Roman Grodecki (21 April 1889, in

Rzeszów Rzeszów ( , ; la, Resovia; yi, ריישא ''Raisha'')) is the largest city in southeastern Poland. It is located on both sides of the Wisłok River in the heartland of the Sandomierz Basin. Rzeszów has been the capital of the Subcarpathian ...

– 17 April 1964, 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 ...

), Poraj coat of arms, was a Polish

economic historian Economic history is the academic learning of economies or economic events of the past. Research is conducted using a combination of historical methods, statistical methods and the application of economic theory to historical situations and ins ...

, a professor at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, and a member of the

Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences The Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences or Polish Academy of Learning ( pl, Polska Akademia Umiejętności), headquartered in Kraków and founded in 1872, is one of two institutions in contemporary Poland having the nature of an academy of scien ...

. Grodecki's scientific research centered on

medieval Poland This article covers the history of Poland in the Middle Ages. This time covers roughly a millennium, from the 5th century to the 16th century. It is commonly dated from the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, and contrasted with a later Early Modern ...

, particularly the history of Polish

coin A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order t ...

age, monetary history and

monetary policy Monetary policy is the policy adopted by the monetary authority of a nation to control either the interest rate payable for very short-term borrowing (borrowing by banks from each other to meet their short-term needs) or the money supply, often a ...

under the Piast dynasty. Although he was not a numismatic himself, Grodecki was widely read by coin collectors of his day, and he engaged in academic discussions and polemics with the noted Polish numismatic

Marian Gumowski Marian may refer to: People * Mari people, a Finno-Ugric ethnic group in Russia * Marian (given name), a list of people with the given name * Marian (surname), a list of people so named Places * Marian, Iran (disambiguation) * Marian, Queensla ...

. In addition to economic history, Grodecki published works on the general history of medieval Poland, focusing on Polish diplomacy of the period, the history of

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...

and the life of Duke

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 ...

, the older brother of

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 ...

Life

Grodecki was born in Rzeszów to Jan Grodecki, a tax official, and Karolina Gorylska. He spent his childhood in

Głogów Małopolski Głogów Małopolski is a town in Rzeszów County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Poland. As of 31 December 2008, it has a population of 5,325. Geographic location Głogów Małopolski lies in southern part of the Sandomierz Basin, and historically ...

and attended school in

Kolomyia Kolomyia, formerly known as Kolomea ( ua, Коломия, Kolomyja, ; pl, Kołomyja; german: Kolomea; ro, Colomeea; yi, ), is a city located on the Prut River in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast (province), in western Ukraine. It serves as the adm ...

and

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 i ...

. After completing a gymnasium he enrolled at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, in 1907. He published his first, ''Książęca włość trzebnicka na tle organizacji majątków książęcych w Polsce w XII wieku'', work in 1911, while still a student. This thesis became the basis for his doctorate, which he received a year later. Between 1914 and 1917 he served in the Polish Legions. he finished his studies after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, receiving his habilitation in 1920. In 1926 he became a part-time member of the

Polish Academy of Learning The Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences or Polish Academy of Learning ( pl, Polska Akademia Umiejętności), headquartered in Kraków and founded in 1872, is one of two institutions in contemporary Poland having the nature of an academy of scie ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and the

Nazi invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week afte ...

interrupted the existence of the organization and as a consequence Grodecki did not become a full member of the academy until 1946.

World War II

At the outbreak of World War II, Grodecki was already fifty years old but nonetheless an officer of the Polish army reserves. During the mobilization of the first days of the war he left Kraków in order to join his unit. As a result he escaped the fate of many of his academic colleagues from the Jagiellonian University, who were arrested by the Germans during the

Sonderaktion Krakau ''Sonderaktion Krakau'' was a German operation against professors and academics of the Jagiellonian University and other universities in German-occupied Kraków, Poland, at the beginning of World War II. It was carried out as part of the much bro ...

, and most of whom later perished in Nazi concentration camps. He spent most of the German occupation in

Lwow Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukrain ...

. There he taught at the Underground University (higher education for Poles was banned by the Germans).

Major works

*''Nieznane pieczęcie m. Krakowa'' (1912) ("Undiscovered coin stamps of Kraków") *''Dzieje klasztoru premonstrateńskiego w Busku w wiekach średnich'' (1913) ("History of the Premonstratensian Abbey in Busk during the Middle Ages") *''Studya nad dziejami gospodarczymi Polski w XII wieku'' (1916) ("Studies in economic history of Poland of the 12th century") *''Dziesięcina mennicza w Polsce średniowiecznej'' (1918–1919) ("The monetary

tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash or cheques or more ...

in medieval Poland") *''Przyczynki do dziejów rolnictwa w Polsce średniowiecznej'' (1919) ("Development of agriculture in medieval Poland") *''Mincerze we wcześniejszym średniowieczu polskim'' (1921) ("Coin minters in early medieval Poland") *''Polityka mennicza książąt polskich w okresie piastowskim'' (1921) ("Monetary policy of Polish dukes during the Piast period") *''Przywilej menniczy biskupstwa poznańskiego z roku 1232'' (1921) ("The monetary privileges of Poznan Bishops in 1232") *''Mistrz Wincenty Kadłubek, biskup krakowski'' (1923) ("The Master

Wincenty Kadłubek Wincenty Kadłubek ( 1150 – 8 March 1223) was a Polish Catholic prelate and professed Cistercian who served as the Bishop of Kraków from 1208 until his resignation in 1218. His episcopal mission was to reform the diocesan priests to ensure ...

, Bishop of Krakow") *''Dzieje Polski do roku 1194'' (1926) ("History of Poland up to the year 1194") *''Dzieje Polski średniowiecznej'' (1926, with Stanisław Zachorowski and Jan Dąbrowski) ("History of medieval Poland") *''Dzieje Polski do roku 1386'' (1928, in: "Polska, jej dzieje i kultura") ("History of Poland up to the year 1386") *''Dzieje polityczne Śląska do roku 1290'' (1930) ("Political history of

up to the year 1290") *''Dzieje zwierzchności menniczej w Polsce średniowiecznej'' (1930) ("History of monetary sovereignty in medieval Poland") *''Początki immunitetu w Polsce'' (1930) *''Kraków i ziemia krakowska'' (1934, with Kazimierz Lepszy and Józef Feldman) *''Kongres krakowski w roku 1364'' (1939) *''Początki gospodarki folwarcznej w Polsce'' (1949) *''Sprawa św. Stanisława'' (1979)

References

* Stanisław Szczur, introduction to ''Polityka Pieniezna Piastow'', by Roman Grodecki, Mistrzowie Historiografii, Avalon, 2009. *http://www.google.com/search?tbs=bks%3A1&tbo=1&q=%22Roman+Grodecki%22&btnG=Search+Books {{DEFAULTSORT:Grodecki, Roman 1889 births 1964 deaths 20th-century Polish historians Polish male non-fiction writers Polish legionnaires (World War I) Clan of Poraj Recipients of the State Award Badge (Poland)