Jan Rzeszowski (d. 1488) was a Polish nobleman, soldier, and clergyman. He was Bishop of Kraków (1471–1488).Kolodziejczyk, D. (2011). The Crimean Khanate and Poland-Lithuania: International Diplomacy on the European Periphery (15th-18th Century), A Study of Peace Treaties Followed by an Annotated Edition of Relevant Documents. Netherlands: Brill. p. 537.
Life Jan Rzeszowski was born into a family that claimed the Półkozic coat of arms. In his youth, he took part in the Battle at Varna and managed to survive despite catastrophic losses experienced by the Poles and Hungarians. The king himself, Władysław III, and several of the king's personal soldiers were killed.Shirogorov, V. (2021). War on the Eve of Nations: Conflicts and Militaries in Eastern Europe, 1450–1500. United States: Lexington Books. p. 40.
During his career as Bishop of Kraków, Rzeszowski pioneered the use of the printing press for the production and distribution of sacral literature. He commissioned Peter Schöffer's presses for this purpose.Nowakowska, N. (2014), Anti-Reformation polemic in the kingdom of Poland, 1520–36. Hist Res, 87: 43-64. Other religious leaders in Poland eventually followed Rzeszowski's example.Alvis, R. E. (2016). White eagle, black madonna : One thousand years of the polish catholic tradition. Fordham University Press. p. 64.
Rzeszowski provided funding for the Collegium Iuridicum of the Kraków Academy.DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Cracow. (2013). United Kingdom: DK Publishing. p. 78.
According to Ludwik Łętowski, a later writerMichalski, M. (2023). Biskup Ludwik Łętowski (1786–1868) i jego bibliofilskie pasje. Saeculum Christianum, 1(30). referencing Długosz, Rzeszowski was disliked by the clergy.Łętowski, L. (1852). Katalog biskupów, prałatów i kanoników krakowskich: Biskupi krakowscy. Vol. 2. Poland: Uniw. Jagielloński. p. 35. – via Google Books.
References