Mieszko of Bytom (b. ca. 1305 – d. bef. 9 August 1344), was a Duke of

Siewierz Siewierz is a town in southern Poland, in the Będzin County in the Silesian Voivodeship, seat of Gmina Siewierz. History Siewierz was first mentioned in 1125, and was administered by the Castellan of Bytom. In 1177, Casimir II of Poland grante ...

during 1312–1328 (from 1315 only formally), Bishop of

Nitra Nitra (; also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river Nitra. It is located 95 km east of Bratislava. With a population of about 78,353, it is the fifth la ...

1328–1334 and Bishop of

Veszprém Veszprém (; german: Weißbrunn, sl, Belomost) is one of the oldest urban areas in Hungary, and a city with county rights. It lies approximately north of the Lake Balaton. It is the administrative center of the county (comitatus or 'megye') of ...

from 1334 to his death. He was the fifth and youngest son of Duke

Casimir of Bytom Casimir of Bytom ( pl, Kazimierz; 1253/57 – 10 March 1312) was a Duke of Opole during 1282–1284 (with his brother as co-ruler) and Duke of Bytom from 1284 until his death. He was the second son of Władysław, Duke of Opole–Racibórz ...

by his wife Helena.

Life

As the youngest son, Mieszko was destined to the clergy since his early childhood. Nevertheless, after his father's death in 1312 he received the town of

, but he continued his church career and in 1313 he joined to the

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic Church, Catholic Military ord ...

. Two years later (in 1315) Mieszko, together with his older brother Bolesław, traveled to

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

, at the request of their sister Queen Maria and soon after his arrival, Mieszko was appointed Hungarian Prior of the Knights Hospitaller; however, three years later, in 1318, he resigned from that dignity at the express command of the Pope. After his resignation as a prior, Mieszko remained as a faithful supporter of his brother Bolesław, who in return rewarded his fidelity in 1328, when he obtained for Mieszko the dignity of

Bishop of Nitra The Diocese of Nitra ( sk, Nitrianska diecéza; la, Dioecesis Nitriensis; hu, Nyitrai egyházmegye) is a Roman Catholic diocese western Slovakia, with its seat in Nitra. , the bishop is Viliam Judák. History The diocese was created as the f ...

. This happened despite the opposition of the local Chapter, who were completely against the

nepotism Nepotism is an advantage, privilege, or position that is granted to relatives and friends in an occupation or field. These fields may include but are not limited to, business, politics, academia, entertainment, sports, fitness, religion, an ...

; however, the full support shown to the Piast princes by the King Charles I Robert and his new wife Queen Elizabeth (Queen Maria died in 1317) ended this dispute with a complete success to Mieszko, who, in order to assume the rule over the bishopric, finally decided to resign his Duchy of Siewierz on behalf of his brother Władysław. The government of Mieszko over Nitra wasn't easy. Despite all the problems, he was completely involved in activities who raised the importance of his episcopal city, and decided to start his rule with huge impetus, built a new cathedral (who was completed after his death in 1355). In 1334, and after years of continuous conflict with the Chapter, Mieszko was named

Bishop of Veszprém 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 ...

(this time with the consent of the Pope and the local nobility). During this time, he also held the position of chancellor of Queen Elisabeth of Hungary (who certainly was involved in the election of Mieszko as Bishop), who bought him important benefits (Mieszko received from Federal Chancellery the amount of 500 fines per year by orders of Queen Elisabeth). During the last years of his life, Mieszko continued with his close cooperation with the Hungarian

House of Anjou Angevin or House of Anjou may refer to: * County of Anjou or Duchy of Anjou, a historical county, and later Duchy, in France ** Angevin (language), the traditional langue d'oïl spoken in Anjou ** Counts and Dukes of Anjou *House of Ingelger, a Fra ...

. In 1342 he participated in the coronation of the new King

Louis Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis (d ...

, who also remained in close contact. Mieszko died in 1344 and was buried in the cathedral of Veszprém.

References

{{authority control 1300s births 1344 deaths Piast dynasty 14th-century Polish nobility 14th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Poland Bishops of Veszprém Polish expatriates in Hungary