Andreas Dudith | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1533 (1533) |
| Died | 1589 (aged 55–56) |
| Occupation | Diplomat |
Andreas Dudith (Croatian:Andrija Dudić Orehovički), alsoAndrás Dudith de Horahovicza (February 5, 1533 – February 22, 1589), was aHungarian nobleman ofCroatian andItalian origin,Catholic bishop, humanist and diplomat in theKingdom of Hungary.
Dudith was born inBuda, capital city of theKingdom of Hungary to a Hungarian noble family withCroatian origins. His father, Jeromos Dudits,[1] was a Croatian and his mother was an Italian.[2] He studied inWrocław,Italy,Vienna,Brussels andParis.
In 1560 KingFerdinand I appointed himbishop of Knin,Croatia. He then participated in theCouncil of Trent (1545–1563) where, to comply with the wish of Ferdinand, he urged that theChalice be given to the laity. Being appointed bishop ofPécs, Dudith went toPoland in 1565 as ambassador ofMaximilian, where he married, and resigned his see, becoming an adherent ofProtestantism. In Poland he began to sympathize withSocinianAnti-trinitarianism (the so-calledEcclesia Minor). Although he never declared himself officially aUnitarian, some researchers label him as an Anti-trinitarian thinker.
After the election ofStephen Báthory as king of Poland, Dudith leftKraków and went toWrocław and later toMoravia, where he supported theBohemian Brothers.
Dudith maintained a correspondence with famous Anti-trinitarians such asGiorgio Blandrata,Jacob Paleologus andFausto Sozzini. Mihály Balázs, an expert on Central-European Anti-trinitarianism, affirms that Paleologus in Kraków lived in Dudith's house and left there to go toTransylvania.[3] The theories of Blandrata, Sozzini andFerenc Dávid had a great influence on him. Nevertheless he always remained anErasmian humanist, who condemned religious intolerance whether fromProtestants orCatholics.
Dudith died in 1589 in Wrocław and was buried in the Saint-Elizabeth Lutheran Church.
