Od poganina do króla arcychrześcijańskiego. Wizerunek Władysława Jagiełły w Rocznikach Jana Długosza
From Pagan to the Epitome of the Christian King. The Portrait of Władysław Jagiełło in the The Annals by Jan Długosz

Summary/Abstract: The article touches upon the portrait of Władysław Jagiełło painted by Jan Długosz in his Annals from the perspective of the changing religious position of the ruler. The issue has not yet been discussed in much detail, while the literary form assumed by Długosz allowed him to construct almost separate portraits of Jagiełło which emerge in the text depending on the context and circumstances. In the introductory part of the article, the author briefly discusses Długosz’s motives and his skills in writing about Jagiełło. In the following parts, the author argues that Długosz would at one point write about the future King of Poland as a pagan Lithuanian ruler to be severely criticized, just to refer to him at a different point as the “Apostle of Lithuania” and an exemplary propagator of the Christian faith. Apart from that, the author is interested in the portrayals of Jagiełło against the backdrop of the Polish‑Teutonic feud as a pious ruler. The last section of the article is devoted to other passages from the Annals which touch upon various manifestations of Jagiełło’s religiousness, particularly the relationships between the king and the bishops, including Bishop Zbigniew Oleśnicki. The conducted analysis showcases that Długosz used the questions of Jagiełło’s piousness as a useful and easily moldable substance for his narratives, adjusted to serve the desired purpose.

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