John Albert

John Albert (1459-1501), the son of Casimir Jagiellonian, crowned king in 1492. He reigned in Poland, while his brother Alexander became the grand duke of Lithuania. He carried out reforms which strengthened the position of the gentry. The Statute of Piotrkow of 1496 reserved higher church positions for the gentry exclusively, barred the townspeople from buying land, and restricted the peasants' freedom of movement. In foreign policy, John Albert concentrated on the Turkish problem and wished to improve Poland's standing by assuming control over Danube principalities. In 1497, he set out on an expedition against the Turks, which ended in his defeat. [art]