John III Sobieski’s domestic policies before 1679

Streszcz.ang. Bibliogr.

John III Sobieski’s domestic politics was mostly subordinated to his foreign policy objectives. The king’s post-election course of action was strongly influenced by his past experiences. He deferred the coronation until a more favourable moment, although the political benefits of that decision failed to materialize. The new king’s politics was quite cautious. He did not put forward any major reform proposals, assessing the prospects of such reforms to be poor. He managed to end the war with the Ottoman Empire, but the king’s subsequent moves met with strong domestic opposition encouraged by Vienna and Berlin. The failure of the Baltic politics led John III to return to the idea of a war with the Porte. Before that, the king had to resolve acute internal conflicts, doing so during the Diet of Grodno in 1679. Only then could he undertake preparations for a new political course. However, the most important factor in the success of the new policy was the opportune development of the international situation at the time.