HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Jan Kropidło (1360 or 1364 – 3 March 1421), was an ecclesiastic leader in Poland during the
late Middle Ages The late Middle Ages or late medieval period was the Periodization, period of History of Europe, European history lasting from 1300 to 1500 AD. The late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period ( ...
. Jan was the eldest son of Duke Bolko III of Strzelce and his wife Anna. Jan was titled Duke of Strzelce (1382–96, with his brothers) and Duke of
Opole Opole (; ; ; ) is a city located in southern Poland on the Oder River and the historical capital of Upper Silesia. With a population of approximately 127,387 as of the 2021 census, it is the capital of Opole Voivodeship (province) and the seat of ...
(from 1396, with his brothers but only formally). His vocation, however, was the
Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
, and Jan was appointed as
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 ...
(1382–84),
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 ...
(1384–89), nominated Archbishop of Gniezno (1389–94), Bishop of Kamień (1394–98), Bishop of Chełmno (Culm) (1398–1402), and again
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 ...
from 1402 until his death.


Life

Jan was the first child and eldest son of Duke Bolko III of Strzelce by his wife Anna, who was probably daughter of Duke Jan I of Oświęcim. The couple had four sons and one daughter. Although Jan was the eldest of the four male siblings, for unknown reasons he was destined for the Church from his early years. His uncle, Duke Vladislaus II of Opole, became guardian to the minor brothers when their father died in 1382 and the four brothers all inherited the Duchy of Strzelce as co-rulers. In 1379 Jan, while yet a teenager, was named a provost of the Spiš Chapterhouse (in northern
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, 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 and ...
, then pawned to Poland), giving him substantial revenues. His rapid ecclesiastic ascent was largely due to the support of his powerful uncle Vladislaus. Despite his new duties, Jan would also study law and theology in
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 ...
and
Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
. In 1382 Jan returned to Poland, where he, thanks to the support of King
Louis I Louis I may refer to: Cardinals * Louis I, Cardinal of Guise (1527–1578) Counts * Ludwig I, Count of Württemberg (c. 1098–1158) * Louis I of Blois (1172–1205) * Louis I of Flanders (1304–1346) * Louis I of Châtillon (died 13 ...
, was appointed
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 ...
. Jan remained in this office for only two years, because in 1384 he received the more profitable Bishopric of Włocławek. In 1388, the death of Archbishop Bodzanta gave Jan the opportunity to obtain a more politically and important position; the
Archbishopric of Gniezno The Archdiocese of Gniezno (, ) is the oldest Latin Catholic archdiocese in Poland, located in the city of Gniezno.
. Despite the Papal consent, however, Jan never completely took the title and goods of the Archbishopric. The decisive objection was made by the new Polish King,
Władysław II Jagiełło Jogaila (; 1 June 1434), later Władysław II Jagiełło (),Other names include (; ) (see also Names and titles of Władysław II Jagiełło) was Grand Duke of Lithuania beginning in 1377 and starting in 1386, becoming King of Poland as well. ...
, who was involved in a bitter dispute with Jan's uncle Vladislaus and would not accept the nomination of his enemy's nephew to the most important position in the Church of Poland – because that could place the king in a risky position. The fact that Jan originally had not wanted to combine forces with his uncle did not matter to the king. The dispute over the Archbishopric lasted until 1394, when Jan, unable to obtain the king's recognition, finally resigned. This period of struggle was probably the heaviest in Jan's life, and severely affected his finances. Soon after, Jan obtained the position as Bishop of Kamień. The revenues of the Diocese were little, and therefore he asked the
Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...
for the right to reap revenues from the Bishopric of Poznań. Again, the opposition of King Władysław II prevented him from obtaining the rich
benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...
s. In 1398 Jan was named Bishop of Chełmno (Culm), whose territory in medieval
Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
lay entirely within 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 ...
. In 1399 Jan returned to Poland, but in
Kalisz Kalisz () is a city in central Poland, and the second-largest city in the Greater Poland Voivodeship, with 97,905 residents (December 2021). It is the capital city of the Kalisz Region. Situated on the Prosna river in the southeastern part of Gr ...
he was stopped by partisans of King Władysław II, who forced him to take the oath of loyalty. Władysław Opolczyk died in 1401, an event that enabled a complete reconciliation between Jan and the Polish king. His death also conveyed the title of Duke of Opole upon Jan, in co-ruling with his surviving two brothers, although the title was a
figurehead In politics, a figurehead is a practice of who ''de jure'' (in name or by law) appears to hold an important and often supremely powerful title or office, yet '' de facto'' (in reality) exercises little to no actual power. This usually means that ...
only and rule was controlled by his brother
Bolko IV of Opole Bolko IV of Opole (; 1363/67 – 6 May 1437), was a Duke of Strzelce and Niemodlin during 1382–1400 (with his brothers as co-rulers), Duke of Opole from 1396 (until 1400 with his brother as co-ruler, except Olesno). He was the second son of Du ...
. Now, Jan's ambitions focused on recovering the Bishopric of Włocławek, and he was named a bishop one year later in 1402. He remained in this post until his death. The Włocławek hierarchy was not easy, mainly because the Diocese was positioned in the middle of disputes between 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 the Kingdom of Poland, especially over who was the real owner of the Diocese of
Gdańsk Pomerania Gdańsk Pomerania (; ; ) is the main geographical region within Pomerelia (also known as Vistula Pomerania, Eastern Pomerania, and previously Polish Pomerania) in northern Poland, covering the bulk of Pomeranian Voivodeship. In contrast to ''Pome ...
(in fact, the Diocese was part of the Bishopric of Włocławek). This conflict made ruling almost impossible for Jan. As a result, he became increasingly willing to cooperate with Poland; this was particularly revealed in 1410 during the
Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War The Polish–Lithuanian — Teutonic War, also known as the Great Teutonic War, occurred between 1409 and 1411 between the Teutonic Knights and the allied History of Poland (1385–1569), Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Inspired ...
, when thanks to the mediation of Bishop of Gdańsk, he paid homage to the Polish king. Jan's decision to remain on the Polish side had serious consequences for him: in 1411 he was imprisoned by the citizens of
Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...
, who were subjects of the
Bohemian Kingdom The Kingdom of Bohemia (), sometimes referenced in English literature as the Czech Kingdom, was a medieval and early modern monarchy in Central Europe. It was the predecessor state of the modern Czech Republic. The Kingdom of Bohemia was an Im ...
and in this way could neutralize the bishop's activities. Jan regained his freedom after three months through the personal intervention of
Sigismund of Luxembourg 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-elec ...
, King of Hungary and Holy Roman Emperor. The city of Wrocław was forced into a humiliating apology ceremony. In general, the relationship between Jan and the House of Luxembourg was good, and thanks to this, the Bishop obtained the Abbeys of Szekszárd and
Pannonhalma Pannonhalma (; ), called Győrszentmárton until 1965, is a town in Győr-Moson-Sopron county in western Hungary. With a little under 4,000 inhabitants, it is about south-southeast of Győr. Pannonhalma is home to the oldest extant religious and ...
(both in Hungary) as new revenues. He was one of the signatories of the
Union of Horodło The Union of Horodło or Pact of Horodło was a set of three acts signed in the town of Horodło on 2 October 1413. The first act was signed by Władysław II Jagiełło, King of Poland, and Vytautas, Grand Duke of Lithuania. The second and thir ...
on 2 October 1413. During 1415-1417 Jan took part in the
Council of Constance The Council of Constance (; ) was an ecumenical council of the Catholic Church that was held from 1414 to 1418 in the Bishopric of Constance (Konstanz) in present-day Germany. This was the first time that an ecumenical council was convened in ...
, which ended the so-called "Three-Popes Controversy" and therefore the
Western Schism The Western Schism, also known as the Papal Schism, the Great Occidental Schism, the Schism of 1378, or the Great Schism (), was a split within the Catholic Church lasting from 20 September 1378 to 11 November 1417, in which bishops residing ...
of the Roman Catholic Church. Importantly for Jan personally, during the council the Teutonic Order guaranteed the inviolability of the Bishopric of Gdańsk Pomerania, thanks to the influence of the Curia and the support of the Polish delegation. He also had the satisfaction of seeing the
Bishop of Wrocław Bishops of the (Breslau )Wrocław Bishopric, Prince-Bishopric (1290–1918), and Archdiocese (since 1930; see Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wrocław for details). Bishops * 1000–? – John (Johannes) * 1051–1062 – Hieronymus * 1063–1072 � ...
punished for Jan's unlawful imprisonment a few years earlier. As Bishop of Włocławek, Jan was an excellent ruler and the revenues of the Bishopric increased significantly. He also raised the category of his Diocese, after ordering construction of a magnificent cathedral. Throughout his life, and despite his Church career, Jan always used his lay title, firstly ''Jan, Duke of Strzelce'', and later ''Jan, Duke of Opole''. He was subsequently, however, as ''Jan Kropidło'', although there is uncertainty about the source of the
sobriquet A sobriquet ( ) is a descriptive nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. A sobriquet is distinct from a pseudonym in that it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name without the need for explanation; it may beco ...
. In one derivation, "Kropidło" means "
aspergillum An aspergillum ("little sprinkler", less commonly, aspergilium, aspergil or asperger) is a Christian liturgical implement used to sprinkle holy water. It comes in three forms: a freshly cut hyssop branch, a brush-like bundle that is dippe ...
" – an instrument used to sprinkle
holy water Holy water is water that has been blessed by a member of the clergy or a religious figure, or derived from a well or spring considered holy. The use for cleansing prior to a baptism and spiritual cleansing is common in several religions, from ...
– in allusion to his Church career. Alternately, Jan might have received the nickname from his thick hair. Jan died on 3 March 1421 in Opole and was buried in the local Dominican church. In his will, he left a considerable amount of money to the city of Opole.


Notes


References

*
Chronological Dates in Stoyan


External links



, - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Kropidlo, Jan 1360s births 1421 deaths Piast dynasty Prince-bishops in the Holy Roman Empire 14th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Poland 15th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Poland Bishops of Kujawy and Włocławek Archbishops of Gniezno Bishops of Poznań