Lucas Watzenrode
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Lucas Watzenrode (German also Lukas, Polish Łukasz) was born 1400 in Thorn and died in Thorn in 1462. In the Thorn citizen registry book (Thorner Bürger Buch) he was registered as landowner, businessmen, judge, councilman etc., living at Seglergasse in Thorn. He was married to Katharina von Rüdiger in 1436. In 1448 he and other Thorn burghers are registered at having been summoned to the court at Limburg.
Lucas and his wife Katharina had a daughter named Barbara, who married Nicolas Kopernik. Katharina's sister Christina married Tideman von Allen. Both sisters married in Towun.
The grandson of Lucas Watzenrode became known as Nicolaus Copernicus. Copernicus had an uncle, his mother's brother, also named Lucas Watzenrode, who as bishop of Ermeland strongly supported the independence of Ermeland and helped raise Nicolaus and his brother after their father's death.
Christina and Tideman's daughter Cordula von Allen married Reinhold Feldstedt, who was born 1468 in Danzig and died 1529 in Danzig. Their daughter Katharina Feldstedt married Herman Giese, born 1523 in Danzig. Tideman Giese, a famous bishop of Ermeland, was a descendant.
Copernicus' uncle Lucas Watzenrode followed as bishop of Ermland, when the bishop Nicolaus Tungen died in 1489. Bishops were also secular rulers of the land. Lucas Watzenrode had been elected, but Casimir IV, king of Poland etc. did not wish him to be bishop. Casimir IV wanted his son Friedrich to become bishop, to invalidate the Teutonic Knights government and to be able to force Prussia to unite with Poland. Watzenrode however was ordained by the pope as bishop and ruler of Ermland, a part of Prussia, but then an excempt bishopric. The Prussian nobility, Teutonic Knights and a section of the Polish clergy supported him. Polish king Casimir IV did continue with conquest attempts and in 1492 he planned to remove Watzenrode by military force. His death foiled this plan. Watzenrode now was able to have a cordial neighborly working relationship with the sons of Casimir IV, Jan I Olbracht, then Aleksander Jagiellończyk, then Zygmunt I Stary. At times he was adviser to them. He had a good working relationship with the Teutonic Knights, but when necessary, upheld the independend status of Ermeland.
Watzenrode founded a cathedral school in Frauenburg and planned to open a university in Elbing. He had a large volume library and was instrumental in having the first literary books printed for the Ermland bishopric. He donated many paintings and sculptures, altars etc.
His nephew Nicolaus Copernicus and brother Andreas Kopernik were raised by their bishop uncle since the death of the father in 1483. Copernicus aided Watzenrode from 1503 to 1510 to receive the canonate. Having income in turn was of great assistance to Copernicus in his astronomical studies and enabled him to dispense free medical help to the poor inhabitants of Ermeland.
See also
References
- Library 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 [1] (http://www.bautz.de/bbkl/w/watzenrode.shtml)
- Poczet biskupów warmińskich, Olsztyn 1998