Stephen II, Bishop Of Zagreb
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Stephen II (, ; 1190/95 – 10 July 1247) was a CroatianHungarian prelate of the
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 ...
who served as Bishop of Zagreb from 1225 until his death in 1247.


Theories of origin

Stephen II was born between 1190 and 1195. Croatian historian
Ivan Kukuljević Sakcinski Ivan Kukuljević Sakcinski (; 29 May 1816 – 1 August 1889) was a Croatian historian, politician, and writer, most famous for delivering the first speech in Croatian before Parliament. Considered a renowned patriot, Kukuljević was a proponent ...
thought that Stephen originated from the Babonić noble family, which argument was also accepted by a majority of scholars in Croatia, including Neven Budak and Lejla Dobronić. In contrast,
Baltazar Adam Krčelić Baltazar Adam Krčelić (5 February 1715 – 29 March 1778) was a Croatian historian, theologian and lawyer. After Vitezović, he was the most prominent figure in the Croatian cultural life of the time. Biography He was born in Šenkovec near Za ...
regarded him as a relative of Prince Coloman and kings Andrew II and
Béla IV Béla may refer to: * Béla (crater), an elongated lunar crater * Béla (given name), a common Hungarian male given name See also * Bela (disambiguation) * Belá (disambiguation) * Bělá (disambiguation) Bělá may refer to: Places in the Cze ...
. Both Krčelić and Pavao Ritter Vitezović considered Stephen belonged to the Hungarian clan Hahót (or Buzád). Hungarian historian Judit Gál shared this argument, while Gábor Barabási mentioned Stephen's "possible Hungarian origin". In his last
will and testament A will and testament is a legal document that expresses a person's (testator) wishes as to how their property (estate (law), estate) is to be distributed after their death and as to which person (executor) is to manage the property until its fi ...
from 1227, Hungarian ''
ispán The ispánRady 2000, p. 19.''Stephen Werbőczy: The Customary Law of the Renowned Kingdom of Hungary in Three Parts (1517)'', p. 450. or countEngel 2001, p. 40.Curta 2006, p. 355. (, , and ),Kirschbaum 2007, p. 315. deriving from title of župan, ...
'' Sal Atyusz referred to Stephen as his "relative" (), which assumes that Stephen originated from the Atyusz clan, but he may have been related to the ''genus'' only on a maternal branch. Stephen studied at the
University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...
, where, according to Krčelić, he spent twelve years. He obtained the honorary title of "''magister''" there, reflecting his education and literacy. However, Croatian historian Nada Klaić incorrectly applied the former data to Stephen instead of Ugrin Csák, Archbishop of Split, and there is no source for that Stephen indeed attended the University of Paris. Mirjana Matijević-Sokol argued Stephen perhaps attended the
University of Bologna The University of Bologna (, abbreviated Unibo) is a Public university, public research university in Bologna, Italy. Teaching began around 1088, with the university becoming organised as guilds of students () by the late 12th century. It is the ...
. Upon his return to the homeland in 1224, he was appointed chancellor of Andrew II. Beside that he also functioned as the provost of Arad. The next year was consecrated as bishop of Zagreb. He was referred to as bishop-elect in that year.


Bishop of Zagreb

He styled himself as "''Stephanus secundus''" in order to distinguish himself from his immediate namesake predecessor. In his charters, he also indicated the number of his regnal years beside the date in order to differentiate. His contemporary Thomas the Archdeacon described Stephen as "rich, pompous and benevolent, but glory seeker" in his work '' Historia Salonitana''. During his episcopacy, the diocese of Zagreb saw cultural, educational, and economic flourishing, while literacy became widespread within his chancellery. The foundation of
Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
, Dominican,
Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...
and Pauline monasteries in
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
,
Čazma Čazma is a town in Bjelovar-Bilogora County, Croatia. It is part of Moslavina. Geography Čazma is situated 60 kilometers east of Zagreb and only 30 kilometres from the center of the region - Bjelovar. Čazma is situated on the slopes of ...
,
Virovitica Virovitica () is a Croatian city near the Hungary, Hungarian border. It is situated near the Drava river and belongs to the historic region of Slavonia. Virovitica has a population of 14,688, with 21,291 people in the municipality (census 2011). I ...
and Ivanić Grad contributed to this advancement. In the latter place, he built a nunnery and the church of St. Mary intended for the Cistercians. The Dominicans established liberal arts and theology studies for priests and laypeople in their friaries in Zagreb and Čazma. Influenced by his experience in Paris (or Bologna), Stephen II contributed to the education of local clergy and published ''Liber quaestionum et sententiarum'' (the Book of Questions and Meanings). Inspired by the ascetic life of the Franciscans and Dominicans, Stephen II solved the issue of the tithe on the benefit of the poor strata. Under Stephen, the chapter of Zagreb, as early as 1228, became a place of authentication. Stephen moved to the
Roman Curia The Roman Curia () comprises the administrative institutions of the Holy See and the central body through which the affairs of the Catholic Church are conducted. The Roman Curia is the institution of which the Roman Pontiff ordinarily makes use ...
in 1226 where he managed to get
Pope Honorius III Pope Honorius III (c. 1150 – 18 March 1227), born Cencio Savelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 18 July 1216 to his death. A canon at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, he came to hold a number of importa ...
to reopen the lawsuit with the Abbey of Pannonhalma over the
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. Modern tithes are normally voluntary and paid in money, cash, cheques or v ...
s in the lands beyond the
Drava The Drava or Drave (, ; ; ; ; ), historically known as the Dravis or Dravus, is a river in southern Central Europe.
river, despite the fact that the Diocese of Zagreb had previously lost the lawsuit in Hungary. Thereafter, the pope granted the title of papal
subdeacon Subdeacon is a minor orders, minor order of ministry for men or women in various branches of Christianity. The subdeacon has a specific liturgical role and is placed below the deacon and above the acolyte in the order of precedence. Subdeacons in ...
to Stephen. The bishop donated the surrounding tithes and incomes (including
Gorizia Gorizia (; ; , ; ; ) is a town and (municipality) in northeastern Italy, in the autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It is located at the foot of the Julian Alps, bordering Slovenia. It is the capital of the Province of Gorizia, Region ...
) to the cathedral chapter of Zagreb in 1227. Upon Stephen's request,
Pope Gregory IX Pope Gregory IX (; born Ugolino di Conti; 1145 – 22 August 1241) was head of the Catholic Church and the ruler of the Papal States from 19 March 1227 until his death in 1241. He is known for issuing the '' Decretales'' and instituting the Pa ...
confirmed the former land donations of kings Emeric and Andrew II to the diocese in July 1227. The former donation letter of Andrew II (1217) was, in fact, a forgery compiled by Stephen and his chancellery at the turn of 1226 and 1227 for the lawsuit against the Pannonhalma Abbey, which was such a well-executed document that it even deceived the royal chancellery later, which confirmed and transcribed it in 1269 and 1271. Stephen II reorganized the parishes in the Diocese of Zagreb and in 1232 established a collegiate chapter in Čazma (also known as Bjenik or Pobjenik) with twelve canons, where he constructed a nearby settlement of Nova Čazma. The chapter had the opportunity to elect their provost from among the four candidates for the bishop of Zagreb, all of whom were members of the chapter of Zagreb. Historian Csaba Juhász analyzed the unique ''arenga'' (prelude) of the founding diploma of the Čazma Chapter, which paraphrases much of wisdom from the works of Saint Gregory the Great. He argued Stephen and his chancellor Andrew actively participated in the drafting of the document. Altogether eleven charters were preserved during Stephen's episcopate: two last wills and testaments (of the aforementioned Sal Atyusz), six letters of donation and a letter of privileges, which guaranteed the disposition of property upon death for the canons of Čazma. They were the first documents written in an office in Slavonia. They reflect still informal forms and do not have a date or place of publication, but their emergence in the newly established episcopal office in itself testifies to the role played by Stephen in the field of literacy. Stephen often used typical topos of royal deeds of donation in the ''arenga''s or ''narratio''s of his letters of donation, and also contain elements from the
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
and the works of Saint Gregory the Great. Stephen invited Dominican friars to his diocese in order to counterbalance the spread of
Bogomilism Bogomilism (; ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", bogumilstvo, богумилство) was a Christian neo-Gnostic, dualist sect founded in the First Bulgarian Empire by the priest Bogomil during the reign of Tsar Peter I in the 10th century. It ...
. During the
First Mongol invasion of Hungary The first invasion of the Kingdom of Hungary by the Mongol Empire started in March 1241. The Mongols started to withdraw in late March 1242. Background Mongol invasion of Europe The Hungarians had first learned about the Mongol threat in 122 ...
in 1241, Stephen left his diocese and fled to the coast of the
Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...
. There, he joined the accompaniment of Béla IV, who took refugee in the well-fortified
Trogir Trogir () is a historic town and harbour on the Adriatic coast in Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia, with a population of 10,107 (2021) and a total municipal population of 12,393 (2021). The historic part of the city is situated on a small island ...
. King Béla's younger brother, Duke Coloman governed
Slavonia Slavonia (; ) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria County, Istria, one of the four Regions of Croatia, historical regions of Croatia. Located in the Pannonian Plain and taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with f ...
since 1226. Stephen was considered his most loyal confidant in the province, where the overwhelming part of the territory of the Diocese of Zagreb lay. Their cooperation was described as the era of "little
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
" in the 13th-century Slavonia by Croatian historian Vladimir P. Goss. They jointly built the Church of St. Mary Magdalene and the surrounding monasteries in Čazma around 1230. Coloman already initiated the merger of the Archbishopric of Split and the Bishopric of Zagreb, which would have extracted the latter diocese from the administration of the Hungarian ecclesiastical organization. However, Pope Gregory IX reminded him in June 1240, that the two dioceses could not be united without the consent of the
archbishop of Kalocsa In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...
– superior of the bishop of Zagreb – and the chapters of their sees. Some historians argued Stephen was ambitious in the elevation of his diocese to the status of an archdiocese. Accordingly, Stephen and his successors would have been the "Primate of Dalmatia, Croatia and Slavonia", instead of the archbishop of Split. Coloman was mortally wounded in the
Battle of Mohi The Battle of Mohi (11 April 1241) was a pivotal conflict between the Mongol Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary during the Mongol invasion of Europe. The battle took place at Muhi (then Mohi), a town located in present-day Hungary, southwest of ...
in April 1241, Stephen left without a protégé. Despite that, Stephen was elected Archbishop of Split by the local laity and clergy in 1242, when he resided in the town along with Béla and the royal court. His dual jurisdiction would be brought the unity of
Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
(
Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...
) with
Slavonia Slavonia (; ) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria County, Istria, one of the four Regions of Croatia, historical regions of Croatia. Located in the Pannonian Plain and taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with f ...
(Zagreb). He was mentioned as archbishop-elect in the period between July 1242 and November 1243. Without prominent support (there was also a long-standing ''
sede vacante In the Catholic Church, ''sede vacante'' is the state during which a diocese or archdiocese is without a prelate installed in office, with the prelate's office being the cathedral. The term is used frequently in reference to a papal interre ...
'' in the Holy See from 1241 to 1243), Stephen had to renounce the episcopacy in Split. According to Thomas the Archdeacon, his successor as archbishop-elect, Stephen insisted on a set of conditions that the recently elected
Pope Innocent IV Pope Innocent IV (; – 7 December 1254), born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 June 1243 to his death in 1254. Fieschi was born in Genoa and studied at the universities of Parma and Bolo ...
found unacceptable, which forced Stephen's withdrawal from the position. Thereafter, Stephen returned to Slavonia and actively supported the reconstruction policy of Béla IV after the Mongol withdrawal. The Diocese of Zagreb also suffered heavy damages and losses. According to a non-authentic charter from 1244, the diocese was completely destroyed, and the local inhabitants and guests (''hospes'') fled. "Feeling the material and spiritual losses suffered by the church", Stephen confirmed the inhabitants of the town of Zagreb and the guest peoples of the nearby Latin (i.e. Italian or Dalmatian) district belonging to it in their original freedom. Stephen died in Čazma on 10 July 1247. He was buried in the local Church of St. Mary Magdalene.


References


Sources


Primary sources

*''Archdeacon Thomas of Split: History of the Bishops of Salona and Split'' (Latin text by Olga Perić, edited, translated and annotated by Damir Karbić, Mirjana Matijević Sokol and James Ross Sweeney) (2006). CEU Press. .


Secondary sources

* * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stephen 02 of Zagreb 1247 deaths People from Čazma Bishops of Zagreb Bishops appointed by Pope Honorius III 13th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Croatia 13th-century Hungarian people Archbishops of Split 13th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Croatia