Stephen Bathory was the Duke of Transylvania. His claim to the throne was bolstered by marriage to Anne Jagiellonian, the sister of Sigismund Augustus. Bathory was crowned King of Poland in 1576. In marked contrast to Henry, he brought high seriousness and morality to the throne. He supported the Jesuit Counter Reformation by elevating their college in Vilnius to the rank of an academy or university. Like his wife’s brother, he supported freedom of conscience, which became a principle of Polish government enshrined by the Warsaw Convocation 1573. In foreign affairs, Bathory was strong enough to hold Livonia against Russian encroachment.

Reigned 1576-1586