Editing Braniewo (section)

===Modern era===
After the secularization of the Teutonic Order in 1525, a large part of its residents converted to [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] [[Protestantism]]. Duke [[Albert, Duke of Prussia|Albert]], who had been grand master of the Order, sought to unite Warmia with Ducal Prussia (a nearby vassal state of Poland), causing the Catholics of the town to swear allegiance to the king of Poland in return for aid against Protestant Prussia. In 1526 a Polish royal commission released Braunsberg burghers from the oath to the Polish king and handed the town back to [[Prince-Bishop]] [[Mauritius Ferber]]. However, just like the entire area of Warmia, Braunsberg swore allegiance to the [[Prince-Bishop]]s of Warmia, who were subjects of the popes. Additionally, it had to denounce all Lutheran teachings and hand over Lutheran writings. Thereafter Warmia remained predominantly Roman Catholic (even after the [[Partitions of Poland]], when it became part of [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]] in 1772).

[[File:Braniewo 1684.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.9|17th-century view of the town (from ''Altes und neues Preussen'', [[Christoph Hartknoch]])]]
Braniewo was occupied by [[Swedish Empire|Sweden]] for about three years during the [[Livonian War]] in the 16th century. In Warmia, Lutheran teachings again were suppressed when Prince-Bishop [[Stanislaus Hosius]] (1504–1579) brought in the [[Society of Jesus|Jesuits]] and founded the [[Collegium Hosianum]] [[gymnasium (school)|school]]. Among the students of the school were Polish Catholic Saint [[Andrew Bobola]], Polish statesmen and high dignitaries [[Mikołaj Zebrzydowski]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kalwaria.eu/strona/dzieje-rodu-zebrzydowskich|title=Dzieje Rodu Zebrzydowskich|website=Kalwaria.eu|access-date=11 July 2020|language=pl}}</ref> and [[Piotr Gembicki]], Europe's most prominent 17th-century Latin poet [[Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski]],<ref>Maciej Kazimierz Sarblewski, ''Epigrammatum liber/Księga epigramatów'', Wydawnictwo IBL, 2003, p. 6 (in Polish)</ref> missionary, explorer, mathematician, astronomer and sinologist [[Jan Mikołaj Smogulecki]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ipsb.nina.gov.pl/a/biografia/jan-mikolaj-smogulecki-h-grzymala|title=Jan Mikołaj Smogulecki h. Grzymała|website=Internetowy Polski Słownik Biograficzny|author=Ludwik Grzebień|access-date=11 July 2020|language=pl}}</ref> and Primate of Poland [[Gabriel Podoski]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://prymaspolski.pl/prymasi/gabriel-podoski/|title=Gabriel Podoski|website=Prymas Polski|access-date=1 July 2020|language=pl}}</ref> Prominent [[Hungarians|Hungarian]] Renaissance poet [[Bálint Balassi]] stayed in the town in 1590–1591.<ref>Mike Pincombe "Life and Death on the Habsburg–Ottoman Frontier: Bálint Balassi's 'In Laudem Confiniorum' and Other Soldier-sings', in "Borders and Travellers in Early Modern Europe", edited by Thomas Betteridge, Ashgate, 2007, p. 85</ref> A priestly seminary was added in 1564. [[Pope Gregory XIII]] later added a papal mission seminary for northern and eastern European countries. [[Regina Protmann]] (1552–1613), a native of Braunsberg (Braniewo), founded the [[Catherine of Alexandria|Saint Catherine]] Order of Sisters in the town, recognized by the church in 1583. The Jesuit theologian [[Antonius Possevinus]] was instrumental in enlarging the Collegium Hosianum in the 1580s to counter the growing Protestant movement.
[[File:Dom konwertytów 2015.jpeg|thumb|upright=0.9|Potocki Palace]]
The Polish, and mainly Catholic town was annexed by the mostly Protestant [[Kingdom of Prussia]] in 1772 during the [[First Partition of Poland]] and made part of the newly formed province of [[East Prussia]] the following year.