 | This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(May 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Stanislaus Hosius | |
|---|---|
| Prince-Bishop of Warmia | |
 Portrait byMarcello Bacciarelli | |
| Archdiocese | Bishopric of Warmia |
| Appointed | 2 March 1551 |
| Installed | 11 May 1551 |
| Term ended | 5 August 1579 |
| Predecessor | Tiedemann Giese |
| Successor | Marcin Kromer |
| Other post(s) |
|
| Previous post(s) |
|
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1543 |
| Consecration | 23 March 1550 |
| Created cardinal | 26 February 1561 byPius IV |
| Rank | Cardinal-Priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Stanisław Hozjusz 5 May 1504 |
| Died | 5 August 1579(1579-08-05) (aged 75) Capranica Prenestina,Papal States |
| Nationality | Polish |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Parents | Ulrich Hosse ofPforzheim |
| Education | |
| Coat of arms |  |
Ordination history of Stanislaus Hosius | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
Stanislaus Hosius (Polish:Stanisław Hozjusz; 5 May 1504 – 5 August 1579) was a PolishRoman Catholic cardinal. From 1551 he was thePrince-Bishop of theBishopric of Warmia in Royal Prussia, and from 1558, he served as the papal legate to theHoly Roman Emperor'sImperial Court inVienna,Austria. From 1566 he was also thepapal legate toPoland.
Hosius was born inKraków, the son ofUlrich Hosse ofPforzheim. He spent his early youth at Kraków andVilnius, and at the age of fifteen, already well versed inGerman, Polish andLatin, he entered the University of Kraków from which he graduated as Bachelor of Arts in 1520.Piotr Tomicki, Bishop of Kraków and Vice-Chancellor of Poland, employed him as private secretary and entrusted to him the education of his nephews. Tomicki became his patron and underwrote his studies at theUniversity of Padua and theUniversity of Bologna,Italy. At Padua,Reginald Pole was one of his fellow students. At Bologna, he pursued jurisprudence under Hugo Buoncompagni, the futureGregory XIII.[1]
After graduating as doctor of canon and civil law at the University of Bologna on 8 June 1534, he returned to Krakow and became secretary in the royal chancery. On the death of Bishop Tomicki (1535), he continued as secretary under the new vice-chancellor, BishopJan Chojeński of Płock. After the death of Bishop Choinski in 1538, Hosius was appointed royal secretary. In that position, he had the entire confidence of King Sigismund, who bestowed various ecclesiastical benefices upon him as reward for his faithful services. In 1543, Hosius was ordained priest. King Sigismund died in 1548, but before his death, he had instructed his son and successor, Sigismund II, to nominate Hosius for the next vacant episcopal see.[1]
Hosius was nominated for theSee of Chełmno in 1549. He had not sought that dignity and accepted it only with reluctance. Hosius was then sent by Sigismund on a diplomatic important mission to the courts of King Ferdinand I at Prague and Emperor Charles V at Brussels and Ghent. The mission resulted in an alliance between Poland and the other monarchies. Upon his return to Poland, he received episcopal consecration at Kraków on 23 March 1550, and he immediately took possession of his see.[1] Hosius hadJesuit sympathies and actively opposed theProtestant Reformation.[2]
Two years later, he becamePrince-Bishop of Warmia in Royal Prussia, Poland. Hosius drew up theConfessio fidei christiana catholica, adopted by the Synod of Piotrków in 1557.[2] He was a supremely-skillful diplomat and administrator. Hosius andMarcin Kromer were the two bishops most instrumental in keeping theWarmia region Catholic, and neighbouringDucal Prussia became Protestant. In 1558Pope Paul IV summoned him to Rome, and soon Hosius became an influential member of the Roman Curia.[3]
The following year,Pope Pius IV appointed Hosius as his personal nuncio toFerdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, at the court inVienna, where he was to work on the reopening of theCouncil of Trent. He was further charged with gaining the support of the emperor's son,Maximilian, who appeared to have Protestant sympathies. For his successful work Hosius was promoted to cardinal in 1561. Pope Pius IV named him Legate-Theologian for the third session of the Council of Trent; the other two legates were Cardinals Puteo and Gonzaga.[3]
Despite health issues he mediated between the various factions at the Council and addressed issues particular to Poland-Lithuania, such as the status of the Teutonic Knights and the marriage of Stanislaus Orzechowski. When the Council ended, he returned home, despite requests to travel to Rome for the papal conclave that was to be held after the death of the ailing Pius IV. Cardinal Truchess even suggested that Hosius was a candidate for the papacy.[4] Instead of going to Rome, he returned to his diocese, leaving Trent on December 1563 to implement the decrees and canons of the Council of Trent. In 1566,Pope Pius V consecrated him as Papal Legate to Poland.
Besides carrying through many difficult negotiations, he founded the lyceum ofBraunsberg to counter the rapidly spreading Protestants. It became the centre of the Roman Catholic mission among Protestants.[2] In 1572,Pope Gregory XIII declared Hosius a member of theCongregatio Germania. He died atCapranica Prenestina, nearRome, on 5 August 1579.
A special friend to Hosius was SaintPeter Canisius. Both Kromer and Hosius left many records of theirGerman speeches and sermons in their years of duty in the Bishopric of Warmia. They were later translated toCzech,English, andFrench.
A collected edition of his works was published atCologne,Germany, in 1584. A two-volume biography was written by A. Eichhorn (Mainz, 1854).[2]
The cause of sainthood commenced but paused for a while until it resumed as of 5 August 2006. He is now known as aServant of God.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Stanislaus Hosius".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Hosius, Stanislaus".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 790.| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Regnal titles | ||
| Preceded by | Prince-Bishop of Warmia (Ermland) 1551–1579 | Succeeded by |
| Records | ||
| Preceded by | Oldest living Member of the Sacred College 23 July 1577 - 5 August 1579 | Succeeded by |
