STEPHEN BÁTHORY, King of Poland. — Born in 1533, died at Grodno on 12 Dec. 1586. Elected in 1575 by the Polish petty nobility (Szlachta), after the renunciation of Henry of Valois, he was universally recognized as King of Poland, especially following his marriage to Anna Jagellona. On account of his excellent government, during which he worked notably in favour of the Catholic restoration in Poland, he is considered one of the most illustrious sovereigns of that nation. He fought successfully against Ivan IV the Terrible, capturing Polotsk (1579), which he retained even after the peace negotiated by the Jesuit Antonio Possevino, envoy of Gregory XIII, to whom the Tsar himself had turned for this purpose. A patron of the Jesuits, he raised their college at Wilna to the rank of an academy and also contributed to the founding of new colleges of the Order in the kingdom.
BÁTHORY, STEFANO, RE DI POLONIA
BIBL.: P. Pierling, *Grégoire XIII et B.*, in *Revue des questions historiques*, 31 (1882), pp. 224-33; id., *B. et Possevino*, Paris 1887; L. Szádeczky, *B. István Lengyel károlyból válságtsáza*, Budapest 1887; W. Zakrzewski, *St. B.*, Cracow 1887; L. Boratynski, *Stefan B. i plan Ligi przeciw Turkom 1576-84*, in *Rozprawy Akademii Umiejętności*, Wydział Historyczno-Filozoficzny, 2nd series, 19 (1903), pp. 197-347.