John Albert Vasa
Encyclopedia
John Albert Vasa (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
.
in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. 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 liturgical 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
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
.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
, and a Prince-Bishop
Prince-Bishop
A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office...
of Warmia
Warmia
Warmia or Ermland is a region between Pomerelia and Masuria in northeastern Poland. Together with Masuria, it forms the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship....
and Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
. He was the son of Swedish and Polish King Sigismund III Vasa
Sigismund III Vasa
Sigismund III Vasa was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, a monarch of the united Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1587 to 1632, and King of Sweden from 1592 until he was deposed in 1599...
and Austrian archduchess Constance of Austria
Constance of Austria
Archduchess Constance of Austria was a Queen consort of Poland.-Biography:...
.
Biography
John Albert Vasa was born in WarsawWarsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. When he was 9 years old, after the death of Szymon Rudnicki his father chose him to be the next Prince-Bishop
Prince-Bishop
A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office...
of Warmia
Warmia
Warmia or Ermland is a region between Pomerelia and Masuria in northeastern Poland. Together with Masuria, it forms the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship....
. The pope agreed to that request on October 21, 1621. More difficult to reach was an agreement from the Warmian chapter
Chapter (religion)
Chapter designates certain corporate ecclesiastical bodies in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Nordic Lutheran churches....
, and the objections of szlachta
Szlachta
The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
delayed the final approval of this nomination in the Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
until 1631. The prince never visited his diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
, it was governed in his name by the suffragan bishop
Suffragan bishop
A suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop. He or she may be assigned to an area which does not have a cathedral of its own.-Anglican Communion:...
Michał Działyński, archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
of Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
Jakub Wierzbipięta Borzuchowski and canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
of Warmia, Paweł Piasecki. The cathedral at Frauenburg (Frombork
Frombork
Frombork is a town in northern Poland, on the Vistula Lagoon, in Braniewo County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. It had a population of 2,528 as of 2005....
) was enriched by the gifts from Jan Albert that included liturgical robes and a golden statue of Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew , called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" , like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him...
.
He was educated in the Society of Jesus
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
.
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
Pope Urban VIII
Pope Urban VIII , born Maffeo Barberini, was pope from 1623 to 1644. He was the last pope to expand the papal territory by force of arms, and was a prominent patron of the arts and reformer of Church missions...
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
Santa Maria in Aquiro
Santa Maria in Aquiro is a church in Rome, Italy. It is dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus, and is located on Piazza Capranica.The church is ancient – it was restored by Pope Gregory III in the VIII century, and thus must have existed before then. One theory is that it was the titulus Equitii,...
.
Jan Albert died in Italy in 1634 at Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
, 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
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
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
Mikolaj Szyszkowski
Nicolaus or Mikołaj Szyszkowski of Ostoja coat of arms was a Prince-bishop of Warmia from 1633 til his death in 1643.Born around 1590, he was the son of Jan and Anna z Ujejskich. He began his studies in Braunsberg , and continued them abroad, in Rome...
in 1632. In the office of Bishop of Kraków he was succeeded by Jakub Zadzik
Jakub Zadzik
Jakub Zadzik was a Polish Great Crown Secretary from 1613 to 1627, bishop of Chełmno from 1624, Crown Deputy Chancellor from 1627, Great Crown Chancellor from 1628 to 1635, bishop of Kraków from 1635, diplomat, szlachcic, magnate in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth...
.