Years 1880-1882 marked his work on another large painting, "Prussian Tribute" ("Hołd Pruski"). Matejko gifted this painting to "the Polish nation", and it earned him honorary citizenship of Kraków; one of the squares in the city was also named Matejko Square. In 1883 he finished "Sobieski at Vienna" ("Jan Sobieski pod Wiedniem"). "Sobieski..." was gifted to Pope Leo XIII as a "gift of the Polish nation" and Matejko, who was one of the members of the group delivering it, received a Knight Commander with Star Order of Pius IX. The painting is exhibited in the Sobieski Room of the Vatican Museums. At that time he also became a vocal spokesman in a number of political issues, publishing letters on issues such as Polish-Russian relations. Another arena he was very engaged in were efforts to protect and reconstruct various historical monuments in the city of Kraków. In 1886, he finished a painting about French rather than about Polish history: "Virgin of Orléans", portraying Joan of Arc.