Aktywność biskupa kujawskiego Andrzeja Zebrzydowskiego w przełomowym roku 1548 – aspekt polityczny

Abstract

The momentous events in the Jagiellonian royal family in 1548, such as the death of King Sigismund I and the secret wedding of his son, in July 1547, also determined the activity of Andrzej Zebrzydowski, the bishop of Kuyavia. As a consequence of these, he did not undertake the annual statutory visitation tour of his diocese, and his duties as clerical head of the diocese had to give way to the political tasks of a senator of the Kingdom. The letters take up the problems of the Kingdom’s politics and show the Kuyavian bishop’s deep concern with them. The advice given to Sigismund I in response to royal inquiries regarding imperial letters confirms the bishop’s political foresight and uncommon diplomatic sense. The article indicates the causes and purposes of the clerical senator’s increased mobility in 1548, such as the pre-Sejm and pre-Sejm assemblies, the funeral of King Sigismund I the Old and the return from Lithuania to the Crown of Sigismund Augustus, which, in view of the coalition of political opponents of the heir to the throne, forces Zebrzydowski and Zebrzydowski to travel additional kilometers, as the itinerary is determined by the intra-family power struggle. The young king’s marriage is not his private affair and has consequences for the future not only of the Kingdom, but also of the Church. Lastly, there is the Hungarian messenger. This year he traveled by horse, carriage, sleigh and boat about 1,620 kilometers. Translated by Stefan Kubiak