Zbigniew Oleśnicki (primate of Poland)

Zbigniew Oleśnicki (c. 1430–1493), nephew of Cardinal Zbigniew Oleśnicki, was a Roman Catholic clergyman and Polish politician.[1][2] He served as crown deputy chancellor from 1472, bishop of Kuyavia from 1472, and bishop of Gniezno and primate of Poland from 12 October 1481.[3][4]

His Excellency

Zbigniew Oleśnicki
Archbishop of Gniezno
Primate of Poland
ChurchRoman Catholic
ArchdioceseGniezno
Installed1481
Term ended1492
Orders
Consecration1473
Personal details
Born1430
Died2 February 1493
Łowicz
Coat of armsEpiscopal coat of arms of Archbishop Zbigniew Oleśnicki,

He was born, about 1430, into the influential Debno noble family; he was the son of Marshal of the Kingdom of Poland Jan Oleśnicki, and the nephew of Zbigniew Cardinal Oleśnicki of Kraków

During the absence of King Casimir IV Jagiellon he was deputized in several state matters including dealing with the Old Prussians; however, by the end of Casimirs reign their relationship had soured, probably due to a rivalry with Frederick Jagiellon, the Bishop of Kraków and Casimir's son. After the death of Casimir, he was a strong supporter for the election of Janusz III of Masovia to be the new king as opposed to John I Albert.

He died on 2 February 1493 in Łowicz and was buried in the Cathedral of Gniezno, where his tomb was built with red marble by Veit Stoss.[5]

References

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  1. ^ Zbigniew_Olesnicki at catholic-hierarchy.org.
  2. ^ Zbigniew_Olesnicki at Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
  3. ^ Zbigniew Oleśnicki at catholic-hierarchy.org.
  4. ^ Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi, Volume 2, page 160, and page 270
  5. ^ Marceli Kosman: Between the altar and the throne: the Polish primates. New York: Palgrave Macmillan Publishing G & P, 2000. ISBN 83-7272-017-7.
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