Mikolaj Szyszkowski
Encyclopedia
Nicolaus or Mikołaj Szyszkowski (1590–1643) of Ostoja coat of arms was a Prince-bishop
Prince-Bishop
A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office...

 of Warmia
Warmia
Warmia or Ermland is a region between Pomerelia and Masuria in northeastern Poland. Together with Masuria, it forms the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship....

 from 1633 til his death in 1643.

Born around 1590, he was the son of Jan and Anna z Ujejskich. He began his studies (in the fields of theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...

 and philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...

) in Braunsberg (Braniewo
Braniewo
Braniewo is a town in northeastern Poland, in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, with a population of 18,068 . It is the capital of Braniewo County...

), and continued them abroad, in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

. He received the Holy Orders
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....

 from his relative, Prince of Sieradz and bishop of Płock, Marcin Szyszkowski
Marcin Szyszkowski
Marcin II Szyszkowski of Ostoja Coat of Arms was a notable Polish priest who attended the Jesuit school of Kalisz and became bishop of Lutsk, Płock and finally of Kraków. In the power of the Bishop of Kraków, he also became Prince of Siewierz.- Life and education :Szyszkowski was born into a noble...

, and also because of his relative he got holdings ('beneficja') in Czerwińsk (where he was an abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...

) and elsewhere. In the royal court
Royal court
Royal court, as distinguished from a court of law, may refer to:* The Royal Court , Timbaland's production company*Court , the household and entourage of a monarch or other ruler, the princely court...

 of the Polish king Sigismund III Vasa
Sigismund III Vasa
Sigismund III Vasa was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, a monarch of the united Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1587 to 1632, and King of Sweden from 1592 until he was deposed in 1599...

 he achieved the official rank of Great Secretary, and it was then that he became a colleague of Stefan Sadorski
Stefan Sadorski
Stefan Sadorski was a courtier, politician and a diplomat of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. He was a Polish noble ....

. After the death of his relative, bishop Marcin (who in time advanced from the position of Bishop of Płock to the Bishop of Kraków) managed the Kraków Bishopry for two years.

In 1632 he became a member of the Warmia
Warmia
Warmia or Ermland is a region between Pomerelia and Masuria in northeastern Poland. Together with Masuria, it forms the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship....

n chapter
Chapter (religion)
Chapter designates certain corporate ecclesiastical bodies in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Nordic Lutheran churches....

, and with the support of the new king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...

, Władysław IV Waza, in 1633 he was chosen to become Prince-Bishop
Prince-Bishop
A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office...

 of Warmia. As Frauenburg (Frombork
Frombork
Frombork is a town in northern Poland, on the Vistula Lagoon, in Braniewo County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. It had a population of 2,528 as of 2005....

) was occupied by the Swedes, he resided in Heilsberg (Lidzbark Warmiński
Lidzbark Warminski
Lidzbark 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...

). After the end of the hostilities with Sweden, he funded a new church in Springborn (Stoczek Klasztorny), a town 11 km east of Heilsberg, founded in 1349 by Warmian bishop Hermann von Prag. Springborn, founded at a spring, became popular with pilgrims and the church dedicated to Mary as the spring of peace. He restarted the seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...

 in Braunsberg and spent much of his personal funds reconstructing churches and monasteries damaged in the recent fighting. Working together with George William of Brandenburg, he issued a new set of laws regulating economic life. Similar laws were enacted in Ducal Prussia
Ducal Prussia
The Duchy of Prussia or Ducal Prussia was a duchy in the eastern part of Prussia from 1525–1701. It was the first Protestant duchy with a dominant German-speaking population, as well as Polish and Lithuanian minorities...

.

Prince-Bishop Szyszkowski, known to also use the title of 'Bishop of Sambia
Sambia
Sambia or Samland is a peninsula in the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia, on the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea. The Curonian Lagoon and the Vistula Lagoon demarcate the peninsula. Prior to 1945 it formed an important part of East Prussia.-Names:Sambia is named after the Sambians, an extinct...

' (biskup sambijski) was also known as the protector of Catholics in Ducal Prussia. He died on 7 February in Heilsberg (Lidzbark Warmiński) and was buried in the cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...

in Frauenburg (Frombork).

The Springborn church dedicated to Mary was elevated to a 'Basilica Minor' in 1997.
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