Władysław IV Vasa

Who was Władysław IV Vasa?

Władysław IV Vasa was a Polish and Swedish prince from the House of Vasa. He reigned as King of Poland from 8 November 1632 to his death in 1648.

Władysław IV was the son of Sigismund III Vasa and his wife, Anna of Austria. In 1610 the teen-aged Władysław was elected tsar of Russia by the Seven Boyars, but did not assume the Russian throne due to his father's opposition and a popular uprising in Russia. Nevertheless, until 1634 he used the title of Grand Duke of Muscovy.

Elected king of Poland in 1632, Władysław was fairly successful in defending the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth against invasion, most notably in the Smolensk War of 1632–34, in which he participated personally. He supported religious tolerance and carried out military reforms, such as the founding of the Commonwealth Navy. He was also a renowned patron of the arts. He failed, however, to realize his dreams of regaining the Swedish crown, gaining fame by conquering the Ottoman Empire, strengthening royal power, and reforming the Commonwealth.