Johannes V. Thurzo

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tomb of Johann Thurzo in the Wroclaw Cathedral

Johann (es) V. T (h) urzo (Hungarian: Thurzó ; also T (h) urzo of Bethlenfalva ; born  April 16, 1466 in Cracow ; † August 2, 1520 in Neisse ) was Prince-Bishop of Wroclaw from 1506–1520 .

Origin and career

Johannes came from the Hungarian- German- Slovak patrician family Thurzo . He was the first-born son of the mining and smelting entrepreneur of the same name, Johannes Thurzo from Leutschau in der Zips , who had moved his residence to Krakow in 1462, where he was granted citizenship two years later. From 1478 Johannes studied at the humanistically oriented University of Krakow , where he obtained his bachelor's degree in 1484 and his master's degree in 1487 . He then gave lectures at the Cracow seminary Collegium majus . To prepare for his spiritual career, he went to Italy in 1490 to study canon law , where he also stayed at the papal court for a time. As a doctor of law ( doctor decretorum ) he returned to Kraków and in 1498 held the post of rector of the university. It was around this time that his ascent into spiritual offices began: he became a scholastic in Gnesen and in Posen , canon in Krakow and soon afterwards canon and dean of the Wroclaw cathedral chapter .

In 1501 he took over the office of papal collector in the Kingdom of Poland and in the ecclesiastical province of Gniezno with the support of the Fugger . The Polish King Johann Albrecht commissioned him several times with diplomatic missions.

Prince-Bishop of Wroclaw

Against the resistance of the Wroclaw Chapter and the Silesian princes, Johannes got the position of coadjutor in Wroclaw with the use of money and family connections . At the same time, he was assured of the successor to the bishopric, which was also confirmed by the Pope in 1503. Although the so-called "Kolowratsche Treaty" of February 3, 1504 stipulated that in future only native Silesians , Moravians , Bohemians or Lusatians may be elected to the bishopric of Breslau , Johannes Thurzo was given a foreigner status after the death of Bishop Johann IV . February 1506 his successor. The episcopal ordination took place through Johann's younger brother Stanislaus Thurzo , who was bishop of Olomouc .

As Bishop of Breslau was Johannes 1507-1509 as a top provincial governor at the head of the Silesian princes. Together with his brother Stanislaus, he took over the collection of indulgences in Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia intended for the new construction of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

His administration was shaped by the difficult relationship with the cathedral chapter, which accused him of negligence, poor administration and costly court management, and by the anti-church and anti-clerical mood of the citizens of Breslau and the Silesian princes. He did not succeed in solving the difficult church political tasks that arose from the beginning of the Reformation . Although he called several synods and had the diocesan statutes printed in 1512, he was unable to decisively promote and renew religious life.

As an enlightened humanist , he promoted young theologians and humanists such as Caspar Ursinus Velius , Georg von Logau and Johann Hess , who later became the leader of the Reformation in Breslau. In 1515 he called Valentin Krautwald to be his secretary. The Goldberg School was also supported by him.

Thurzo owned a sizeable library and numerous works of art, including those by Albrecht Dürer and Lucas Cranach . Through his lively building activity, he promoted the fine arts. During his tenure, the bishop's summer residence, Burg Johannesberg near Jauernig, was converted into a renaissance castle, and the Wroclaw Cathedral was given a valuable reliquary and a copper roof. With the portal to the cathedral sacristy built by him in 1517 with the “beheading of John the Baptist”, Renaissance art found its way into the city. He built the St. John's Chapel and found his final resting place there. The white marble grave monument was donated in 1537 by his brothers Stanislaus and Hans.

literature

Web links

Commons : Johannes V. Thurzo  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
predecessor Office successor
Johann IV. Roth Prince-Bishop of Breslau
1506–1520 		Jakob von Salza
personal data
SURNAME Thurzo, Johannes V.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Thurzo von Bethlenfalva, Johannes; Johann Turzo
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prince-Bishop of Wroclaw
DATE OF BIRTH April 16, 1466
PLACE OF BIRTH Krakow
DATE OF DEATH August 2, 1520
Place of death Neisse