The painting depicts the "Prussian Homage", a significant political event from the time of the Renaissance in Poland in which Albrecht of Hohenzollern, the Duke of Prussia paid tribute and swore allegiance to King Sigismund I the Old in Kraków's market square on 10 April 1525.

Matejko depicted over thirty important figures of the Polish Renaissance period, taking the liberty of including several who were not actually present at the event.

[2] He donated it to the Polish nation[n 1][3] during the meeting of the Diet of Galicia (Sejm Krajowy) in Lwów (Lviv) on 7 October 1882[4] to start a collection designed to revive the remodelling of Wawel Castle.

[3] It was subsequently exhibited in Kraków, Lwów and Warsaw, as well as in Berlin, Paris, Budapest, and most notably in Rome and Vienna.

[5] Because of the pro-Polish and anti-Prussian character of the painting German emperor William I objected to a proposal to reward Matejko.

[6] During World War II, the Nazis systematically tried to destroy all Polish cultural artefacts in occupied Poland.

He treats Albrecht lightly—signifying that this event was only a temporary victory and not a total, lasting domination that crushed his opponent.

Matejko went beyond portraying the glory of a historical event and attempted to convey hints of how the country's history would play out in the future.

[6] The painting has been the subject of numerous art historical studies and has been reinterpreted through the works of artists such as Tadeusz Kantor.

[6] At the center of the painting, Albrecht, Duke of Prussia is kneeling before his maternal uncle King Sigismund I the Old of Poland.

[6] Sigismund Augustus is shown here as a 5-year-old boy wearing a red dress, held up by Piotr Opaliński, the court house tutor.