Between obedience and revolt : an attempt at explaining the destruction of Protestant Bróg Chapel in Kraków in 1591

The concept of tolerance in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth ranks among the most important and not yet fully resolved issues of Polish historiography. The end of the 16th century is perceived as the beginning of anarchy in the Polish-Lithuanian state. The destruction of the “Bróg” (Seník) Chapel of both evangelical communities, i.e. Lutherans and Reformed, on the night of May 23–24, 1591, and everything that occurred the following days in Krakow was widely accepted at the time. The events have not been fully explained. The attack on “Bróg” must be interpreted as the manifestation of extreme intolerance, but the discussion that subsequently arose indicates that many of the Catholics were not familiar with this aggression and expressed fears. Who were the offenders? How did government offices respond? Certain traces of solidarity can be found in their activity, and these are the main questions dealt with in the article