Sigismund Casimir Vasa ( pl, Zygmunt Kazimierz Waza; 1 April 1640 – 9 August 1647), was a Polish prince and the only legitimate son of King Ladislaus IV and his first wife Queen Cecilia Renata. He was named after his grandfather Sigismund III, and uncle John Casimir.

Biography

He was raised by the governess Rozyna Małgorzata von Eckenberg. As he was an only child, he was the almost certain candidate as the successor of Ladislaus IV. The French traveller, Le Laboureur described him as a child: ''extremely vivid, lean and agile''. He was also seen as being quick-minded, he was a fast learner, and by the age of seven, he was fluent in not only Polish but German too, and made good progress in Latin. The prince willingly dressed in the Polish fashion, which still further strengthened his position as candidate and endeared him to the Poles themselves. In fact, when someone scolded him in German, he replied in Polish "...I am a Pole, so talk to me in Polish".Stanisław Grzybowski: ''Polish and Lithuanian Acts (1506 - 1648)'' in: ''The great history of Poland'', edited by Stanisław Grodzisk, Krakow 2003, p. 701. In the summer of 1647, the boy suddenly fell ill. According to some, it came from overeating certain fruits, while others claimed that he contracted

dysentery Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...

from the Pomeranian

voivode Voivode (, also spelled ''voievod'', ''voevod'', ''voivoda'', ''vojvoda'' or ''wojewoda'') is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe since the Early Middle Ages. It primarily referred to the ...

, Gerhard Dönhoff (1590–1648). After five days of pain and bloody diarrhoea, the young prince died. With the death of his only legitimate son, Ladislaus IV's grief was so great, he did not even attend the funeral, held in Krakow, where the young prince was buried at

Wawel Cathedral The Wawel Cathedral ( pl, Katedra Wawelska), formally titled the Royal Archcathedral Basilica of Saints Stanislaus and Wenceslaus, is a Roman Catholic cathedral situated on Wawel Hill in Kraków, Poland. Nearly 1000 years old, it is part of the ...

Notes

References

* Władysław Czapliński: ''the court of Władysław IV'', Warsaw, 1959. *Bozena Fabiani: ''Life at the Royal Palace in the era of the Vasa'', Publisher "Volumen", Warsaw,1996. {{Authority control 1640 births 1647 deaths Polish princes 17th-century Polish people House of Vasa Heirs apparent who never acceded Burials at Wawel Cathedral Royalty and nobility who died as children Sons of kings