Global InformationPrussian Homage information
The Prussian Homage or Prussian Tribute (German: Preußische Huldigung; Polish: hołd pruski) was the formal investiture of Albert of Prussia with the Duchy of Prussia as a fief of the Kingdom of Poland that took place on 10 April 1525 in Kraków, Poland. This ended the rule of the Teutonic Order in Prussia, which became a secular Protestant state.
Fighting in the Polish-Teutonic War (1519–1521) ended with an armistice. In 1522, Albert, the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order and a member of the House of Hohenzollern, became a Protestant, as did many other members of the Teutonic Order and Prussian nobles. At the suggestion of Martin Luther, Albert agreed that Prussia should submit to Poland and become Protestant. King Sigismund I the Old of Poland (Albert's uncle) accepted this, because it was better for Poland for strategic reasons than the independent State of the Teutonic Order in Prussia, formally subject to the Holy Roman Emperor and the Papacy.
These terms were included in the Treaty of Kraków, which officially ended the Polish–Teutonic War on 8 April 1525. On 10 April, in the Main Square of the Polish capital Kraków, Albert resigned as Grand Master and received the title "Duke of Prussia" from Sigismund. The Duchy of Prussia became the first Protestant state, anticipating the Peace of Augsburg of 1555.
As a symbol of vassalage, Albert received a standard with the Prussian coat of arms from the Polish king. The black Prussian eagle on the flag was augmented with a letter "S" (for Sigismundus) and had a crown placed around its neck as a symbol of fealty to Poland.