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Piotr Tomicki (1464 – 19 October 1535) was a Roman Catholic
Bishop of Przemyśl A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
and
Poznań Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...
,
Archbishop of Kraków The archbishop of Kraków is the head of the archdiocese of Kraków. A bishop of Kraków first came into existence when the diocese was created in 1000; it was promoted to an archdiocese on 28 October 1925. Due to Kraków's role as Poland's politic ...
, 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 the nobleman and bishop
Jan Lubrański Jan Lubrański (1456 – 22 May 1520) was a Polish bishop, politician and diplomat. His coat of arms was Godziemba. Information Lubrański was bishop of Płock between 1497 and 1498 and bishop of Poznań since 1498, founder of many churches in ...
, and had contacts with many of the enlightened minds of Europe, including
Erasmus of Rotterdam 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 theologian, educationalist, satirist, and p ...
. Tomicki was a generous patron of artists, particularly sculptors. His collection of sculptures from between 1520-30 was rivalled only by that of the king. He also presided over changes at the
Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University (, UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by Casimir III the Great, King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and one of the List of oldest universities in con ...
, which created a department of Roman Law, and introduced the teaching of
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
and
Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
. Under his guidance Stanisław Górski wrote ''Acta Tomiciana,'' a collection of documents from the time of Tomicki's service as chancellor.


Life

Tomicki was born in 1464 near Poznań, the son of Mikołaj of Tomice, a
Chorąży A standard-bearer ( Polish: ''Chorąży'' ; Russian and ; , chorunžis; ) is a military rank in Poland, Ukraine and some neighboring countries. A ''chorąży'' was once a knight who bore an ensign, the emblem of an armed troops, a voivodship, a l ...
(standard-bearer) from
Poznań Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...
, and Anna of
Szamotuły Szamotuły (, ) is a town in western Poland, in Greater Poland Voivodeship, about northwest of the centre of Poznań. It is the seat of Szamotuły County and of the smaller administrative district Gmina Szamotuły. The population was 19,090 in ...
. After his father's death in 1478, he went to the court of his uncle, Andrzej Szamotuły, then governor of Poznań. He studied at the cathedral school in
Gniezno Gniezno (; ; ) is a city in central-western Poland, about east of Poznań. Its population in 2021 was 66,769, making it the sixth-largest city in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. The city is the administrative seat of Gniezno County (''powiat'') ...
, before moving to
Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
around 1486, and shortly after to the Kraków Academy, where he earned his
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...
in 1490, and his
magistrature The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a ''magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...
in philosophy three years later in 1493. That same year he travelled to
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 ...
to study law, finishing his
doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...
in 1500. Immediately after graduation he began working in 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 ...
, becoming chancellor of Cardinal Fryderyk Jagiellończyk, who gave him a number of ecclesiastical benefices, including the
archdeaconry An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that of mo ...
of Kraków, despite Piotr's not being a
clergyman Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
. After the death of Cardinal Fryderyk, Piotr went to the court of
Jan Lubrański Jan Lubrański (1456 – 22 May 1520) was a Polish bishop, politician and diplomat. His coat of arms was Godziemba. Information Lubrański was bishop of Płock between 1497 and 1498 and bishop of Poznań since 1498, founder of many churches in ...
, the bishop of Poznań, where he remained between 1503-1506. Then he went to the office of the crown of King
Sigismund I the Old Sigismund I the Old (, ; 1 January 1467 – 1 April 1548) was List of Polish monarchs, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1506 until his death in 1548. Sigismund I was a member of the Jagiellonian dynasty, the son of Casimir IV of P ...
, in whose service as secretary he repeatedly traveled as envoy to
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 ...
,
Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...
, and
Pomerania Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...
. In 1511 Piotr was ordained a priest, and in 1514 he was consecrated Bishop of
Przemyśl Przemyśl () is a city in southeastern Poland with 56,466 inhabitants, as of December 2023. Data for territorial unit 1862000. In 1999, it became part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, Subcarpathian Voivodeship. It was previously the capital of Prz ...
. One year later he became
Vice-Chancellor of the Crown The Chancellor of Poland ( - , from ), officially, the Grand Chancellor of the Crown between 1385 and 1795, was one of the highest Offices in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, officials in the historic Crown of the Kingdom of Poland. This o ...
, an office which he held until his death. In 1515, together with Chancellor
Krzysztof Szydłowiecki Krzysztof Szydłowiecki (1467–1532) was a Polish noble (szlachcic), magnate, and Count of Szydłowiec. He was courtier since 1496, Podstoli of Kraków, Treasurer and Marshal of the Court of Prince Zygmunt since 1505, Podkomorzy of Kr ...
, he became the main benefactor of a settlement with the
Habsburgs The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...
. After the death of Jan Lubrański in 1520, he became bishop in Poznań and renounced the bishopric of Przemyśl. He resided in
Wielkopolska Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; ), is a Polish Polish historical regions, historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest city in Poland. The bound ...
for a while, devoting his time to politics and working for the royal court. In 1525, he became bishop of Kraków, while still bishop of Poznań, as well as
Apostolic Nuncio An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is ...
, and collector of papal tributes. In 1526 he abdicated his position as bishop in Poznań. In that same year he conducted an amicable agreement between the king and Albert Hohenzollern. Tomicki served as both Bishop of Kraków and Vice-Chancellor of the Crown from 1525, which was inconsistent with the Polish law of Incompatibilitas. It was one of the main reasons for opposition near Szydłowiec during the
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 Pol ...
. Piotr Tomicki died in Kraków on 19 October 1535. He was buried in
Wawel Cathedral The Wawel Cathedral (), formally titled the Archcathedral Basilica of Stanislaus of Szczepanów, Saint Stanislaus and St. Wenceslas, Saint Wenceslaus, () is a Catholic cathedral situated on Wawel Hill in Kraków, Poland. Nearly 1000 years old, it ...
in a chapel that he himself founded. He is one of the characters on the famous painting by
Jan Matejko Jan Alojzy Matejko (; also known as Jan Mateyko; 24 June 1838 – 1 November 1893) was a Polish painter, a leading 19th-century exponent of history painting, known for depicting nodal events from Polish history. His works include large scale ...
, ''
Prussian Homage The Prussian Homage or Prussian Tribute (; ) was the formal investiture of Albert, Duke of Prussia ( 1490-1568), with his Duchy of Prussia as a fief of the Kingdom of Poland that took place on 10 April 1525 in the then capital of Kraków, Kin ...
''.


See also

* '' Bishop Tomicki′s Missal''


References


Further reading

*Fr. Piotr Nitecki, ''The Bishops of the Church in Poland in the years 965-1999''. Biographical Dictionary, ed. II Amendments and additions, Warsaw (2000), p. 451-452. .


External links


Acta Tomiciana
at Wielkopolska Biblioteka Cyfrowa {{DEFAULTSORT:Tomicki, Piotr 1464 births 1535 deaths Bishops of Kraków Bishops of Poznań Bishops of Przemyśl University of Bologna alumni 16th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Poland Crown vice-chancellors