Jan z Jani (Joannes de Janie in

Medieval Latin Medieval Latin was the form of Literary Latin used in Roman Catholic Western Europe during the Middle Ages. In this region it served as the primary written language, though local languages were also written to varying degrees. Latin functione ...

, Jan von der Jane in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

) (1400–1461) - of the Clan of Ostoja was the first Polish

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...

Pomerelia Pomerelia,, la, Pomerellia, Pomerania, pl, Pomerelia (rarely used) also known as Eastern Pomerania,, csb, Pòrénkòwô Pòmòrskô Vistula Pomerania, prior to World War II also known as Polish Pomerania, is a historical sub-region of Pome ...

(from 1454 to 1461) and one of the leaders of the

Prussian Confederation The Prussian Confederation (german: Preußischer Bund, pl, Związek Pruski) was an organization formed on 21 February 1440 at Kwidzyn (then officially ''Marienwerder'') by a group of 53 nobles and clergy and 19 cities in Prussia (region), Prussi ...

, serving as a commander in the

Thirteen Years' War (1454–66) Thirteen Years' War may refer to: *the Thirteen Years' War (1454–1466) between the Prussian Confederation and Poland versus the Teutonic Order state *the Long Turkish War (1593–1606) between the Habsburg Monarchy and the Ottoman Empire *the Ru ...

. He was also the Lord of Regality of

Tczew Tczew (, csb, Dërszewò; formerly ) is a city on the Vistula River in Eastern Pomerania, Kociewie, northern Poland with 59,111 inhabitants (December 2021). The city is known for its Old Town and the Vistula Bridge, or Bridge of Tczew, which pl ...

, Nowe County and Kiszewskie, Lord of

Starogard Gdański Starogard Gdański (; until 1950: ''Starogard''; csb, Starogarda; formerly german: Preußisch Stargard) is a city in Pomeranian Voivodeship in northern Poland with 48,328 inhabitants (2004). Starogard is the capital of Starogard County. It is ...

, Rabelnaw, Robaw, Pancze, Wonental, Szwarczenwalt, Weisenwalt, Moealwalt, Landesende, Turze, and Lord of

Gniew Gniew (pronounced ; csb, Gméw, or ''Gniéw''; formerly german: Mewe) is a historic town situated on the left bank of the Vistula River, in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It has 6,870 inhabitants (2016). It is one of the ol ...

. Jan z Jani's origin was from a noble family that entered the

Clan Ostoja The Clan of Ostoja (old Polish: ''Ostoya'') was a powerful group of knights and lords in late-medieval Europe. The clan encompassed families in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (including present-day Belarus and Ukraine), Hungary and Upper Hu ...

through marriage with the sister of Mikołaj Szarlejski, who was part of the Clan of Ostoja and Duke of

Inowrocław Inowrocław (; german: Hohensalza; before 1904: Inowrazlaw; archaic: Jungleslau) is a city in central Poland with a total population of 70,713 in December 2021. It is situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999, previously in the B ...

and

Kujawy Kuyavia ( pl, Kujawy; german: Kujawien; la, Cuiavia), also referred to as Cuyavia, is a historical region in north-central Poland, situated on the left bank of Vistula, as well as east from Noteć River and Lake Gopło. It is divided into three ...

, Lord of Bydgoszcz, and member of the

. Together with Szarlejski, Jan z Jani raised army units in Pomerania during

and the conflict with

Teutonic Knights The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians o ...

. He also cooperated with another member of the Clan of Ostoja,

Stibor of Poniec The Clan of Ostoja (old Polish: ''Ostoya'') was a powerful group of knights and lords in late-medieval Europe. The clan encompassed families in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (including present-day Belarus and Ukraine), Hungary and Upper H ...

, Lord of Regality of Greater Poland and the renowned diplomatAntoni Eckstein, Historia Ponieca do połowy XVI wieku, Roczniki Historyczne, T.II, str.92, IH PAN, 1926 in order to raise funds to attack Malbork, the headquarters of the

. A local legend speaks of the mighty knight ''Jan z Jani'' who designed a new coat of arms and called it the Ostoja. Gniew zamek z rogu

References

External links

IHPAN (''Polish Academy of Science'') - ŚwierczynThe legend about Jan z Jani and the Ostoja Coat of armsGreat and known peopleSeweryn Uruski, T.5 - von der JaneJan z JaniDigital Library, Karol Górski, ''Studia i szkice z dziejów Państwa Krzyżackiego'', Jan z Jani
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jani, Jan z 1400 births 1461 deaths Clan of Ostoja Medieval Polish knights 15th-century Polish nobility

See also

References

Further reading

External links