs and becoming Lutheran they weren't taken into consideration, but still should be mentioned for completion's sake (to show, that there are more than only 2 Jagiellons remaining).
vivente rege's head is on the block. But which nobles may elect the king? Shall there be fixed Articles for the new king?
Vivente rege (that is, electing a new King while to old one still lives with consent from all parties) was always a sore spot for the nobility. While the future Henrician Articles forbade any new monarch from trying to have a successor elected while he's still alive, it should be noted that this conundrum had its roots with Zygmunt the Old and his son Zygmunt August. Good old pappy made his son in 1522 the Grand Duke of Lithuania during his lifetime and co-ruled with him there (the monarch was much stronger in his native Lithuania, than in Poland). Now this would force the Crownlanders (an informal way of addressing Poles, being from the Crownlands - Crown of the Kingdom of Poland was the official name) - good catch by the way @Rolman , though I struggle if it should be Crownlander or Crownman, but both seem fine - to elect Zygmunt August as their King with the Old's passing if they wanted to maintain the union between the kingdoms. This eventually came to fruition in 1529, when Zygmunt August was elected as King of Poland as well to co-rule with his father. While this would probably still happen if everything went the old-fashioned way, it was the forced hand itself that really infuriated the nobility. After the young lads election, the nobles forced Zygmunt the Old to swear, that all future elections of August's successors would be carried out according to the previously established standards, so that vivente rege would never again appear on the agenda.
"Thank you, lord Prince, heh; but, yes, I think you're onto something. That's the great fear of us all."
Ah yes, I always thought about how to properly translate the term "Mości Książę", a more informal way of addressing a Prince/Duke and much like the more polite Your Serene Highness I find it very elegant and functional as well.
 
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A Note on Historicity of Marriage Prospects
Somewhat obviously, the sexist-ass chroniclers of the period (or at least everybody I combed through) paid very little mind to women until their marriage, with the exception of those from the most prominent families. With that in mind, most historical women of your generation only crop up when already married. Soooooooooooo -- no they're not. This goes for Mariana (who, for example, already would've had a toddler-aged child OTL) and any potential fine ladies down the line.

Also, while I'm here, if you wanted to get a grip on Renaissance anxieties about the purity and power of women, zoom in on Bosch's Garden and see what you see!
 
Sertorius on Pt. IV 11/30/72-1/3/73 (post below is Rolman reply)
I'm a bit unwell, but I'll gladly pitch in:

These are strictly Russian in meaning, not Ruthenian and not even period appropriate in fact. When speaking about things Ruthenian, Ruski should be used (and Rusinki for females) and when about things Russian, then Muscovite or Moskiewski should be used. It was a way to differentiate between true Ruski (the people of the Commonwealth) and despotic pretenders (Moscow). Plus one of the titles of the monarch was the Duke of Ruthenia, therefore no other ruler could be called that.
I actually like that, really shows, that you know, what you're talking about. For those, that don't get it, it's a way of addressing the Orthodox Church's religious practice in a mocking way to show everybody that it's old-fashioned, stupid and downright superstitious.
"I am the Imperial Prince of Dubingiya and Birzhai, Stanislav Radzivil."
I don't understand the inconsistency with the naming convention here. Polish naming was generally used, yet you go for transliteration for some reason here. One more thing: the Radziwiłłs styled themselves to be one of the old Lithuanian princely families, therefore would omit the Imperial part, so as to not sound like just another nouveau riche which recently got their title from a foreign power, unless they are talking with German or other Western aristocrats (since an Imperial title would carry more prestige, than a Lithuanian one).
Ok, back to that naming convention... there is also the matter, that the Sapiehas themselves preferred their name to be spelled just like that, using an H instead of G.
Kalvin and the Pravoslav'ya.
Kalvin stated like that refers only to the name of the theologian, although calling a somebody a kalwin was an informal way of naming a Reformed Church member. As to Orthodoxy, a better transliteration would be Pravoslavye or Pravoslavie.
several hundred meters
Ok, but the metric system should stay at home, since it can sometimes ruin the immersion. Even the modern Imperial system would sound better, since feet and miles were being used at the time, though they were not the same as today.


[X] Rather, to announce: attempt to deliver a speech before the assembled Sejm.
 
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