Mikołaj Kurowski of Szreniawa of

Kurów Kurów () is a village in south-eastern Poland, located in the historic province of Lesser Poland, between Puławy and Lublin, on the Kurówka River. It is capital of a separate gmina (municipality) called Gmina Kurów, within Lublin Voivodesh ...

(died 1411) was a chancellor of the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Królestwo Polskie; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a state in Central Europe. It may refer to: Historical political entities *Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom existing from 1025 to 1031 *Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom exist ...

and a Catholic hierarch. He held the posts of the

bishop of Poznań A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

, bishop of Włocławek and an

archbishop of Gniezno This is a list of archbishops of the Archdiocese of Gniezno, who are simultaneously primates of Poland since 1418.Bochnia Bochnia (german: Salzberg) is a town on the river Raba in southern Poland. The town lies approximately halfway between Tarnów (east) and the regional capital Kraków (west). Bochnia is most noted for its salt mine, the oldest functioning in Eu ...

, he was a son to the

castellan A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant o ...

Żarnów Żarnów is a historical village in Opoczno County, Łódź Voivodeship, in central Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district called Gmina Żarnów. It lies approximately south-west of Opoczno and south-east of the regional capita ...

Klemens Kurowski Klemens Kurowski from Drożojewice and Kurów - polish nobleman and senator. Born around 1340 r. died before 1405 r. Came from Kurów near Szczyrzyc and Wiśnicz. Became castellan of Żarnów. Between (1400 - 1405) - became senator. As first ...

. In 1385, he received the title of

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

at the

Charles University ) , image_name = Carolinum_Logo.svg , image_size = 200px , established = , type = Public, Ancient , budget = 8.9 billion CZK , rector = Milena Králíčková , faculty = 4,057 , administrative_staff = 4,026 , students = 51,438 , undergr ...

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

. For another ten years, he continued his studies there and in 1395 received the title of ''

magister artium A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

''. During his stay in Bohemia, he became friends with some of the most prominent Polish politicians of the era to come, among them Paweł Włodkowic and

Andrzej Łaskarz Andrzej Łaskarz (Laskary) from Gosławic of the Godziemba coat of arms (1362–1426) was Bishop of Poznań from 1414 to 1426, diplomat, doctor of rights, participant of the Councils, and reformer. Biography His father was Łaszcz z Gosławic fro ...

. Upon his return to Poland, he was ordained a priest. At the same time he started a political career as a clerk in the royal chancellery in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

. He quickly advanced through the ranks of both religious and lay hierarchy and in 1395 was ordained a bishop of Poznań. In 1399, thanks to the support of King Władysław II of Poland, he became the royal chancellor and bishop of Wrocław. An active politician, he spent more time in the capital than in distant capital of Silesia. In 1402, he yet again changed the bishopry and became the archbishop of Gniezno. As a diplomat, he took part in the Polish-Teutonic negotiations at

Raciąż Raciąż is a town in Płońsk County, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland, with 4,585 inhabitants (2004). Its history dates to 10th century. History A Jewish population had lived in Raciąż since the 1600s. Between 1857 and 1931, the Jewish populatio ...

in 1404 and the council of

Nowy Korczyn Nowy Korczyn is a small town in Busko County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in south-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Nowy Korczyn. It lies in Lesser Poland, approximately south of Busko-Zdró ...

. He was also twice a member of the Polish embassy to the Grand Master of the

Teutonic Order 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 on ...

and, as the

primate of Poland This is a list of archbishops of the Archdiocese of Gniezno, who are simultaneously primates of Poland since 1418.Battle of Grunwald The Battle of Grunwald, Battle of Žalgiris or First Battle of Tannenberg was fought on 15 July 1410 during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respec ...

, he fielded a banner of his own. After the battle he was one of the authors of the Peace of Thorn and the negotiations with

Sigismund of Luxemburg Sigismund of Luxembourg (15 February 1368 – 9 December 1437) was a monarch as King of Hungary and Croatia ('' jure uxoris'') from 1387, King of Germany from 1410, King of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death in ...

. He was heavily wounded on 7 September 1411, in the effect of an accident with his horse, and died later that day. Kurowski was buried in the Cathedral of Gniezno.

Bibliography

*Adam Boniecki - ''Herbarz Polski'', Skład główny Gebethner i Wolf w Warszawie, Warszawa 1909, vol XIII page 245-246, ''Kurowscy Herbu Szreniawa''. *dr Marek Jerzy Minakowski "Ci wielcy Polacy to nasza rodzina" Kraków 2007

References

External links

Virtual tour Gniezno Cathedral
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kurowski, Miko 1411 deaths Bishops of Kujawy and Włocławek Polish politicians Bishops of Poznań Archbishops of Gniezno 15th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Poland Deaths by horse-riding accident Burials at Gniezno Cathedral People in the Battle of Grunwald Mikolaj 15th-century Polish nobility 14th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Poland 1355 births 14th-century Polish nobility