Lucas Watzenrode the Younger

Lucas Watzenrode the Younger (sometimes also Watzelrode; _de. Lukas Watzenrode der Jüngere; _pl. Łukasz Watzenrode) (30 October 1447, Thorn (Toruń) – 29 March 1512, Thorn) was a Prince-Bishop of Warmia (Ermeland).

Early life

Watzenrode was born in Thorn (Toruń) as the son of the trader Lucas Watzenrode the Elder (1400-1462). He studied at the universities of Kraków, Cologne, and Bologna.

When both his sister Barbara Koppernigk and her husband Nicolas had died around 1483, Lucas took care of their four children, Katharina, Barbara, Andreas and Nicolaus, who would become known as the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus.

Historic background

Previously part of the Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights, the Bishopric of Warmia came under the protection of the King of Poland in the Second Peace of Thorn (1466). Based on this treaty, the king claimed to have the right of naming the bishop, as he did in his kingdom, but neither the chapter nor their newly elected bishop Nicolaus von Tüngen (1467-89) accepted this right. Poland disagreed with this election which led to the War of the Priests (1467-79) and the First Treaty of Piotrków Trybunalski (1479) in which the chapter was obliged to look for consensus with the Polish king in the election. The bishopric was suffragan to the Archbishopric of Riga, at that time led by Archbishop Michael Hildebrand.

Bishop

This agreement was somewhat vague, as shown in the election of the next bishop in 1489, Lucas Watzenrode, who was mitred by Pope Innocent VIII against the explicit wishes of King Casimir IV Jagiellon who preferred one of his sons, Frederic. Watzenrode resisted, and when Casimir died in 1492 and was succeed by John I Albert, Watzenrode could finally establish the exemption of the bishopric from Riga. Later bishops accepted limited influence of the Polish king in elections with the Second Treaty of Piotrków Trybunalski (1512). The Holy See considered the bishopric as exempt until 1992, when it was made an archbishopric, which are exempt by their nature.

Watzenrode was a successful organizer of the internal affairs of his territory and resided in Heilsberg (Lidzbark Warmiński). He reorganized the school of the cathedral and planned the foundation of a university at Elbing (Elbląg). He argued that the Teutonic Order had done its mission in the Baltic region, by then converted to Christianity, and proposed sending the Order to more heathen regions. The Ottoman Empire was an ongoing threat and had overtaken large parts of Europe, and the bishop suggested that the Order 'fight the Turks'.

The bishopric was exposed to repeated armed attacks from the Teutonic Order, which tried to regain the territory. The Polish kingdom tried to reverse the autonomy of the prince-bishopric, planning to force its surrender of prerogatives to the Polish crown. In this area of conflict, Watzenrode guarded the interests of Warmia and kept friendly relations with both the Teutonic Order and the Polish kingdom.

Family

As bishop, Watzenrode provided better care for his two nephews and two nieces. Katharina married the businessman and city councilor Barthel Gertner, while Barbara became a Benedictine nun. He sent the brothers Nicolaus (Copernicus) and Andreas to the Cracow Academy and for further studies to Italy (Bologna, Padua, Ferrara). After his studies, Copernicus helped his uncle in administration affairs and was his closest advisor. It was speculated that Watzenrode had arranged for Copernicus to become his successor in the see. Copernicus also acted as personal physician of his uncle, who died in Thorn (Toruń).

ee also

* Bishops of Warmia
* Bishopric of Warmia

References

*Bücherei Danzig, J. Kretzmer, Liber de episcopatu et episcopi Varmiensis ex vetusto Chronico Bibliotheca Heilsbergensis, 1593
*Christoph Hartknoch, Preußische Kirchen-Historia, Frankfurt a.M., 1668
*M.G. Centner, Geehrte und Gelehrte Thorner, Thorn 1763
*A. Semrau, "Katalog der Geschlechter der Schöffenbank und des Ratsstuhles in der Altstadt Thorn 1233-1602", in: Mitteilungen des Copernicus-Vereins für Wissenschaft und Kunst zu Thorn 46 (1938)
*Wojciech Iwanczak, "Lucas Watzenrode", in Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon, Bautz Verlag
*Poczet biskupów warmińskich, Olsztyn 1998
*Jürgen Hamel: Nicolaus Copernicus. - Spektrum Verlag: Heidelberg, 1994.