# Electing foreigners

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electing-foreigners/275393>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 18, 2004, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electing-foreigners/275393 "2004-11-18T01:40:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electing-foreigners/275393/21 "2004-11-19T18:34:34Z")

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Poland elected at least three foreigners to its throne.

A Frenchman, Henri, Duke of Anjou  
A Romanian, Steven Bathory  
A Swede, Sigmund Vasa

> [@](#):
>
> from [http://www.magma.ca/~pfeiffer/poland/history.htm](http://www.magma.ca/~pfeiffer/poland/history.htm)
> 
> With the death of Zygmunt, the last of the Jagiellonians in 1574, there was nobody who could legally convene the Sejm. An “interrex” (Regent), the Archbishop of Gniezno, was appointed by the Senate and a special “Convocational Sejm” was called which decided to empower the nobility (“szlachta”) to elect a king in a free election. Prior to his coronation the king-elect had to pledge an oath to uphold the Constitution and all “szlachta” privileges.  
> The first elected monarch was Henri d’Anjou, but he resigned half-way through the year in the hope of succeeding to the French throne instead. The second election winner was the Transylvanian Voivod (Prince), Stefan Batory, who became one of Poland’s most celebrated rulers, great in both war and peace.

> [@](#):
>
> from the same website:
> 
> After the unexpected death of Batory in 1586, the third election brought the Swedish crown prince, Zygmunt Vasa, to the throne.

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