Bishops of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Encyclopedia
Bishops of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth were one of the highest ranking officials who could sit in the Senate of Poland
. They sat first in the Senate, before the secular officials. Only Roman Catholic bishops sat in the Senate (see Senatorial offices for details).
s was the Primate
— the Archbishop of Gniezno. From 1572, the first time that Poland had been without a king (the Jagiellon Dynasty
having died out with King Zygmunt II August), the Archbishop
of Gniezno
served as interrex
— interim head of state until a new king could be elected. He represented the country and prepared elections for a new king.
In addition, the Archbishop of Gniezno had the power to call a new Senate session, if he deemed it important to do so, even in the absence of the King. He could also invoke the "de non praestanda obedientia" article, giving the country the right to legally depose the King. From among other senators, he chose his own court marshal (often a castellan
). That person acted as the Archbishop's messenger during Senate meetings, giving signs (by moving a cross) that conveyed how the Archbishop wished his allies to vote. The Archbishop of Gniezno had two deputies — the bishops of Wrocław and Poznań
.
. Offices which were added afterwards are listed below, and may not be in order of sitting.
Other:
Senate of Poland
The Senate is the upper house of the Polish parliament, the lower house being the 'Sejm'. The history of the Polish Senate is rich in tradition and stretches back over 500 years, it was one of the first constituent bodies of a bicameral parliament in Europe and existed without hiatus until the...
. They sat first in the Senate, before the secular officials. Only Roman Catholic bishops sat in the Senate (see Senatorial offices for details).
Competences
The most important official among the bishopBishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
s was the Primate
Primate (religion)
Primate is a title or rank bestowed on some bishops in certain Christian churches. Depending on the particular tradition, it can denote either jurisdictional authority or ceremonial precedence ....
— the Archbishop of Gniezno. From 1572, the first time that Poland had been without a king (the Jagiellon Dynasty
Jagiellon dynasty
The Jagiellonian dynasty was a royal dynasty originating from the Lithuanian House of Gediminas dynasty that reigned in Central European countries between the 14th and 16th century...
having died out with King Zygmunt II August), the Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of 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...
served as interrex
Interrex (Poland)
The institution of interrex existed in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, whose ruling classes liked to view their Republic or Commonwealth as an heir to Roman republican traditions...
— interim head of state until a new king could be elected. He represented the country and prepared elections for a new king.
In addition, the Archbishop of Gniezno had the power to call a new Senate session, if he deemed it important to do so, even in the absence of the King. He could also invoke the "de non praestanda obedientia" article, giving the country the right to legally depose the King. From among other senators, he chose his own court marshal (often a castellan
Castellan
A castellan was the governor or captain of a castle. The word stems from the Latin Castellanus, derived from castellum "castle". Also known as a constable.-Duties:...
). That person acted as the Archbishop's messenger during Senate meetings, giving signs (by moving a cross) that conveyed how the Archbishop wished his allies to vote. The Archbishop of Gniezno had two deputies — the bishops of Wrocław and 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...
.
List
Note: the below lists are organized in the order of importance (based on the sitting order in Senat in 1569) according to list by Feliks KonecznyFeliks Koneczny
Feliks Karol Koneczny was a Polish historian and social philosopher. Founder of the original system of the comparative science of civilizations.- Biography :...
. Offices which were added afterwards are listed below, and may not be in order of sitting.
- ArchbishopArchbishopAn archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
s (Arcybiskupi) and bishopBishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s (Biskupi):- Archbishop of Gniezno, primate of Poland (arcybiskup gnieźnieński, prymas). Seat: GnieznoGnieznoGniezno 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...
. - Archbishop of Lwów (Lviv) (arcybiskup lwowski). Seat: Lwów.
- Bishop of Kraków (biskup krakowski). Seat: KrakówKrakówKraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
. - Bishop of Kujawy (biskup kujawski or włocławski). Seat: Włocławek.
- Bishop of Vilnius (biskup wileński). Seat: VilniusVilniusVilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
. Note: Bishop of Wilno and Bishop of Poznań exchanged seats each other Sejm. - Bishop of Poznań (biskup poznański). Seat: PoznańPoznanPoznań 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...
. - Bishop of Płock (biskup płocki) Seat: Płock. Note: Bishop of Płock and Bishop of Warmia exchanged seats each other Sejm.
- Bishop of Warmia (biskup warmiński) Seat: Lidzbark WarmińskiLidzbark WarminskiLidzbark Warmiński is a town in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the capital of Lidzbark County.- History :The town was originally an Old Prussian settlement known as Lecbarg until being conquered in 1240 by the Teutonic Knights, who called it Heilsberg...
. - Bishop of Łuck (biskup łucki) Seat: Łuck.
- Bishop of Przemyśl (biskup przemyski) Seat: PrzemyślPrzemyslPrzemyśl 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....
. - Bishop of Samogitia (biskup żmudzki or miednicki) Seat: VarniaiVarniaiVarniai , is a city in the Telšiai County, western Lithuania. In the Middle Ages the city was known as Medininkai. It was established in the 14th century, on the bank of the Varnelė River, near an important Samogitian castle. It was the center of Samogitian Catholic church: after the baptism of...
. - Bishop of Chełmno (biskup chełmiński) Seat: Chełmno.
- Bishop of Chełm (biskup chełmski) Seat: Chełm.
- Bishop of Kiev (biskup kijowski) Seat: KievKievKiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
. - Bishop of Inflanty (Livonia) (biskup inflancki) Seat: DyneburgDaugavpilsDaugavpils is a city in southeastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city gets its name. Daugavpils literally means "Daugava Castle". With a population of over 100,000, it is the second largest city in the country after the capital Riga, which is located some...
. - Bishop of Smoleńsk (biskup smoleński) Seat: SmoleńskSmolenskSmolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River. Situated west-southwest of Moscow, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk...
.
- Archbishop of Gniezno, primate of Poland (arcybiskup gnieźnieński, prymas). Seat: Gniezno
Other:
- Bishop of Kamieniec (biskup kamieniecki) Seat: Kamieniec Podolski. Note: post created in 1612, sat before the bishop of Smoleńsk.
- Bishop of Wrocław (biskup wrocławski) Seat: Wrocław. Note: not a senatorial office possibly because bishop of Wrocław was a subordinate of archbishop of Gniezno
- Bishop of Wenden (biskup wendeński) Seat: WendenCesisCēsis , is a town in Latvia located in the northern part of the Central Vidzeme Upland. Cēsis is on the Gauja River valley, and is built on a series of ridges above the river overlooking the woods below...
. Note: office existed only from 1598 to 1620s. Episcopal seeEpiscopal SeeAn episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
relocated to Dyneburg (creating Diocese of InflantyDiocese of InflantyThe Diocese of Inflanty was a territorial division of the Roman Catholic Church established after 1621 in Latgalia during the Inflanty Voivodeship of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was formed after Vidzeme and present-day Estonia were conquered by Swedish king Gustav II Adolf...
) after the Swedish conquest of Wenden.