John Albert Vasa

John Albert Vasa ("Jan Albert Waza") (June 25, 1612 – December 29, 1634), was a Polish cardinal, and a Prince-Bishop of Warmia and Kraków. He was the son of Swedish and Polish King Sigismund III Vasa and Austrian archduchess Constance of Austria Habsburg.

Biography

Vasa (Swedish: Wasa) was born in Warsaw, Poland.

When he was 9 years old, after the death of Szymon Rudnicki his father chose him to be the next Prince-Bishop of Warmia. The pope agreed to that request on October 21, 1621. More difficult to reach was an agreement from the Warmian chapter, and the objections of szlachta delayed the final approval of this nomination in the Sejm until 1631. The prince never visited his diocese, it was governed in his name by the suffragan bishop Michał Działyński, archdeacon of Warsaw Jakub Wierzbipięta Borzuchowski and canon of Warmia, Paweł Piasecki. The cathedral at Frauenburg (Frombork) was enriched by the gifts from Jan Albert that included lithurgical robes and a golden statue of Saint Andrew.

He was educated in the Society of Jesus.

On 20 October 1632 Vasa received the office of Prince Bishop of Cracow (after the death of Andrzej Lipski); he performed his duties in person from 27 February of 1633.

On 20 December, 1632 his cardinal nomination was declared in public; pope Urban VIII has signed the nomination on October 19, 1629 but in secret ("in pectore tacite"), and after revealing the information he granted Jan Albert the presbyterian title of Sanctae Marie in Aquiro.

Jan Albert died in Italy in 1634 at Padua, where he was likely sent by his brother, King Wladislaw IV Waza with a diplomatic mission. The cause of his death are uncertain - Albrycht S. Radziwill in his diary suggested that he was infected with smallpox when he met his brother, Aleksander Karol during their meeting before he left for Italy (Karol died this same year from smallpox). Paweł Piasecki suggests that the cause of his death could be some illness other than smallpox.

In the office of Bishop of Warmia he was succeeded by Mikolaj Szyszkowski in 1632. In the office of Bishop of Kraków he was succeeded by Jakub Zadzik.

Ancestors

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1= Jan Albert Waza
2= Sigismund III Vasa
3= Constance of Austria
4= John III of Sweden
5= Catherine Jagellonica of Poland
6= Charles II of Austria
7= Maria Anna of Bavaria
8= Gustav I of Sweden
9= Margaret Leijonhufvud
10=Sigismund I the Old
11=Bona Sforza
12=Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
13=Anna of Bohemia and Hungary
14=Albert V, Duke of Bavaria
15=Anna of Austria

ee also

* Bishops of Warmia
* List of Roman Catholic bishops of Kraków

External links

* [http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios1629.htm#Wazy More info related to his Church Career]