Mikołaj Kurowski of Szreniawa of

Kurów Kurów () is a town in 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 Voivodeship. The ...

(died 1411) was a chancellor of the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385. Background The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...

and a Catholic hierarch. He held the posts of the

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

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

and an

archbishop of Gniezno This is a list of archbishops of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Gniezno, Archdiocese of Gniezno, who are simultaneously primate (bishop), primates of Poland since 1418.Bochnia Bochnia is a town on the river Raba in southern Poland, administrative seat of Bochnia County in Lesser Poland Voivodeship. The town lies approximately halfway between Tarnów (east) and the regional capital Kraków (west). Bochnia is most noted ...

, he was a son to the

castellan A castellan, or constable, was the governor of a castle in medieval Europe. Its surrounding territory was referred to as the castellany. The word stems from . A castellan was almost always male, but could occasionally be female, as when, in 1 ...

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

Klemens Kurowski. In 1385, he received the title of

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

at the

Charles University Charles University (CUNI; , UK; ; ), or historically as the University of Prague (), is the largest university in the Czech Republic. It is one of the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest universities in the world in conti ...

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

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

magister artium A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) 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. Those admitted to the degree have ...

''. 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 fr ...

. 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 , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

. Kurowski 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 the 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 4,642 inhabitants (2010). Its history dates to 10th century. History Raciąż was granted town rights in 1425 by Siemowit IV, Duke of Masovia. It was located on a trade ...

in 1404 and the council of

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

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

Teutonic Order The Teutonic Order is a religious order (Catholic), Catholic religious institution founded as a military order (religious society), military society in Acre, Israel, Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Sa ...

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 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 respectively by King Władysław II Jagiełło (Jogaila), a ...

, 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 Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death in 1437. He was elected King of Germany (King of the Romans) in 1410, and was also King of Bohemia from 1419, as well as prince-elect ...

. Kurowski was seriously wounded on 7 September 1411 in an accident with his horse, and died later that day. He 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 Charles University alumni