Editing Sigismund II Augustus (section)

==Health and final years==
[[File:Death of Sigismund Augustus at Knyszyn.JPG|thumb|''Death of Sigismund II Augustus at [[Knyszyn]]'', by [[Jan Matejko]]]]
Unlike his father, Sigismund Augustus was frail and sickly. Shortly before turning 50, his health rapidly declined.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.wilanow-palac.pl/przypadlosci_krola_zygmunta_augusta.html|title=Przypadłości króla Zygmunta Augusta|website=wilanow-palac.pl}}</ref> Being involved in many affairs and holding a large number of mistresses, historians agree that the king had [[venereal disease]] which caused him to have fertility issues.<ref name="auto1"/> By 1558 Sigismund had [[gout]] and since 1568 he also suffered from [[Kidney stone disease|kidney stones]], which triggered immense pain.<ref name="auto1"/> He employed numerous medics, healers or even [[Quackery|quack doctors]] and imported expensive [[ointment]]s from Italy. By the end of his life, the king was losing teeth and vigour, possibly due to [[tuberculosis]]. [[Antonio Maria Graziani]] recalls that Sigismund was unable to keep standing without a cane when greeting Cardinal [[Giovanni Francesco Commendone]].

During spring 1572, Sigismund Augustus became feverish. Untreated tuberculosis made him feeble and impotent, but he was able to travel to his private retreat in [[Knyszyn]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wilanow-palac.pl/smierc_krola_zygmunta_augusta.html|title=Śmierć króla Zygmunta Augusta|website=wilanow-palac.pl}}</ref> While at Knyszyn, he corresponded with his diplomats and nobles, highlighting that he was feeling well and hoped to recover. Great Marshal [[Jan Firlej]] denied these claims and reported that the king was bleeding severely due to [[tuberculosis|consumption]] and was troubled by pain in the chest and [[lumbar]].

[[File:Nagrobek Zygmunta Starego.jpg|thumb|left|210px|Tomb of Sigismund Augustus in the [[Sigismund Chapel]] at [[Wawel Cathedral]] in Kraków, Poland]]

Sigismund died in Knyszyn on 7 July 1572 at 6 in the afternoon, surrounded by a group of senators and envoys. The official cause of death given by the medics was consumption. His body placed on a [[catafalque]] and remained at the nearby [[Tykocin Castle]] until 10 September 1573 when it was transported back to Kraków through [[Warsaw]]. After transporting the remains of [[Barbara Radziwiłł]] from [[Kraków]] to [[Vilnius]], Sigismund was building a church in the [[Vilnius Castle Complex]] which should have served as his family's mausoleum, however it was still uncompleted in 1572.<ref>{{cite web |title=Šv. Onos ir Šv. Barboros bažnyčių pamatai – Vilniaus pilys |url=https://www.vilniauspilys.lt/sv-onos-ir-sv-barboros-baznyciu-pamatai/ |website=Vilniauspilys.lt |access-date=20 October 2021 |language=lt}}</ref> Consequently, he was laid to rest at the [[Wawel Cathedral]] on 10 February 1574. The stately funeral ceremony, attended by his sister [[Anna Jagiellon]], was the last spectacle of its kind in the Kingdom of Poland. No other Polish monarch was buried with such pomp and splendour. His death introduced an [[elective monarchy]] in Poland which lasted until the final [[Partitions of Poland|partition]] at the end of the 18th century.

Sigismund Augustus was the last male member of the [[Jagiellonian dynasty]]. The death of his childless sister, Anna, in 1596 marked the end of the dynasty.

In addition to his family connections, Sigismund II Augustus was allied to the [[Habsburg]]s as member of the [[Order of the Golden Fleece]].