Stanisław Karnkowski of Junosza (1520–1603) was the Great Referendary of the Polish Crown (since 1558), the Great Secretary of Poland (since 1563),
bishop of Włocławek
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 ...
(1567-1580) as well as
archbishop of Gniezno
This is a list of archbishops of the Archdiocese of Gniezno, who are simultaneously primates of Poland since 1418.Primate of Poland (since 1581). He served during the Interrex in 1586–1587, before the coronation of Sigismund III Vasa.
Karnkowski chaired the Sejm commission which prepared the so-called "Karnkowski's Statutes" approved by the Parliament in 1570. He was the only bishop on the
election sejm
Royal elections in Poland (Polish language, Polish: ''wolna elekcja'', lit. ''free election'') were the elections of individual King, kings, rather than dynasties, to the Polish throne. Based on traditions dating to the very beginning of the Polis ...
to vote for Stefan Batory, who was suspected of being a secret Protestant. He opposed attempts of reforming the way of the election made by Jan Zamoyski and proposals of raising up taxes for the army.
Stanisław Karnkowski invited Jesuits to Kalisz and Poznań and founded the buildings that had to serve as centres of the struggle against
Protestants
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
in
Greater Poland
Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; german: Großpolen, sv, Storpolen, la, Polonia Maior), is a Polish historical regions, historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed ...
. Due to these activities, he was strongly supported by the king Sigismund III Vasa, the Jesuit complex was erected (1586–1597).
Stanisław Karnkowski is one of the personas on the famous painting by
Jan Matejko
Jan Alojzy Matejko (; also known as Jan Mateyko; 24 June 1838 – 1 November 1893) was a Poles, Polish painting, painter, a leading 19th-century exponent of history painting, known for depicting nodal events from Polish history. His works includ ...