Nevertheless a strong wish was expressed for a national, Protestant church, and had Sigismund had the advantages, as he had the matrimonial difficulties, of Henry VIII, he might have {143} established such a body.

But he never quite dared to take the step, dreading the hostility of Catholic neighbors.

Singularly enough the championship of the Catholic cause was undertaken by Greek-Catholic Muscovy, [Sidenote: 1562] whose Czar, Ivan, represented his war against Poland as a crusade against the new iconoclasts.

Unable to act with power, Sigismund cultivated such means of combating Protestantism as were ready to his hand.

His most trenchant weapon was the Order of Jesuits, who were invited to come in and establish schools.