Piotr Tomicki
Encyclopedia
Piotr Tomicki - Bishop of Przemyśl, of Poznań and Archbishop of Kraków, Vice-Chancellor of the Crown and Royal Secretary. Celebrated as one of the most important representatives of the Polish Renaissance, he studied in Italy, was part of the court of Jan Lubrański
and had contacts with many of the enlightened minds of Europe, including Erasmus of Rotterdam.
Tomicki's main merit was to be a patron of artists. Throughout his life he showed great interest in arts, specially sculptures. His collection of sculptures between 1520-30 only rivalled that of the king's. Under his guidance Andrzej Górski
wrote Acta Tomiciana, a collection of documents from the time of Tomicki's service as chancelor, and the Kraków Academy created the department of Roman Law and introduced the teaching of Greek
and Hebrew
.
, a Chorąży
from Poznań
and Anny of Szamotuły. After his father's death in 1478, he went to the court of his uncle, Andrzej Szamotuły, then governor of Poznań. It is known that he studied at the cathedral school in Gniezno
, then about 1486 he studied in Leipzig
and shortly after that at the Academy of Kraków
, where he earned his bachelor's degree
in 1490, and in 1493 his magistrature in philosophy. The same year he began studying law in Bologna
, finishing his doctorate
in 1500.
Immediately after graduation he began working in the Roman Curia
, becoming chancellor of Cardinal Fryderyk Jagiellończyk
, who gave him a number of ecclesiastical benefices, including the archdeaconry of Kraków, although he was not a clergyman. After the death of Cardinal Fryderyk, he went to the court of the bishop of Poznań, Jan Lubrański
, where he lived between 1503-1506. Then he went to the office of the crown of King Sigismund I the Old
, in whose service as secretary he repeatedly envoied to Hungary
, Wallachia
, and Pomerania
.
In 1511 he was ordained priest, and in 1514 he was consacrated Bishop of Przemyśl
. A year later he became Vice-Chancelor of the Crown, office which he hed until his death. In 1515, together with Chancellor Krzysztof Szydłowiecki he became the main benefactor of a settlement with the Habsburgs. After the death of Jan Lubrański in 1520, he became bishop in Poznań, renouncing the position as bishop of Przemyśl. He resided in Wielkopolska for a while, devoting his time to politics and working for the royal court. In 1525, he became bishop of Kraków while he was still bishop of Poznań, Apostolic Nuncio and collector of papal tributes. In 1526 he abdicated his position as bishop in Poznań, when he conducted an amicable agreement between the king and Albert Hohenzollern. Tomicki served as Bishop of Kraków and Vice-Chancelor of the Crown from 1525, which was inconsistent with the then Polish law. That was called Incompatibilitas
. It was one of the main reasons for opposition near Szydłowiec during the Execution movement
.
Piotr Tomicki died in Kraków on 19 October 1535. He was buried in a chapel in the Royal Wawel Cathedral
founded by himself.
He is one of the characters on the famous painting by Jan Matejko
, Prussian Homage
.
Jan Lubranski
Jan Lubrański was a Polish bishop, politician and diplomat. His coat of arms was Godziemba.Lubrański was bishop of Płock between 1497–1498 and bishop of Poznań since 1498, founder of many churches in his dioceses, initiator of the reconstruction of the Poznań cathedral...
and had contacts with many of the enlightened minds of Europe, including Erasmus of Rotterdam.
Tomicki's main merit was to be a patron of artists. Throughout his life he showed great interest in arts, specially sculptures. His collection of sculptures between 1520-30 only rivalled that of the king's. Under his guidance Andrzej Górski
Andrzej Górski
Andrzej Górski, Nałęcz coat of arms was Treasurer of the Crown, voivode of Mazovia from 1623, Castellan of Kamieniec from 1619, voivode of Ovruch, archer, diplomat and author of the Acta Tomiciana....
wrote Acta Tomiciana, a collection of documents from the time of Tomicki's service as chancelor, and the Kraków Academy created the department of Roman Law and introduced the teaching of Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
.
Life
Tomicki was born in 1464 near Poznan as the son of Mikołaj of TomiceTomice, Poznan County
Tomice is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Stęszew, within Poznań County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It lies approximately north-west of Stęszew and west of the regional capital Poznań....
, a Chorąży
Chorąży
Chorąży or Khorunzhyi is a military rank in Poland, Ukraine and some neighboring countries. A chorąży was once a knight who bore a standard — the emblem of an armed troop, a province , a land , a duchy, or the kingdom...
from Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
and Anny of Szamotuły. After his father's death in 1478, he went to the court of his uncle, Andrzej Szamotuły, then governor of Poznań. It is known that he studied at the cathedral school in Gniezno
Gniezno
Gniezno is a city in central-western Poland, some 50 km east of Poznań, inhabited by about 70,000 people. One of the Piasts' chief cities, it was mentioned by 10th century A.D. sources as the capital of Piast Poland however the first capital of Piast realm was most likely Giecz built around...
, then about 1486 he studied in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
and shortly after that at the Academy of Kraków
Jagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University was established in 1364 by Casimir III the Great in Kazimierz . It is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in the world....
, where he earned his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in 1490, and in 1493 his magistrature in philosophy. The same year he began studying law in Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
, finishing his doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in 1500.
Immediately after graduation he began working in the Roman Curia
Roman Curia
The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope...
, becoming chancellor of Cardinal Fryderyk Jagiellończyk
Fryderyk Jagiellończyk
Cardinal Fryderyk Jagiellończyk was a Polish Prince and Duke of Lithuania, Archbishop of Gniezno, Bishop of Kraków, and Primate of Poland. He was the 6th son and 9th child of Casimir IV Jagiellon, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and his wife Elizabeth Habsburg of Hungary.Frederick...
, who gave him a number of ecclesiastical benefices, including the archdeaconry of Kraków, although he was not a clergyman. After the death of Cardinal Fryderyk, he went to the court of the bishop of Poznań, Jan Lubrański
Jan Lubranski
Jan Lubrański was a Polish bishop, politician and diplomat. His coat of arms was Godziemba.Lubrański was bishop of Płock between 1497–1498 and bishop of Poznań since 1498, founder of many churches in his dioceses, initiator of the reconstruction of the Poznań cathedral...
, where he lived between 1503-1506. Then he went to the office of the crown of King Sigismund I the Old
Sigismund I the Old
Sigismund I of Poland , of the Jagiellon dynasty, reigned as King of Poland and also as the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1506 until 1548...
, in whose service as secretary he repeatedly envoied to Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Wallachia
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
, and Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
.
In 1511 he was ordained priest, and in 1514 he was consacrated Bishop of Przemyśl
Przemysl
Przemyśl is a city in south-eastern Poland with 66,756 inhabitants, as of June 2009. In 1999, it became part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship; it was previously the capital of Przemyśl Voivodeship....
. A year later he became Vice-Chancelor of the Crown, office which he hed until his death. In 1515, together with Chancellor Krzysztof Szydłowiecki he became the main benefactor of a settlement with the Habsburgs. After the death of Jan Lubrański in 1520, he became bishop in Poznań, renouncing the position as bishop of Przemyśl. He resided in Wielkopolska for a while, devoting his time to politics and working for the royal court. In 1525, he became bishop of Kraków while he was still bishop of Poznań, Apostolic Nuncio and collector of papal tributes. In 1526 he abdicated his position as bishop in Poznań, when he conducted an amicable agreement between the king and Albert Hohenzollern. Tomicki served as Bishop of Kraków and Vice-Chancelor of the Crown from 1525, which was inconsistent with the then Polish law. That was called Incompatibilitas
Incompatibilitas
Incompatibilitas was a principle instituted in the Kingdom of Poland which forbade an individual to hold two or more official administrative positions...
. It was one of the main reasons for opposition near Szydłowiec during the Execution movement
Execution movement
The Executionist movement was a 16th-century political movement in the Kingdom of Poland and, later, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was popular among lesser, middle and even some higher nobility, and it also enjoyed the support of the Polish king...
.
Piotr Tomicki died in Kraków on 19 October 1535. He was buried in a chapel in the Royal Wawel Cathedral
Wawel Cathedral
The Wawel Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Stanisław and Vaclav, is a church located on Wawel Hill in Kraków–Poland's national sanctuary. It has a 1,000-year history and was the traditional coronation site of Polish monarchs. It is the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Kraków...
founded by himself.
He is one of the characters on the famous painting by Jan Matejko
Jan Matejko
Jan Matejko was a Polish painter known for paintings of notable historical Polish political and military events. His most famous works include oil on canvas paintings like Battle of Grunwald, paintings of numerous other battles and court scenes, and a gallery of Polish kings...
, Prussian Homage
Prussian Homage (painting)
The Prussian Homage is an oil on canvas painting by Polish painter Jan Matejko painted between 1879 and 1882 in Kraków, then part of Austria-Hungary. It depicts a tribute made by Albrecht Hohenzollern, the Duke of Prussia, to King Sigismund I the Old in the Kraków market square on 10 April 1525;...
.
External links
- Acta Tomiciana at Wielkopolska Biblioteka Cyfrowa