Jan Łaski or Johannes à Lasco (1499 – 8 January 1560) was a
Polish Calvinist
Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...
reformer. Owing to his influential work in England (1548–1553) during the
English Reformation
The English Reformation began in 16th-century England when the Church of England broke away first from the authority of the pope and bishops Oath_of_Supremacy, over the King and then from some doctrines and practices of the Catholic Church ...
, he is known to the English-speaking world by the Anglicised form John à Lasco (or less commonly, John Laski).
Life
Jan Łaski was born in 1499 as the second son of Jarosław Łaski, the
voivode
Voivode ( ), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...
of
Sieradz, and Zuzanna of
Bąkowa Góra. Following Hermann Dalton's claims in his nineteenth-century biography of Łaski, a number of historians have identified the Łaski family's castle in
Łask as his place of birth, although recent Polish scholarship concludes that the exact location cannot be ascertained.
His uncle, also
Jan Łaski, was the
Archbishop of Gniezno,
Primate of Poland and
Grand Chancellor of the Crown, and he was instrumental in forwarding the early career of his nephew. The coat-of-arms of the Łaski family was ''
Korab''.
In 1513 Jan joined his uncle’s retinue travelling to Rome, passing through Silesia into Bohemia and then onto Vienna. It is possibly in Vienna that he left the company of his uncle, staying for some time in Lepizig, where the latter directed financial support for his nephew from Rome. There is no record of Łaski undergoing any formal education at the University of Leipzig at that time. He then travelled to Bologna in 1515, where he studied under the guidance of other Polish noblemen. While Eaves and Carter suggest that Łaski studied at the University of Bologna, Janakowski has noted that there is no evidence for that, although it is likely that he may have interacted with the university’s teaching staff. Jan stayed in Bologna until 1517 or 1518, and he was referred to as the scholar of Bologna (Bononiensis scolaris) by his uncle in 1517, but the stay did not result in any formal degree.
Using his influence, his uncle secured for him the position of the custodian of Łęczyca in 1517, and in 1518 the young Łaski became canon at both Kraków and Płock. In the same year he left Bologna, much to the chagrin of his uncle, and eventually made his way to Padua, where he remained until 1519, returning to Poland in the same year without an academic degree. He was appointed one of the secretaries to the Polish king
Sigismund I upon his return, and in 1521 he took holy orders and was appointed Dean of Gniezno.
In 1523 or 1524 Jan Łaski met
Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus ( ; ; 28 October c. 1466 – 12 July 1536), commonly known in English as Erasmus of Rotterdam or simply Erasmus, was a Dutch Christian humanist, Catholic priest and Catholic theology, theologian, educationalist ...
in Basel, where he returned soon for a prolonged stay in Erasmus’s home. There he met
Conrad Pellican, who became his instructor in Hebrew,
Beatus Rhenanus, who later dedicated to Łaski his commentaries on Pliny, as well as
Heinrich Glareanus and
Johannes Oecolampadius. Konstanty Żantuan argues that Łaski became Erasmus’s favourite pupil and notes that he was later commemmorated by the Basel Protestants with a stained glass window with his family coat-of-arms, the Korab, in the room where he lived. The friendship between Erasmus and Łaski culminated in Łaski buying Erasmus’s library, which the latter was allowed to keep and use until the end of his life. Łaski’s visits to Switzerland also acquainted him with
Ulrich Zwingli
Huldrych or Ulrich Zwingli (1 January 1484 – 11 October 1531) was a Swiss Christian theologian, musician, and leader of the Reformation in Switzerland. Born during a time of emerging Swiss patriotism and increasing criticism of the Swis ...
, whom he visited in Zurich.
In the conflict for the Hungarian crown between
John Zápolya
John Zápolya or Szapolyai (; ; ; ; 1487 – 22 July 1540), was King of Hungary (as John I) from 1526 to 1540. His rule was disputed by Archduke Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, Ferdinand I, who also claimed the title King of Hungary. He wa ...
and
Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, Łaski supported Zápolya, and he was involved, alongside his brother Hieronim, in negotiations with the Turks to secure military support for Zápolya. Zápolya's defeat and the Łaskis' involvement in the affair resulted in their financial ruin, postponing Jan's payment promised to Erasmus for his library until after the latter's death. The money was finally brought to Basel on Łaski's behalf by
Andrzej Frycz-Modrzewski in November 1536.
Jan Łaski left Poland in 1538, first travelling to Wittenberg, where he met
Philip Melanchthon, with whom he developed a correspondence. He then reached Franfurt, where he met the theologian
Albert Hardenberg; the two moved to Louvain, where in 1540 Jan married Barbara, the daughter of a local merchant. In December that year he moved with his wife to
Emden
Emden () is an Independent city (Germany), independent town and seaport in Lower Saxony in the north-west of Germany and lies on the River Ems (river), Ems, close to the Germany–Netherlands border, Netherlands border. It is the main town in t ...
in
East Frisia
East Frisia () or East Friesland (; ; ; ) is a historic region in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is primarily located on the western half of the East Frisia (peninsula), East Frisian peninsula, to the east of West Frisia and to the ...
.
In 1542, he became pastor of a Protestant church at Emden. A public library in Emden is named after him.
Shortly after his stay in Emden he went to
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, where in 1550 he was superintendent of the
Strangers' Church of London and had some influence on ecclesiastical affairs in the reign of
Edward VI
Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. The only surviving son of Henry VIII by his thi ...
.

Upon the accession of Catholic
Queen Mary in July 1553, he fled to
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
with a shipload of refugees from the
Strangers' Church. However they were denied refuge there because they would not accept the
Augsburg Confession
The Augsburg Confession (), also known as the Augustan Confession or the Augustana from its Latin name, ''Confessio Augustana'', is the primary confession of faith of the Lutheranism, Lutheran Church and one of the most important documents of th ...
of Faith. They were resettled in
Brandenburg
Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...
. Łaski also helped
Catherine Willoughby and her husband after they too had left England. His support enabled them to obtain an appointment from
Sigismund II as administrators of
Lithuania
Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
.
Łaski was a correspondent of
John Hooper, whom Łaski supported in the
vestments controversy
The vestments controversy or vestarian controversy arose in the English Reformation, ostensibly concerning vestments or clerical dress. Initiated by John Hooper (bishop), John Hooper's rejection of clergy, clerical vestments in the Church of En ...
.
In 1556, he was recalled to
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
, where he became secretary to King
Sigismund II and was a leader in
Calvinism
Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyteri ...
.
His contributions to the Calvinist churches were the establishment of church government in theory and practice, a denial of any distinction between ministers and elders except in terms of who could teach and administer the sacraments. A meeting with the Anabaptist
Menno Simons in 1544 led Łaski to coin the term "
Mennonites
Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...
" for the followers of Simons.
He died in
Pińczów
Pińczów is a town in southern Poland, in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, about 40 km south of Kielce. It is the capital of Pińczów County. The population is 10,946 (2018). Pińczów belongs to the historical region of Lesser Poland (Polish: ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
.
Works
* ''Forma ac ratio'' (1550) -- A "Form and Rationale" for the liturgy of the
Stranger churches in London. Possibly influenced the 1552
Book of Common Prayer
The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the title given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christianity, Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The Book of Common Prayer (1549), fi ...
,
John Knox
John Knox ( – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Church of Scotland.
Born in Giffordgate, a street in Haddington, East Lot ...
's Scottish order, the
Middleburg ordinal, the 1563 German Palatinate order, and the "forms and prayers" in Pieter Dathenus' psalter, which was influential in Dutch Calvinist churches.
* Johannes a Lasco, ''Opera'' (Works), ed.
Abraham Kuyper (Amsterdam: F. Muller, 1866).
See also
*
Jan Łaski (1456–1531)
*
Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski
*
Wacław of Szamotuły
*
List of Poles
This is a partial list of notable Polish people, Polish or Polish language, Polish-speaking or -writing people. People of partial Polish heritage have their respective ancestries credited.
Physics
*Miedziak Antal
* Czesław Białobrzesk ...
References
Attribution:
*
*
*
*
nglish translation of *
*
*
*
*
External links
Dr George M Ella, "Jan Laski. Pan-European Reformer." MülheimWorks by Jan Łaskiin digital library
Polona
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laski, Jan
1499 births
1560 deaths
People from Łask
Polish Calvinist and Reformed ministers
16th-century writers in Latin
Polish nobility
Protestant Reformers
Canons of Gniezno
Canons of Kraków
Translators of the Bible into Polish
16th-century Polish people
16th-century translators
People of the Tudor period
16th-century Calvinist and Reformed ministers
Jan