Jakub Świnka

Jakub Świnka (died 4 March 1314) was a Polish Catholic priest, the Archbishop of Gniezno and a notable politician, supporter of the idea of unification of all Polish lands under the rule of Władysław I the Elbow-high ("the Short"). His coat of arms was Świnka.

Little is known about the early life of Jakub Świnka, nor are his parents known. It is probable that Świnka was a descendant of a peasant family from Greater Poland or Silesia. His family started a career in Greater Poland, but with a limited success. It is known that his elder brother Sułek did not hold any official posts while his uncle Jan Świnka was mentioned in 1286 as the castellan of a town of Spycimierz.

Jakub Świnka probably joined the Catholic priesthood and it is also probable that he graduated from a law school – probably in Cracow (Kraków) or Prague. In the 1270s he was promoted to the post of a cantor of the chapter in Gniezno. For his service to the Dukes of Greater Poland, most notably to Boleslaus the Pious and to Przemysł II he was awarded, on 8 January 1294, with the village of Polanowo.

Świnka was consecrated as archbishop in Kalisz on 30 July 1283 and the results of the voting were accepted by Pope Martin IV on 19 December the same year. The election of a Polish archbishop was seen by the rulers of Greater Poland as a chance to break the links with the Holy Roman Empire, and on 1 August 1284 Duke Przemysł II granted the bishops of Gniezno with a privilege to mint their own coins. This strengthened their power significantly.

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