Person

Zbigniew Oleśnicki

1389–1455 · 15th century · Also known as Zbigniew Oleśnicki (cardinal)

Zbigniew Oleśnicki was Bishop of Kraków from 1423 to 1455 and the first Polish cardinal. A royal secretary who reportedly saved King Władysław II Jagiełło's life at the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, he became the most powerful statesman in Poland during the minority of Władysław III. In 1443 he bought the Duchy of Siewierz for the bishopric of Kraków.

Zbigniew Oleśnicki
Image: Jan Bąkowski (1872-1934) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Duchy of Siewierz

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Zbigniew Oleśnicki. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/zbigniew-olesnicki
MLA
“Zbigniew Oleśnicki.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/zbigniew-olesnicki. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Zbigniew Oleśnicki.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/zbigniew-olesnicki.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Zbigniew Oleśnicki’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/zbigniew-olesnicki (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻