Diocese of Wladislaw

The historical origin of this diocese is not known precisely. The city of Wladislaw, or Wloclawek, in the government of Warsaw, contains more than 40,000 Catholics. The old Polish historians follow John Dlugosz, the fifteenth century annalist, who narrates that Mieczyslaw, the first Polish king (962-92), after receiving baptism in 966, founded the two Archbishoprics of Gnesen and Cracow, and seven dioceses, among which was Kruszwica, or Wloclawek. But as Dlugosz cites no historical document to prove his statement, no confidence can be placed in it. Bougufal, or Boguchwal, Bishop of Posen (d. 1253), another Polish chronicler, attributed the foundation of this diocese to Miecszyslaw II (1025-34), but again without documentary support for his statement. Julian Bartoszewicz, another Polish writer ("Encyklopedya Powszechna", Warsaw, 1860, III, 636), taking a Bull of Eugene III as his authority, places the foundation as far back as 1148; but this very Bull contradicts the assertion by mentioning this diocese as already existing in 1123, placing it under the special protection of the Holy See. Other historians attribute its foundation to Boleslaus the Brave (Chrobry) (922-1025); others again to Boleslaus the Bold (Smialy) (1058-80). This last opinion seems improbable, as the letter of Gregory VII to Boleslaus the Bold, dated 20 April, 1075, not only does not mention the Diocese of Kruszica or of Wloclawek, but deplores the scarcity of bishops in the Kingdom of Poland (see Bielowski, "Mon. Poloniae hist.", III, Lemberg, 1864, pp. 367-71). The only conclusion, therefore, by the light of historical documents, is that the Diocese of Wloclawek dates from the earlier half of the twelfth century. (See Fijalek, "Ustalenie chronologii biskupow wloclawskich", Cracow, 1894, pp. 7, 8.) +