Page "Władysław IV Vasa" Paragraph 20

After returning to Poland, in 1626 he fought against the Swedes in last phase of the Polish – Swedish War, where in 1626 he took part in the battle of Gniew.

His involvement in this conflict, which lasted till the Truce of Altmark in 1629, was rather limited, and he spent much time in other parts of the country.

During that period and afterward, he lobbied for support of his candidature for the Polish throne, as his father, Sigismund, was getting more advanced in his age, and the succession to the Polish throne occurred not through inheritance but rather, through the process of royal elections.

While Władysław, and his father Sigismund, tried to ensure Władysław's election during Sigismund's life, this was not a popular option for the nobility, and it repeatedly failed, up to and including at the sejm of 1631.

Sudden heart attack that Sigismund suffered on 23 April 1632, and his death in the morning hours of 30 April, forced the issue to be taken up again.