Uwolnić alchemika: zabiegi Zygmunta III na dworze cesarskim o wypuszczenie z więzienia w Pradze Michała Sędziwoja. Nowe źródła
Free the alchemist: efforts of Sigismund III at the imperial court to free Michał Sędziwój (Michael Sendivogius) from Prague prison. New sources

Summary/Abstract: The years 1599–1600 are a period in the life of Polish alchemist Michał Sędziwój (Michael Sendivogius) especially important in research on the beginnings of his career at the Polish and imperial court. In June 1599, Sędziwój was arrested and held in custody in Prague prison. The reasons for Sędziwój’s arrest and the course of his trial were presented by Ryszard Bugaj and Rafał T. Prinke. Author of this article found new, previously unknown documents, which allow for broadening the knowledge on this period in alchemist’s life. Among these documents are, among others, letters of Sigismund III dated September 13, 1599 and addressed to close advisers of emperor Rudolf II, Wolfgang von Rumpf and Paul Sixt Trautson, as well as instructions for king’s diplomatic emissaries visiting the imperial court – Jan Gostomski (instructions dated August 25, 1599) and Adrian Rembowski (instructions dated January 25, 1600). The presented documents include also emperor’s responses to their missions dated September 21, 1599 and March 5, 1600, respectively. Analysis of these sources allows for establishing that Sędziwój was held in custody at least until the 1st half of March 1600, meaning his time in prison was much longer than it would appear from the research to date. It is thus impossible that he stayed in Warsaw during the session of parliament held in 1600. Ascribing to Sędziwój diplomatic activity regarding Moldova is based on uncertain source evidence and should be ruled out. The official character of the letters of Sigismund III to the emperor and his advisers, and of the instructions for emissaries and emperor’s responses to them rules out the possibility that Sędziwój held the office of king’s secretary before September 1600 because such office rank should be stated in the analyzed documents. Diplomatic correspondence and documents prove a lot of determination on king’s side in his efforts to free the alchemist from Prague prison. All king’s action prove his close relations with Sędziwój, but the published sources do not answer the question about genesis and character of such ties.

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