Bishops of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth were one of the highest ranking
officials who could sit in the
Senate of Poland. They sat first in the Senate, before the secular officials. Only
Roman Catholic bishops sat in the Senate (see
Senatorial offices for details).
Competences
The most important official among the
bishops was the
Primate — the
Archbishop of Gniezno. From 1572, the first time that Poland had been without a king (the
Jagiellon Dynasty having died out with King
Zygmunt II August), the
Archbishop of
Gniezno served as interrex — interim head of state until a new king could be elected. He represented the country and prepared elections for a new king.
In addition, the Archbishop of Gniezno had the power to call a new Senate session, if he deemed it important to do so, even in the absence of the King. He could also invoke the "de non praestanda obedientia" article, giving the country the right to legally depose the King. From among other senators, he chose his own court marshal (often a
castellan). That person acted as the Archbishop's messenger during Senate meetings, giving signs (by moving a cross) that conveyed how the Archbishop wished his allies to vote. The Archbishop of Gniezno had two deputies — the bishops of
Wrocław and
Poznań.
List
Note: the below lists are organized in the order of importance (based on the sitting order in Senat in 1569) according to list by
Feliks Koneczny.[1] Offices which were added afterwards are listed below, and may not be in order of sitting.
Bishop of Wrocław (biskup wrocławski) Seat:
Wrocław. Note: not a senatorial office possibly because bishop of Wrocław was a subordinate of archbishop of Gniezno