- Wincenty Kadłubek
Infobox Saint
name=Wincenty Kadłubek
birth_date=1161
death_date=death date|1223|3|8|mf=y
feast_day=March 8
venerated_in=Roman Catholic Church
imagesize=200px
caption=Wincenty Kadłubek
birth_place=Karwów ,Poland
death_place=Jedrzejow ,Poland
titles=Bishop of Cracow, Saint
beatified_date=February 18 ,1764
beatified_place=
beatified_by=Clement XIII
canonized_date=
canonized_place=
canonized_by=
attributes=
patronage=
major_shrine=
suppressed_date=
issues=Blessed Wincenty Kadłubek (1161 –
March 8 ,1223 ), also known as Vincent Kadlubek, Vincent Kadlubo, Vincent Kadlubko, Vincent ofKraków , Master Vincentius, was a thirteenth centuryBishop of Cracow and historian ofPoland .Biography
Kadłubek was born to a wealthy Polish family in
Karwów nearOpatów . He studied inBologna . Upon the death ofFulk, Bishop of Kraków (Cracow), onSeptember 11 ,1207 , Kadłubek was elected to the office.Innocent III approved the election, and Kadłubek was consecrated by Henry Kielicz, Archbishop of Gniezno.He followed
Gallus Anonymus in further developing the idea of the Latin proverb "vox populi vox dei" ("the voice of the people is the voice of god") and argued that the ruler (king) should always follow a council that includes bishops and representatives of clans, since not the ruler but the council has higher authority originating from the laws of God. He also claimed that the ruler should be elected by the council and rulers abusing their power should be removed.In 1218, Kadłubek resigned and entered the
monastery ofJędrzejów . He was the first Pole to receive the habit of theCistercians , and lived among them until his death. He was buried before the high altar of the abbey church. In 1682, kingJohn III Sobieski petitioned theHoly See for hisbeatification . A similar request was made in 1699 by the General Chapter of theOrder of Cîteaux . OnFebruary 18 ,1764 , Kadłubek was beatified byClement XIII .Works
Kadłubek's best-known work, "
Chronica seu originale regum et principum Poloniae " ("Chronicles of the Kings and Princes of Poland"), is a history of Poland in four volumes. The first three volumes take the form of a dialogue between Archbishop John of Gniezno (1148-65) and Matthew, Bishop of Kraków (1145-65). The first volume's sources are legends, the second is based on the chronicle of Gallus, and the last two are based upon Kadłubek's own experiences.This work had a huge impact on the Polish political doctrine of the 14th and 15th centuries as created by
Stanisław of Skarbimierz and others, as well as on the 16th century works ofWawrzyniec Grzymała Goślicki . These ideas led to theNobles' Democracy inPoland , for it is in his works, that for the first time the terms "res publica " (seeCommonwealth andRzeczpospolita ) were used in the context of Poland.Some say the book was written at the request of Prince Casimir II; others, that it was made at the request of Prince Leszek, while Kadłubek was bishop; and still others claim that it was not written until after his retirement to the monastery.
References
* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15438a.htm The Catholic Encyclopedia: Blessed Vincent Kadlubek]
* [http://ebooks.abc-clio.com/ebooks/9781576078631/pg_1283.asp The Crusades An Encyclopedia: Wincenty Kadłubek]
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