Martin or Martin of Gniezno (died after 1112) was a medieval

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

based in Principality of Poland. He was Archbishop of Gniezno, head of the Polish church, from ca. 1092/99 until 1112/27. The preface of the '' Gesta principum Polonorum'', the anonymous historical narrative whose author is usually referred to as

Gallus Anonymus ''Gallus Anonymus'' ( Polonized variant: ''Gall '') is the name traditionally given to the anonymous author of ''Gesta principum Polonorum'' (Deeds of the Princes of the Poles), composed in Latin between 1112 and 1118. ''Gallus'' is generally rega ...

, begins with an address to Archbishop Martin. Martin, as the chief churchman of the principality, was heavily involved in Polish politics in the era. He is thought to have mediated between

Zbigniew Zbigniew () is a Polish masculine given name, originally Zbygniew . This West Slavic name is derived from the Polish elements ''Zby-'' (from ''zbyć, zbyć się, or pozbyć się'', meaning "to dispel", "to get rid of") and ''gniew'', meaning "ang ...

and

Bolesław III Wrymouth Bolesław III Wrymouth ( pl, Bolesław III Krzywousty; 20 August 1086 – 28 October 1138), also known as Boleslaus the Wry-mouthed, was the duke of Lesser Poland, Silesia and Sandomierz between 1102 and 1107 and over the whole of Poland between ...

, and between these two princes and their father

Władysław I Herman Władysław I Herman ( 1044 – 4 June 1102) was the duke of Poland from 1079 until his death. Accession Władysław was the second son of the Polish duke Casimir the Restorer and Maria Dobroniega of Kiev. As the second son, Władysław was not ...

, in their disputes. Archbishop Martin probably favoured Zbigniew, this alliance leading to Martin's incarceration by Bolesław when the latter marched on his residence at

Spycimierz Spycimierz is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Uniejów, within Poddębice County, Łódź Voivodeship, in central Poland. It lies approximately south-west of Uniejów, west of Poddębice, and west of the regional capital Łó ...

c. 1106.Knoll & Schaer (eds.), ''Gesta Principum Polonorum'', pp. 149, n. 2, 188–89, n. 6

Notes

External links

Virtual tour Gniezno Cathedral

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin I (Archbishop Of Gniezno) Archbishops of Gniezno 1110s deaths Year of birth unknown