Paweł Działyński

A stained glass representation of Polonius from Shakespeare's Hamlet

Elizabeth I, c. 1600

Sigismund III

Paweł Działyński (Latin: Paulus Dzialinski; born 1560 – died 1609) of Ogończyk coat of arms, was a Polish courtier, royal secretary, ambassador and governor of Bobrowniki and Radziejów.[1]

In 1597 he was sent by Sigismund III Vasa of Poland-Lithuania to Holland and England, both at war with Spain, to protest the siezing of ships transporting goods between Poland and Spain. His provacative style in both countries, including a meeting with Queen Elizabeth where she rebuked him in Latin[2] for his disrespect and what she considered his misunderstanding of the laws of war.[3] As a result of Działyński's appearance in England, George Carew was sent to Poland to resolve the shipping issue, which resulted in some compromises by both sides.[4]

Inspiration

It is possible that the character Polonius from Shakespeare's Hamlet was inspired by Działyński.

The Haags Historisch Museum (Historical Museum of The Hague) in The Netherlands exhibits an anonymous painting, depicting Działyński as head of a Polish envoy delegation to the Dutch Republic in July 1597.

References

1. Shiff, Abraham. "Transition from Corambis to Polonius: The Forgotten Pun on a Diplomatic Scandal in a Hamlet Q2 Stage Direction" (PDF).
2. Green, Janet (2000). "Queen Elizabeth I's Latin Reply to the Polish Ambassador". The Sixteenth Century Journal. 31 (4): 987–1008. JSTOR 2671184.
3. Davies, Norman (1981). A History of Poland, God's playground (1st ed.). New York: New York: Columbia University Press. p. 392.
4. Bałuk-Ulewiczowa, Teresa (2017). "Audiatur et Altera Pars: The Polish Record of the Działyński Embassy of 1597". British Catholic History. 33 (4). Cambridge University Press: 513–514, 529–533.