Jan I the Scholastic ( pl, Jan I Scholastyk; 1308/10 – 1372 before 29 September), was a Duke of

Oświęcim Oświęcim (; german: Auschwitz ; yi, אָשפּיצין, Oshpitzin) is a city in the Lesser Poland ( pl, Małopolska) province of southern Poland, situated southeast of Katowice, near the confluence of the Vistula (''Wisła'') and Soła rive ...

from 1324 until his death. He was the eldest child and only son of Duke

Władysław of Oświęcim Władysław of Oświęcim ( pl, Władysław oświęcimski; 1275/80 – by 15 May 1324), was a Duke of Oświęcim from 1315 until his death. He was the eldest son of Mieszko I, Duke of Cieszyn by his wife, probably called Grzymisława. Life In 129 ...

by his wife

Euphrosyne Euphrosyne (; grc, Εὐφροσύνη), in ancient Greek religion and mythology, was one of the Charites, known in ancient Rome as the ''Gratiae'' (Graces). She was sometimes called Euthymia (Εὐθυμία) or Eutychia (Εὐτυχία). Fa ...

, daughter of Duke Boleslaus II of Masovia.

Life

Despite the fact that he was the only heir of his father, Jan was destined since his childhood for a church career. On 15 December 1321 he received the title of Scholastic 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 ...

. After Władysław's death between 1321 and 1324, Jan succeeded him in

and in consequence was forced to leave his spiritual career. During the first year of his reign (1324–1325), he was placed under the regency of his mother, the Dowager Duchess Euphrosyne, who remained involved in the government of the Duchy until her death, in 1329. Even after he left his Church career, Jan continued to receive the revenues generated from his former title of Scholastic in Kraków, which caused the intervention of

Pope Gregory XI Pope Gregory XI ( la, Gregorius, born Pierre Roger de Beaufort; c. 1329 – 27 March 1378) was head of the Catholic Church from 30 December 1370 to his death in March 1378. He was the seventh and last Avignon pope and the most recent French pope ...

: Jan was forced to pay 5,000 fines and 500 florins as compensation for damages. The participation of troops who attacked the monasteries of Mogile and Rudy, both in Jan's territory, was not without significance. In foreign policy, Jan became a faithful ally of the

House of Luxembourg The House of Luxembourg ( lb, D'Lëtzebuerger Haus; french: Maison de Luxembourg; german: Haus Luxemburg) or Luxembourg dynasty was a royal family of the Holy Roman Empire in the Late Middle Ages, whose members between 1308 and 1437 ruled as king ...

. On 24 February 1327, together with the other Piast Dukes, Jan paid homage to King

John of Bohemia John the Blind or John of Luxembourg ( lb, Jang de Blannen; german: link=no, Johann der Blinde; cz, Jan Lucemburský; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of ...

Opawa Opawa is an inner suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand, located 2.5 kilometres south-east of the city centre. The name is a contraction of "Ōpāwaho", which, in Māori, means a place of ('ō') an outer '' pā'' or outpost ('pāwaho'). "Ōpāwa ...

. In 1336, Jan was forced to accept the annexation of the Duchy of

Racibórz Racibórz (german: Ratibor, cz, Ratiboř, szl, Racibōrz) is a city in Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland. It is the administrative seat of Racibórz County. With Opole, Racibórz is one of the historic capitals of Upper Silesia, being t ...

to the Přemyslid Duchy of

. In 1355 Jan participated in the Congress of

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

, where a dispute was resolved between the Dukes of Cieszyn and

Oleśnica Oleśnica (pronounced ; german: Oels; szl, Ôleśnica) is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland, within the Wrocław metropolitan area. It is the administrative seat of Oleśnica County and also of the rural district of ...

for the division of the Duchy of Bytom. The dispute was only resolved after Jan's mediation in 1369. Jan died in 1372 (before 29 September) and was buried in the Dominican monastery in Oświęcim. His generosity to the Church was recognized by the Provincial Chapter of

Płock Płock (pronounced ) is a city in central Poland, on the Vistula river, in the Masovian Voivodeship. According to the data provided by GUS on 31 December 2021, there were 116,962 inhabitants in the city. Its full ceremonial name, according to the ...

in 1372, when prayers for the soul of the deceased Duke were ordered in the whole country.

Marriage and issue

The name of Jan's first wife was unknown. They had one son:JAN I SCHOLASTYK (OŚWIĘCIMSKI)
Here was suggested the existence of a daughter, Anna, possibly identical to the wife of Duke

Bolko III of Strzelce Bolko III of Strzelce (also known as of Opole; pl, Bolko III Strzelecki (or Opolski); – 21 October 1382) was a Duke of Opole during 1356–1370 (with his brothers as co-rulers) and Duke of Strzelce from 1375 until his death. He was the second ...

. # Jan II (b. ca. 1344/51 – d. 19 February 1376). After 12 July 1359, Jan married secondly Salome (b. ca. 1345/50 – d. aft. 9 November 1400), daughter of Henry II Reuss,

Vogt During the Middle Ages, an (sometimes given as modern English: advocate; German: ; French: ) was an office-holder who was legally delegated to perform some of the secular responsibilities of a major feudal lord, or for an institution such as ...

Plauen Plauen (; Czech language, Czech: ''Plavno'') is, with around 65,000 inhabitants, the fifth-largest city of Saxony, Germany after Leipzig, Dresden, Chemnitz and Zwickau, the second-largest city of the Vogtland after Gera, as well as the larges ...

. They had no children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jan 01 the Scholastic 14th-century births 1372 deaths Piast dynasty