# First free election: Henry of Valois (1573)

URL: https://poland-history.com/timeline/1573-first-free-election-henry-of-valois
Location: Warsaw
Categories: ruler-change

In the first royal election, attended by tens of thousands of nobles, Henry of Valois was elected king. Within the broader Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth period: The Commonwealth of Both Nations elected its kings and prized noble liberty and religious tolerance. It won famous victories but was weakened by wars with Sweden, Russia, the Ottomans and the Cossacks, and by political paralysis. At this point in the timeline (11 May 1573), the governing authority was Henry of Valois (King of Poland). First elected king; accepted the Henrician Articles but fled Poland in 1574 to become King of France. First free election: Henry of Valois mattered because succession and legitimacy shaped alliances, institutions and the direction of state policy. The event is placed here so readers can follow it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion and culture across Polish history.

## Why it matters
First free election: Henry of Valois mattered because succession and legitimacy shaped alliances, institutions and the direction of state policy.

Ruler at the time: [Henry of Valois](https://poland-history.com/rulers/henry-of-valois)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Henry III of France](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_III_of_France)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — First free election: Henry of Valois](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=First+free+election%3A+Henry+of+Valois)
- [Wikipedia — Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish%E2%80%93Lithuanian_Commonwealth)