The Prussian Homage or Prussian Tribute (; ) was the formal investiture of Albert, Duke of Prussia ( 1490-

1568 Year 1568 ( MDLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. Events January–March * January 6 – In the Eastern Hungarian Kingdom, the delegates of Unio Trium Nationum to the Diet of Torda convene i ...

), with his

Duchy of Prussia The Duchy of Prussia (, , ) or Ducal Prussia (; ) was a duchy in the region of Prussia established as a result of secularization of the Monastic Prussia, the territory that remained under the control of the State of the Teutonic Order until t ...

as a

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

of the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385. Background The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...

that took place on 10 April 1525 in the then capital of

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

, Kingdom of Poland. This ended the rule of the

Teutonic Order The Teutonic Order is a religious order (Catholic), Catholic religious institution founded as a military order (religious society), military society in Acre, Israel, Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Sa ...

in Prussia, which became a secular

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

state. Fighting in the Thirteen Years War of 1454- 1466 and the Polish-Teutonic War ( 1519- 1521) ended with an armistice. A year later in 1522, Albert, also the

Grand Master of the Teutonic Order The grand master of the Teutonic Order (; ) is the supreme head of the Teutonic Order. It is equivalent to the Grand master (order), grand master of other Military order (religious society), military orders and the superior general in non-milit ...

and a member of the Royal dynasty of the

House of Hohenzollern The House of Hohenzollern (, ; , ; ) is a formerly royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) German dynasty whose members were variously princes, Prince-elector, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern Castle, Hohenzollern, Margraviate of Bran ...

, became a

, as did many other members of the

and Prussian nobles at the suggestion of Dr.

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

(1483-1546), to Albert. Luther was a former

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

priest, continued as a theological professor at the University of Wittenberg in the town of

Wittenberg Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is the fourth-largest town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, in the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. It is situated on the River Elbe, north of Leipzig and south-west of the reunified German ...

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

and a monk in the Augustinian religious order. A reformer, author and eventual leader of Evangelical Lutheranism, espousing doctrine and theology since 1517, along with gathering many other supporters among laity, clergy, academics, and nobility, initiating the beginnings of Evangelical. He debated / argued with other reformers such as Swiss theologian

Ulrich Zwingli Huldrych or Ulrich Zwingli (1 January 1484 – 11 October 1531) was a Swiss Christian theologian, musician, and leader of the Reformation in Switzerland. Born during a time of emerging Swiss patriotism and increasing criticism of the Swis ...

, French / Swiss

John Calvin John Calvin (; ; ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French Christian theology, theologian, pastor and Protestant Reformers, reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of C ...

John Knox John Knox ( – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Church of Scotland. Born in Giffordgate, a street in Haddington, East Lot ...

in the

Kingdom of Scotland The Kingdom of Scotland was a sovereign state in northwest Europe, traditionally said to have been founded in 843. Its territories expanded and shrank, but it came to occupy the northern third of the island of Great Britain, sharing a Anglo-Sc ...

on their slightly different emphases of Reformed /

Calvinism Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyteri ...

Presbyterianism Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

movements in the larger

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

of the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

Western Christianity Western Christianity is one of two subdivisions of Christianity (Eastern Christianity being the other). Western Christianity is composed of the Latin Church and Protestantism, Western Protestantism, together with their offshoots such as the O ...

during the

16th century The 16th century began with the Julian calendar, Julian year 1501 (represented by the Roman numerals MDI) and ended with either the Julian or the Gregorian calendar, Gregorian year 1600 (MDC), depending on the reckoning used (the Gregorian calend ...

. Albert agreed that Prussia should submit to Poland and become officially a Protestant state. King Sigismund I the Old of Poland ( 1467- 1548, reigned

1506 Year 1506 (Roman numerals, MDVI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. Events January–March * January 14 – The Classical antiquity, classical statue of ''Laocoön and His Sons'' is unearthed in Rome. ...

- 1548), (who happened to be Albert's uncle) accepted this, because it was better for Poland for strategic reasons rather than have the independent State of the Teutonic Order in Prussia, formally subject to the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

Central Europe Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...

and

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and its

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

and the

bishops A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and the

Papacy The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. These terms were included in the Treaty of Kraków, which officially ended the Polish–Teutonic War on 8 April 1525. A week later, on 10 April, in the Main Square of the then Polish capital Kraków, Albert resigned as Grand Master and received the title "Duke of Prussia" from Polish King Sigismund. Thus the Duchy of Prussia became the first Protestant state, anticipating the terms three decades later of the Peace of Augsburg of 1555. As a symbol of vassalage, Albert received a standard with the Prussian coat of arms from the Polish king. The black Prussian eagle on the flag was augmented with a letter "S" (for Sigismundus) and had a crown placed around its neck as a symbol of fealty to Poland.

Earlier homages of Grand Masters of the Teutonic Knights

The tradition of ''Prussian Homages'' dates back to the year 1469, when, after the Thirteen Years' War (1454–66) and the Second Peace of Thorn (1466), each new Grand Master was obliged to pay homage to Polish rulers within six months of his election. Some Grand Masters refused to do so, claiming that the Order was under Papal sovereignty. Among those who refused were Martin Truchseß von Wetzhausen, Frederick of Saxony (who referred the matter to the 1495 Imperial Diet), and Albert. Five Grand Masters did comply: * 1 December 1469, at a

Sejm The Sejm (), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (), is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the Third Polish Republic since the Polish People' ...

in Piotrków Trybunalski, Grand Master Heinrich Reuß von Plauen paid homage to King Casimir IV Jagiellon. * 20 November 1470, at a Sejm in Piotrków Trybunalski, Grand Master Heinrich Reffle von Richtenberg and Conrad Von Wilczyński paid homage to King Casimir IV. * 9 October 1479, at Nowy Korczyn, Grand Master Martin Truchseß von Wetzhausen paid homage to King Casimir IV. * 18 November 1489, at Radom, Grand Master Johann von Tiefen paid homage to King Casimir IV. * 29 May 1493, Grand Master Johann von Tiefen paid homage to King John I Albert.

Subsequent homages of Dukes of Prussia

The

was created in 1525, and the homage of Duke Albert of Prussia took place on 10 April 1525 at Kraków. The last homage took place on 6 October 1641 in front of the Royal Castle, Warsaw. Following the Treaty of Bromberg (1657), Prussian rulers were no longer regarded as

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...

s of Polish kings. * 19 July 1569, at a Sejm in

Lublin Lublin is List of cities and towns in Poland, the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the centre of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin i ...

, Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia, paid homage to King Sigismund II Augustus. This event was observed, among others, by Jan Kochanowski, who described it in the poem ''Proporzec albo hołd pruski''. * 20 February 1578, in front of St. Anne's Church, Warsaw, George Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach, paid homage to King Stephen Báthory. * 16 November 1611, in front of St. Anne's Church, Warsaw, John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg, paid homage to King

Sigismund III Vasa Sigismund III Vasa (, ; 20 June 1566 – 30 April 1632 N.S.) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1587 to 1632 and, as Sigismund, King of Sweden from 1592 to 1599. He was the first Polish sovereign from the House of Vasa. Re ...

. * September 1621, George William, Elector of Brandenburg, paid homage to King Sigismund III. * 21 March 1633, envoys of Elector George William paid homage to King Władysław IV Vasa. * 6 October 1641, in front of Warsaw's Royal Castle, Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg, paid homage to King Władysław IV.

References

* Vetulani A. ''Lenno pruskie od traktatu krakowskiego do śmierci księcia Albrechta 1525-1568''. Studium historyczno-prawne, Kraków 1930. * Marian Biskup. "Geneza i znaczenie hołdu pruskiego 1525 r." ''Komunikaty Mazursko-Warmińskie'', 1975, nr 4. * Bogucka M. ''Hołd Pruski''. Warszawa 1982. * Boockman Hartmut. ''Zakon krzyżacki: Dwanaście rozdziałów jego histori.'' Warszawa, 1998. * Bogdan Wachowiak, Andrzej Kamieński. ''Dzieje Brandenburgii-Prus na progu czasów nowożytnych (1500-1701)''. {{ISBN, 83-7177-195-9 1525 in Poland Ceremonies History of Kraków Duchy of Prussia Germany–Poland relations de:Preußische Huldigung