GNESEN
591
GNESEN
directed the parish priests to establish and maintain
schools; also that Bishop John VII (Lubranski) of
Poseii (1499-1520) founded a college at Posen, and
other educational establishments.
Hussitism became widely disseminated throughout both dioceses in the fifteenth century. Its progress was mainly due to the fact that a great number of the sons of the Polish nobility attended the University of Prague. Bi.shop Stanislaus I (Ciolfek) of Posen (142S-H7) found himself at open variance with the city of Bentschen, whose inhabitants had become pre\ail- ingly Hussite, and was even compelled to fly from his diocese. His successor, on the other hand, Andreas of Bnin (1439-79), forced the city to deliver into his hands five Hussite preachers, whom he had burned at the stake in 1439. The further spread of the Hussite movement was checked by the recall of all Poles living in Bohemia, and by the prohibition of all commer- cial intercourse with that country. The doctrines of Luther, however, found some ready supporters amongst the inhabitants, thanks largely to feuds be- tween the clergy and the nobility. They foimd accept- ance firstin the towns — in Danzigasearly as 1518. In Posen, Bishop John Lubranski (1499-1520) favoured the cause of the Reformation, sent to Leipzig for Christopher Endorf the hiunanist, and gave him an appointment in the high school. Petrus Tomicki (1520-25), the new bishop, seemed blind to the danger that menaced the Church. It was not until 1523 that strict measures for the preservation of the Faith were taken at the instance of the king. A kind of inquisi- tion tribunal was instituted, and, at a synod con- voked at Lenczyc by Archl)ishop John Laski (1510- 31) of Gnesen, the bull of Pope Leo X excommunicat- ing Luther was published. In 1534 the young men of Poland were forbidden to attend foreign schools. This restraint was somewhat rela.xed under Laski's successors, Matthias Drzewicki (1531-35) and Andreas Krzycki (1535-37), the latter of whom was the com- poser of songs to Venus Vulgivaga and on other de- grading themes. The conduct of Archbishop Jacob Uchanski (1562-81) in his attempts to establish a national church was marked by the greatest duplicity. The Moravian Brethren meanwhile obtained a footing in the Bishopric of Posen in spite of the opposition of Bishop Benedict Izdbienski (1546-53).
The defeat of the Reformation in Poland was mainly due to the energy of Cardinal Hosius. He instigated the promulgation and execution of the decrees of the Council of Trent throughout the country, and had the Jesuits sent thither. Bishop Adam Konarski (1562-74) brought them into Posen in 1571, and in Gnesen Archbishop Stanislaus Karnkowski (1582- 1603) entrusted them with the direction of the semi- naries of Gnesen and Kalisch. From a national standpoint, the effect of the victory of the Counter- Reformation was that the German element in both dio- ceses became almost completely Polonized. Among the most important of the subsequent prelates may be mentioned: of the Archdiocese of Gnesen, Cardinal BernhardMaciejowski (1604-08), LaurentiusGembicki (1616-24), Matthias Lubienski (1641-52), Cardinal Michael Radziejowski (1687-1705), and Stanislaus Szembek (1706-22); of Posen, Andreas Opaleiiski (1607-23), Andreas Szoldrski (1636-50), Bartholo- mew Tarto (1710-15), Prince Theodore Czartoryski (1739-68).
The decline of Poland resulted in its partition among Russia, Austria, and Prussia (1773, 1793, and 1795). The Archbishop of Gne.sen retained jurisdiction only over that part of the kingdom that fell to the share of Prussia, and the Diocese of Posen was also retluced in extent. When the Prussian occupation took effect, the Church was assured of the continued enjoyment of all her possessions, but after the insurrection of 1797 all her estates were confiscated. Pius VII transferred the primacy to the Archbishop of Warsaw; but the
title of prince was still attached to the Archbishopric
of Gnesen until it too was withdrawn in 1829 by
order of the cabinet. At the reorganization of ec-
clesiastical affairs in Prussia in 1821, the Russian-
Polish part of the Diocese of Posen was cut off; the see
was rai.sed to an archbishopric, and joined to Gnesen
under one prelate. Each bishopric, however, re-
tained its own sufTragan, its own cathedral chapter,
and its own consistory. Timotheus Gorzenski (d.
1825) was consecrated first Archbishop of Gnesen-
Posen, after he had been Bishop of Posen since 1809.
The city of Posen, which in the interim had out-
stripped Gnesen in size and importance, was desig-
nated the official seat of the diocese. Since the
Prussian regime began, both chapters have had the
joint right of electmg the archbishop. This right,
however, has already proved illusory in several elec-
tions, the archiepiscopal throne having been left
vacant on several occasions for lengthy periods.
After the brief incumbency of Theophilus Wolicki
(1828-29), the archdiocese was ruled by Martin Dimin
(1831-42), a graduate of the Collegium Germanicum.
Although he met the views of the government as far
as possible on all questions concerning the schools
and religious seminaries, he, with the Archbishop of
Cologne, Clement August von Droste-Vischering, de-
fended the discipline of the Church regarding mixed
marriages so steadfastly that he was removed from
his see, exiled from his diocese, and later, on his return
to Gnesen, was arrested and confined in the fortress
of Kolberg. It was only in 1840 that he was rein-
stated, as the result of the personal interposition
of King Frederick William IV. Leo Prztuski (1845-
65) was succeeded by Miecislaus Halka Ledochowski
(1866-86), one of the first victims of the " Kultur-
kampf". On the 24 November, 1873, he was re-
quested to abdicate his office k^y the chief president of
the Province of Posen. LTpon his refusal, he was
summoned to appear before the court, arrested on the
3 February, 1874, and kept in prison at Ostrowo imtil
February, 1876. Forbidden to stay in Prussia, he
went to Rome, and was raised to the cardinalate by
Pius IX in March, 1876. The Prussian government
had him deposed by the supreme court of the state,
and ordered a new election. Both cathedral chapters
refused to carry out this order, whereupon the Prussians
confiscated the episcopal po.sse.ssions. Both suffragan
bishops, the official Korytkowski, and other clergy-
men were persecuted by the government, and had
variously to sufl'er imprisonment, exile, fines, the
suspension of stipends, and deposition. In 1883, 165
of the 555 parishes in the two dioceses were without
a pastor, and of these 131, embracing 165,000 souls,
were absolutely without any clergyman whatsoever.
In the beginning of 1886 Ledochowski resigned his
incumbency into the pope's hands. The latter
appointed a German, Julius Dinder, to the arch-
bishopric (1886-90). From the outset his German
nationality inspired the distrust of the Poles. He was
bitterly attacked by Polish newspapers and at public
meetings, because he carried out the wishes of the
administration in ordering religious instruction to be
given to the higher classes of the secondary schools
in the German tongue. Even his attitude in espous-
ing in general the cause of the Poles wherever their
rights were affected did nothing to mitigate his un-
popularity. He was succeeded liy a Pole, Florian von
Stablewski (1891-1906), who, as in the case of Dinder,
was nominated by the pope. He did his best to keep
on good terms with the civil government, promoted
the education and training of the clergy by founding
seminaries and preparatory colleges in Gnesen and
Posen, improved the Catholic unions and societies,
and caused the publication of several Catholic daily
and weekly journals. But in spite of his conciliatory
policy he was subjected to the attacks of both the
German and Polish elements as a result of the ex-
