Stańczyk (; – ) was the most famous Polish court jester. He was employed by three Polish kings: Alexander, Sigismund the Old and Sigismund Augustus, Contemporary sources mention court jesters named Gąska and Stańczyk. Both words are not proper names in their own right but diminutives, of words gęś (goose) and the masculine name Stanisław, respectively. Stańczyk is therefore sometimes referred to as Stanisław Gąska in modern sources, a name that resembles a typical Polish name, despite it having never been recorded during the jester's times.

Stańczyk is conjectured to have been born in Proszowice near Kraków. Despite his occupation, he was likely a nobleman. Nevertheless, it is currently widely accepted that not only Stańczyk was a real person, but that he also had a real-life reputation among his contemporaries.]]Stańczyk is remembered as a man of great intelligence and a political philosopher gifted with formidable insight into Poland's current and future situation. He used his position and Jester's privilege to criticize and warn his contemporaries by the use of satire. His witty jokes often pertained to current political or court matters. Stańczyk's remarks and jokes were preserved by numerous contemporary writers and historians, including Łukasz Górnicki, Jan Kochanowski, Marcin Kromer, and Mikołaj Rej who praised him for fighting hypocrisy and criticizing shortsightedness of contemporary politicians, going as far as poking fun at the king's own decisions. He apparently acquired a circle of well positioned friends and some sources even go as far as to call him a personal friend to Marcin Kromer, personal secretary to king Sigismund I the Old.

The best known anecdote about Stańczyk is that of a hunting incident. In 1533 King Sigismund the Old had a huge bear brought for him from Lithuania. The bear was released in the forest of Niepołomice near Kraków so that the king could hunt it. During the hunt, the animal charged at the king, the queen and their courtiers which caused panic and mayhem. Queen Bona fell from her horse which resulted in her miscarriage. Later, the king mocked Stańczyk for having run away instead of fighting with the bear as his knightly status commanded. The jester is said to have replied that "a greater folly to let out a bear that was already in a cage". This remark is often interpreted as an allusion to the king's conciliatory policies towards Poland's enemies, most notably Prussia which was defeated by Poland but not fully incorporated into the Crown and Russia, a massive victory over which was not followed upon.

thumb|Stańczyk hood, from the studio of [[Jan Matejko, 19th century.]]

In another story Stańczyk, who liked to stroll around Kraków in his colorful, checkered jester's robe, was once beaten by street urchins who tore his garments. When the king ridiculed him at the court for this, Stańczyk replied that the king was allowing himself to be stripped even worse because Smolensk had been taken from him in the war and he was doing nothing about it..

Stańczyk as a symbol

thumb|left|[[Piotr Gamrat|Gamrat and Stańczyk, oil on wood, by Jan Matejko. Kościuszko Foundation, New York]]

Forgotten soon after his death or retirement, Stańczyk's popularity returned in 19th century and he remains a household name in Poland to present times.

Stańczyk became a popular historical figure in Polish literature after the partitions (1795). Some writers treated him as a symbol of Poland's struggle for independence, others provided him with rather Shakespearean traits. He appears in a work of, among others, Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz (in Jan z Tęczna. Powieść historyczna, 1825) and several works by Józef Ignacy Kraszewski (1839, 1841).

Teka Stańczyka

thumb|Stańczyk, [[Prussian Homage (painting)|The Prussian Homage (detail). Oil on canvas, by Jan Matejko, National Museum in Kraków]]

In 1869 a group of young conservative publicists: Józef Szujski, Stanisław Tarnowski, and , published a series of satirical pamphlets entitled (Stańczyk's Portfolio or Stańczyk's Files). Only five years after the tragic end of the January Uprising, the pamphlets ridiculed the idea of armed national uprisings and suggested a compromise with Poland's enemies, especially the Austrian Empire, and more concentration on economic growth than on political independence. The political faction which adopted these ideas became known as "Stańczycy" (plural of "Stańczyk").

Stańczyk in the arts

Stańczyk was one of Jan Matejko's favorite historical figures and appears in a number of his paintings, such as Stańczyk, Hanging of the Sigismund Bell, and Prussian Homage. Matejko, giving the jester his own facial features, created the popular image of Stańczyk that is familiar to most modern Poles. The painter always depicted Stańczyk with a very concerned and reflective look on his face, in stark contrast to his cap and bells and other jester's gear. Matejko's vision of Stańczyk influenced the way other artists, such as Leon Wyczółkowski, later depicted the jester.

The most notable appearance of Stańczyk in literature is in Stanisław Wyspiański's play Wesele (The Wedding) where the jester's ghost visits the Journalist, a character modeled after , editor of the Kraków-based paper Czas (Time), associated with the Stańczycy faction. In the play, Stańczyk accuses the Journalist, who calls the jester a "great man", of inactivity and passive acceptance of the nation's fate. At the end of their conversation, Stańczyk gives the Journalist his "caduceus" (the jester's marotte) and tells him to "stir the nation" but not to "tarnish the sacred things, for sacred they must remain". Thus Wyspiański reinforced Stańczyk's role as a symbol of patriotism and skeptical political wisdom.

Stańczyk is also prominently featured in a 1908 painting entitled Reality by the Polish Symbolist painter Jacek Malczewski.

References

Further reading

  • Stańczyk, WIEM Encyklopedia
  • Andrzej Solarz, Stańczyk, Internetowy Kurier Proszowicki - SERWIS Ziemi Proszowickiej
  • Liliana Sonik, "Stańczyk na dworze królowej Bony wobec straconego Smoleńska", Dziennik Polski, 26 April 2010