{"id":18332,"date":"2026-01-21T13:02:23","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T13:02:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/czeczotkabar.pl\/?page_id=18332"},"modified":"2026-01-21T13:02:24","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T13:02:24","slug":"history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/czeczotkabar.pl\/index.php\/en\/history\/","title":{"rendered":"History"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" style=\"font-size:42px\"><br>The History of Erazm Czeczotka<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For forty years he served as a city councillor, burgrave and mayor of Krak\u00f3w. In wealth and influence he matched the great nobles. As proof of merit and recognition, in 1552, at the Seym, he was granted a noble title and admitted to the coat of arms of Jan Ocieski, the Grand Chancellor of the Crown. He kept close ties with influential people\u2014financiers, artists and alchemists. At first, he dealt in trade: meat, provisions and spirits. In 1564, by joining two townhouses, he raised a palace on the corner of St. Anny and Wi\u015blna Streets. The author of the design and the builder was Gabriel S\u0142o\u0144ski\u2014an esteemed stonemason, a student of Antoni from Fiesole, a colleague of Bartolomeo Berrecci. The palace housed, among other things, a splendid bathhouse connected to a great hall, where an establishment for selected guests was run. The historian J\u00f3zef Muczkowski called him the \u201cBloody Mayor\u201d and the \u201cLittle Borgia of Krak\u00f3w.\u201d He was regarded as immoral, even notoriously susceptible to the charms of the fair sex. He was said to have dozens of lovers and maintained open, extramarital relations with women of varied backgrounds. Yet twice he was cleared of all accusations by Kings Sigismund II Augustus and Stephen B\u00e1thory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\" style=\"font-size:42px;font-style:normal;font-weight:400\">Chronicle<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>1517 \u2013<\/strong> Bona Sforza was married by proxy to Sigismund I the Old in Naples<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1518 \u2013<\/strong> Bona Sforza arrived in Krak\u00f3w<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1520 \u2013<\/strong> Seweryn Boner became Burgrave of Krak\u00f3w<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1527 \u2013<\/strong> Magdalena Boner married Jerzy Radziwi\u0142\u0142<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1533 \u2013<\/strong> Jan Dantyszek arrived in Krak\u00f3w from Spain<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1534 \u2013<\/strong> Seweryn Boner, whose wife Zofia Bethman was heiress of Balice, overturned the will of his brother-in-law Jan Bethman and took over his estate<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1538 \u2013<\/strong> Bartolomeo Berrecci was murdered<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1539 \u2013<\/strong> Erazm Czeczotka married Barbara Krupk\u00f3wna<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1541 \u2013<\/strong> Piotr Gamrat became Bishop of Krak\u00f3w<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1546 \u2013<\/strong> The first dissenters\u2019 circle took place, attended among others by Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski and Jakub Ucha\u0144ski, later Primate of Poland and interrex<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1547 \u2013<\/strong> Czeczotka was elected city councillor and mayor<br>Jan Ocieski became Burgrave of Krak\u00f3w<br>Sigismund II Augustus secretly married Barbara Radziwi\u0142\u0142<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1548 \u2013<\/strong> King Sigismund I the Old died<br>Bona Sforza left Krak\u00f3w forever<br>Bishop Jan Dantyszek died<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1549 \u2013<\/strong> Stanis\u0142aw Myszkowski became wojski of Krak\u00f3w<br>Seweryn Boner died<br>King Sigismund II Augustus brought Barbara Radziwi\u0142\u0142 to Krak\u00f3w<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1550 \u2013<\/strong> Coronation of Barbara Radziwi\u0142\u0142<br>Gabriel S\u0142o\u0144ski built a townhouse on Kanonicza Street (the dean\u2019s house)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1551 \u2013<\/strong> The queen died in May<br>The spirit of Barbara Radziwi\u0142\u0142 was summoned at Wawel Castle<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1552 \u2013<\/strong> Erazm Czeczotka was ennobled at the Piotrk\u00f3w Seym and admitted to the Ocieski coat of arms<br>Jan Ocieski became Grand Chancellor of the Crown<br>Czeczotka became Burgrave of Krak\u00f3w, holding the office until 1557<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>1553 \u2013<\/strong> The Great Seym, the only one convened in Krak\u00f3w during the reign of Sigismund II Augustus<br>The king left Krak\u00f3w<br>Sigismund married Catherine of Austria<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1554 \u2013<\/strong> A synod of Lesser Poland dissenters in S\u0142omniki, organised by Stanis\u0142aw Myszkowski<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1556 \u2013<\/strong> Queen Bona Sforza left Poland<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1557 \u2013<\/strong> Jan Padniewski became secretary to Sigismund II Augustus<br>Giovanni Papaccoda poisoned Bona<br>Anna Jagiellon was elected King of Poland<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1559 \u2013<\/strong> Completion of the reconstruction of the Cloth Hall (Sukiennice)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1561 \u2013<\/strong> Erazm Czeczotka purchased a townhouse on St. Anny Street<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1562 \u2013<\/strong> Filip Padniewski became Bishop of Krak\u00f3w<br>Jakub Ucha\u0144ski became Archbishop of Gniezno<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1563 \u2013<\/strong> Jan Zamoyski published a treatise on the Roman Senate, dedicated to Stanis\u0142aw Myszkowski, and became rector in Padua<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1564 \u2013<\/strong> Completion of the Czeczotka Palace<br>Gabriel S\u0142o\u0144ski became city mason<br>Death of Jan Ocieski, Grand Chancellor of the Crown<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1565 \u2013<\/strong> Jan Twardowski arrived in Krak\u00f3w<br>Czeczotka wrote a will, later revoked<br>Myszkowski became Voivode of Krak\u00f3w<br>S\u0142o\u0144ski built the great municipal armoury near the Florian Gate<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1567 \u2013<\/strong> Franciszek Wolski was sentenced to death<br>S\u0142o\u0144ski began construction of the bishops\u2019 house on Wi\u015blna Street<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1568 \u2013<\/strong> Visitation of Bishop Filip Padniewski<br>A royal decree ordered the Academy to respect the law and banned students from carrying weapons<br>S\u0142o\u0144ski completed the episcopal palace on Franciszka\u0144ska Street<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1569 \u2013<\/strong> The royal postal service came under Montelupi administration<br>Gabriel S\u0142o\u0144ski became a juror<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>1570 \u2013<\/strong> Stanis\u0142aw Myszkowski died<br>Micha\u0142 of Urz\u0119d\u00f3w was admitted to the guild<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1572 \u2013<\/strong> Death of King Sigismund II Augustus<br>Filip Padniewski was buried at Wawel Cathedral<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1573 \u2013<\/strong> Probable date of death of Jan Twardowski<br>Gabriel S\u0142o\u0144ski became a city councillor<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1574 \u2013<\/strong> Coronation of Henry of Valois by Bishop Jakub Ucha\u0144ski<br>The City Council swore allegiance to the new king<br>Ceremonial burial of Sigismund II Augustus at Wawel<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1575 \u2013<\/strong> Czeczotka was elected mayor and strengthened Krak\u00f3w\u2019s defences during the interregnum<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1577 \u2013<\/strong> Jan Zamoyski married the niece of Barbara Radziwi\u0142\u0142<br>Ingress of Bishop Piotr Myszkowski<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1578 \u2013<\/strong> Stephen B\u00e1thory cleared Czeczotka of all accusations<br>Fausto Sozzini stayed in Krak\u00f3w<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1580 \u2013<\/strong> Jan Zamoyski became Starosta of Krak\u00f3w and founded Zamo\u015b\u0107<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1583 \u2013<\/strong> Wedding of Zamoyski and Gryzelda, sister of Stephen B\u00e1thory, at Wawel<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1585 \u2013<\/strong> Stephen B\u00e1thory ordered 52 florins returned to Czeczotka and 100 thalers paid to him<br>The king banned gifts from the municipal treasury<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1586 \u2013<\/strong> Czeczotka became mayor again<br>Death of Stephen B\u00e1thory<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1587 \u2013<\/strong> Death of Erazm Czeczotka<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1588 \u2013<\/strong> An inheritance settlement was concluded within the Czeczotka family<br>Sudden deaths of Andrzej T\u0119czy\u0144ski, Voivode of Krak\u00f3w, and his wife Zofia<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1589 \u2013<\/strong> Czeczotka\u2019s nephews received noble titles<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1592 \u2013<\/strong> Death of Jadwiga T\u0119czy\u0144ska, daughter of Andrzej T\u0119czy\u0144ski<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1608 \u2013<\/strong> Stanis\u0142aw Branicki purchased the Czeczotka Palace<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The history of the Czeczotka Palace dates back to the 16th century. At that time, Erazm Czeczotka, a city councillor, decided to merge two corner townhouses at the junction of Wi\u015blna and St. Anny Streets. He entrusted this task to Gabriel S\u0142o\u0144ski (also known as S\u0142oninka), a pupil of Antoni from Fiesole. Thus, in 1564, a magnificent one-storey palace was erected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Czeczotka Palace, of which the fa\u00e7ade of the former service wing survives to this day, passed through the hands of many powerful owners. In the 16th century it changed ownership frequently, yet always among the most distinguished:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1607 \u2013<\/strong> Stanis\u0142aw Branicki, Crown Sword-Bearer<br><strong>1620 \u2013<\/strong> Jan Klemens Branicki, Deputy Chancellor<br><strong>1630 \u2013<\/strong> Princess Teofilia Ostrogska<br><strong>1636 \u2013<\/strong> Piotr Szyszkowski, Castellan of Wojnicz<br><strong>1653 \u2013<\/strong> Micha\u0142 Stanis\u0142awski, Voivode of Lviv<br><strong>1671 \u2013<\/strong> Jan Ole\u015bnicki, Chamberlain of Sandomierz<br><strong>1681 \u2013<\/strong> Andrzej Bronicki, Wojski of Krak\u00f3w<br><strong>1683 \u2013<\/strong> Teresa Myszkowska, wife of Margrave Stanis\u0142aw Kazimierz<br><strong>1686 \u2013<\/strong> Jan of D\u0119bno D\u0119bi\u0144ski<br><strong>1688 \u2013<\/strong> Krzysztof Straszewski<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In later years, the building belonged to Franciszek W\u0119\u017cyk and the magnate families of Wodzicki, \u0141ubie\u0144ski and Mycielski. The palace repeatedly changed its occupants and functions. Between 1897 and 1899, Ignacy Rayal rebuilt it into a department store. On the first floor, the \u201cSecesja\u201d caf\u00e9 was opened\u2014the first in Krak\u00f3w to admit women and even entire families. It became a well-known meeting place for socialists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1932, the building was remodelled by Adolf Szyszko-Bohusz, who gave it the form preserved to this day. The changes were dictated by its intended use for the Viennese Phoenix Insurance Society. After its collapse in 1935, the building was taken over by the Postal Savings Bank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Between 1949 and 1990, the building was used by the State Department Store enterprise and later by Domy Towarowe Centrum. In 2024, the Czeczotka Palace became the property of Park Residence Sp. z o.o.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" style=\"font-size:42px\">Procul Este Profani<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>When he met her, he was not yet twenty.<\/strong> He was defiant, yet extraordinarily charming; full of pride, but also capable of humility toward his enemies. Confident, <em>without arrogance<\/em>. He carried out his plans with precision. He disliked anyone gaining access to his secrets. He shared only what was unnecessary or easy to obtain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He had a <em>weakness for money and ars amandi<\/em>. Possessing both, he reached for power over minds and purses alike. Knowing the greatest weaknesses of the mighty and the great, he strengthened those who then\u2014and still today\u2014remain hidden. Erazm Czeczotka won the friendship of few. Obedience\u2014<em>from almost everyone<\/em>. He moved with ease through the worlds of contemporary learning, finance and mystery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Poland, the <strong>Jagiellonian dynasty<\/strong> ruled. Over centuries, through diplomacy, dynastic alliances and international treaties, the Jagiellonians built the Polish\u2013Lithuanian Commonwealth, in which <em>the Crown, Lithuania, Bohemia and Hungary<\/em> held the most important positions. Their power stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea and the Adriatic. The Commonwealth bordered Italy. From there came to Krak\u00f3w the woman who would change Erazm\u2019s life. <em>For her, and because of her, he carried out his plan.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When she left Krak\u00f3w, <strong>she left him her testament<\/strong>. Not one concerning wealth, <em>but the tools to acquire it<\/em>. She knew he would keep his word. And so he did. Much separated them\u2014right up to the very end. He came from an almost unknown family; she was a princess of Bari and Rossano, heir to claims to the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He, born out of wedlock, most likely fathered dozens of children, of whom only two were recognised as heirs. She bore six children, <em>two of whom ascended the throne of Poland<\/em>. <em>She died in agony, poisoned by a trusted servant; he died in his bath, drinking wine and entertaining girls.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He passed into history as the <strong>Bloody Mayor<\/strong>. She\u2014as a poisoner, bound by blood and marriage to popes and the Borgias.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Everything began on the day he first crossed the walls of Wawel. He had been sent to deliver silks and fine fabrics for the gowns of the ladies of the court. While the women examined the lace, the queen herself entered the chamber. She was interested not only in what her ladies would wear, but also in the supplier of the fabrics\u2014<em>a man fluent in Latin<\/em>. They spoke of fashion and Italian style. Erazm was invited to a meeting at which he was to receive guidance on which textiles should be brought to the queen\u2019s court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At that moment, <strong>he could not have known<\/strong> that he would be admitted to the secret gatherings of the <em>\u201cBrotherhood of Merry Sisters and Brothers\u201d<\/em>, nor that from then on he would come to know the greatest figures of politics and science. He gained access to the greatest secrets because he uniquely bridged <em>two worlds<\/em>: those who stood upon the pedestal, and those who placed them there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Erazm possessed yet another advantage\u2014<em>excellent contacts with astrologers and alchemists<\/em>, whom he supplied with all the substances they required. The liberal arts taught at the Krak\u00f3w Academy attracted all those seeking formulas both for saving life and for taking it away. The finest alchemists were trained here\u2014men later employed at European courts, also for the purpose of <em>closing their enemies\u2019 eyes forever<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Czeczotka, <strong>reaching for offices, titles and honours was only a matter of time<\/strong>. For forty years he served as councillor, juror, repeatedly as mayor and burgrave. Many regarded him as an exceptional man; even more considered him dangerous and untouchable. And so it was. Every attempt to discredit Czeczotka ended in failure. Erazm held the greatest shield of all\u2014<em>a secret for which he was willing to sell even himself<\/em>. He rarely had to. <em>He always received support from those who were initiated.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Much changed when <strong>Jan Dantyszek<\/strong> arrived in Krak\u00f3w\u2014a poet, friend and later superior of Nicolaus Copernicus, and the first Polish ambassador to gain favour at Europe\u2019s great courts, especially in Spain. Dantyszek oversaw the negotiations for the marriage of King Sigismund the Old and was instrumental in arranging his union with Bona Sforza. He arrived in Krak\u00f3w in 1533.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One evening, he took part in one of the many poetic and musical gatherings organised at Bona\u2019s request in place of lavish noble feasts. Erazm was present and listened to Dantyszek\u2019s recitations. Later, he heard many other truths\u2014foremost among them <em>that a secret must remain a secret<\/em>. Less than a year later, Jan Dantyszek received holy orders and became bishop. It was the queen herself who ensured this, having obtained from Pope Leo X the right to decide appointments to fifteen of the most important ecclesiastical benefices in Poland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Erazm had two brothers who served as jurors; he himself assisted his father. Year after year, the number of stalls in the Cloth Hall owned by the Czeczotka family increased. So too did the number of secret gatherings\u2014<em>whose organisation Erazm mastered to perfection<\/em>. In 1539 he married Barbara Krupk\u00f3wna, a childless widow of Miko\u0142aj Jaskier, author of a codification of municipal law. Barbara, owner among others of the castle in Korzkiew, brought a substantial dowry\u2014but this was not why Erazm chose her. Through this marriage, Czeczotka entered into relations with the Italian Montelupi family, which decades later would manage the royal postal service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Contacts with Italy were crucial\u2014not only because of the queen\u2019s origins. Many artists, especially sculptors and stonemasons, settled in Krak\u00f3w, carrying out royal commissions for the most important buildings. They had been brought by Sigismund the Old; Bona expanded their ranks, inviting builders worthy of a kingdom\u2019s power. After the death of Piotr Gamrat\u2014Bishop of Krak\u00f3w, Primate of Poland and friend of the queen\u2014Bona commissioned Jan Maria Padovano to create his tomb at Wawel Cathedral. Gabriel S\u0142o\u0144ski, Padovano\u2019s pupil, would become Czeczotka\u2019s close associate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two years after Gamrat\u2019s death, and one year after a meeting organised by Stanis\u0142aw Myszkowski between Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski and the future Primate Jakub Ucha\u0144ski, another participant received the title of city councillor. <strong>Erazm Czeczotka<\/strong> had to set aside his business affairs in favour of public office. Yet his fortunes only grew. He owned several villages, leased others, including manorial estates, and possessed multiple townhouses. In 1547 he was elected Mayor of Krak\u00f3w.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The following year was decisive. King Sigismund the Old died. So did Primate Jan Dantyszek. Bona decided to leave Krak\u00f3w forever\u2014to forget a city where she had experienced both triumph and bitterness. Distance now separated them; <em>a secret still bound them<\/em>. Thus ended the most important chapter of Erazm\u2019s life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Soon another queen appeared at Wawel\u2014Barbara Radziwi\u0142\u0142, secretly married to Sigismund Augustus without the consent of the estates. The king, madly in love, enjoyed her presence only briefly. The queen fell ill. Renowned physicians competed with remedies and potions. Erazm remained a silent adviser\u2014he knew how many alchemists purchased their preparations from him. Barbara died on 8 May 1551, leaving the king in devastating grief. To soothe it, her spirit was summoned. The task was carried out by <strong>Jan Twardowski<\/strong>, resident of the house opposite the Czeczotka Palace, a student of Faust himself. He was one of many alchemists well known to Czeczotka\u2014but it was he whom Erazm indicated as capable of easing the king\u2019s sorrow. The king\u2019s gratitude soon followed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the Piotrk\u00f3w Seym in 1552, <strong>Czeczotka was ennobled<\/strong> and admitted to the coat of arms of Jan Ocieski, trusted confidant of Queen Bona. From then on he used the name <em>Czeczotka-T\u0142oki\u0144ski of the Jastrz\u0119biec arms<\/em>. Ocieski became Grand Chancellor of the Crown, relinquishing the office of Burgrave of Krak\u00f3w. Erazm assumed that position for the next five years, quickly becoming one of Krak\u00f3w\u2019s most eminent figures. With three hundred foot soldiers, he was stationed at Wawel, safeguarding order\u2014first among courtiers, then among townspeople.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Krak\u00f3w was far from a peaceful city. Thus Czeczotka added hundreds of lesser secrets to his greatest one\u2014especially when, only a year after his ennoblement, he was responsible for security during the Great Seym, the only one convened in Krak\u00f3w under Sigismund Augustus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The capital of the Crown was a vast crucible: nobles and paupers, the righteous and criminals, scholars and illiterates, virtuous maidens and street girls. Cultures and religions intermingled. Bona was far away in the north of the country. Erazm saw her only a few times after she left Krak\u00f3w\u2014the last when she received permission to depart Poland for Bari. They parted on the road to Venice, her final stop, where she dismissed her entire Polish retinue. The most powerful and wealthiest woman in Europe accepted from Erazm a golden medal bearing his likeness and the inscription <em>\u201cProcul Este Profani\u201d<\/em>\u2014<em>\u201cBegone, the uninitiated.\u201d<\/em> Those around her left only after delivering the final dose of poison\u2014and looting everything she owned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Erazm plunged into work. After Bona\u2019s departure, the reconstruction of the Cloth Hall began. The arcaded loggias were designed by Padovano; the grotesque mascarons by Santi Gucci. Their exaggerated, mannerist faces were modelled on city councillors\u2014<em>among them the head of Mayor Czeczotka himself<\/em>. Later he was accused of building new stalls for his own benefit. In truth, he was no longer merely a cloth merchant, but an entrepreneur trading food and luxury goods imported from across the realm and abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He was wealthy\u2014<em>a fact that robbed many rivals of sleep<\/em>, especially those who, like him, had a weakness for women. Any woman who caught his eye had to be his. In female arms he sought pleasure and oblivion\u2014after the one woman he could never touch again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sukiennice, the Town Hall and Wawel. Within this triangle Erazm\u2019s life unfolded. He inherited diligence and a family house on Wi\u015blna Street from his father. He purchased the neighbouring property on St. Anny Street and became the first in Krak\u00f3w to unite two townhouses. He entrusted the task to <strong>Gabriel S\u0142o\u0144ski<\/strong>, elder of the stonemasons\u2019 and masons\u2019 guild. Thus, in 1564, a magnificent palace arose, with sculpted portals and attics. Its creator was appointed City Mason and, a year later, built the great municipal armoury by the Florian Gate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Erazm recognised S\u0142o\u0144ski\u2019s great potential. He knew the man could keep secrets\u2014<em>and entrusted him with many<\/em>. Gabriel rose from obscurity to become a renowned architect and stonemason. Years later, at the request of Bishop Filip Padniewski, he would build one of the most important edifices of the era\u2014the Bishops\u2019 Palace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Stanis\u0142aw Myszkowski became Voivode of Krak\u00f3w, Erazm wrote his will. He knew death could come at any moment. Not because he relentlessly pursued his plan, nor because he harshly punished those who threatened it. Not even because of his weakness for women. Though his wealth rivalled that of magnates, it troubled him less than <em>the manner of Bona\u2019s death<\/em>. He knew he might share her fate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alchemists had grown too confident\u2014like many students of the Krak\u00f3w Academy. The city seethed with brawls and conspiracies. <strong>Franciszek Wolski<\/strong>, master of the liberal arts and rector of the Holy Spirit school, was a brawler and criminal. A frequent guest at the Czeczotka Palace, he overstepped the boundary. Not by courting one of Erazm\u2019s favourites\u2014but by breaking a sworn word. That meant he could betray a fragment of the secret.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Wolski vandalised the Town Hall at night, the mayor imposed the penalty for insulting the authority of power\u2014<em>death<\/em>. The sentence was carried out in the Market Square amid an enraged crowd. Many considered the punishment too severe\u2014but not those who had touched the secret. Each time accusations were raised against Czeczotka, he received confirmation of his righteousness from those who knew his true worth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After the Krak\u00f3w visitation by Bishop Filip Padniewski, King Sigismund Augustus issued a decree ordering students to respect the law and banning the carrying of weapons\u2014<em>to prevent further attacks, including on the Czeczotka Palace<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Less than a year later, Gabriel S\u0142o\u0144ski completed the Bishops\u2019 House and became a city councillor. From builder he became a politician and mentor to his brilliant successor, <strong>Jan Micha\u0142owicz of Urz\u0119d\u00f3w<\/strong>\u2014the man entrusted with works requiring equal measures of talent and loyalty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, Erazm built his small empire. He acquired more townhouses, villages, estates and a mill. He leased the Great and Small Municipal Scales and owned the majority of the 342 stalls in the Cloth Hall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Distinguished guests crossed the threshold of his palace. For them, he had once ordered S\u0142o\u0144ski to build a bathhouse with a great hall for feasting. During banquets attended by carefully selected patricians, long debates were held over goblets of the finest wine\u2014<em>imported by Erazm himself from the vineyards of Bari<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 1570s\u2014the height of Krak\u00f3w\u2019s Golden Age\u2014were turbulent. The childless death of Sigismund Augustus closed another chapter of Erazm\u2019s life. The first interregnum followed. The nobility sought a husband for Queen Anna Jagiellon. The candidacy promoted by Jan Zamoyski prevailed\u2014<strong>Henry of Valois<\/strong>. Eight days after Sigismund\u2019s ceremonial funeral at Wawel, Bishop Jakub Ucha\u0144ski crowned the new king. The City Council swore allegiance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The king is dead\u2014long live the king!<\/em> Balls, tournaments and revelry filled the city. Anna never married. Four days after hosting a grand ball, Henry fled in disguise to claim the French throne. Escaping castles under cover of night was nothing new to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An interregnum in such a powerful state was dangerous. As mayor, Czeczotka strengthened fortifications, guards and armaments. The streets were restless. Attacks on dissenters erupted; even the remains of Voivode Stanis\u0142aw Myszkowski were exhumed and dragged through the streets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>A king has fled\u2014let us find a king!<\/em> The nobility chose Anna Jagiellon as ruler, but she needed a husband. Again Jan Zamoyski\u2019s diplomacy prevailed\u2014<strong>Stephen B\u00e1thory<\/strong> ascended the throne. For the king and for Czeczotka, ten uneasy years followed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Zamoyski began building the greatest fortune in Poland. In 1577 he married Krystyna Radziwi\u0142\u0142, niece of Barbara. That same year he became Starosta of Krak\u00f3w and founded Zamo\u015b\u0107. Erazm enjoyed the trust of both Zamoyski and the king. In 1578, when a list of thirty-four dishonourable acts was drawn up against him, <strong>Stephen B\u00e1thory cleared him of all charges<\/strong> and ordered eternal silence from his accusers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It mattered little. Erazm knew the value of silence\u2014his enemies did not. He continued his plan. Even during the lavish wedding of Zamoyski and Gryzelda, niece of the king, he presented them with a medal bearing the inscription <em>\u201cProcul Este Profani\u201d<\/em>\u2014with the sun and moon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Czeczotka watched the world change. Those he had known rose to the highest offices, built fortunes, gained fame. He himself did not enjoy universal esteem. Centuries later he would be called <em>the Little Cesare Borgia of Krak\u00f3w<\/em>, accused of deeds he never committed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In his final months he lived as before\u2014working, feasting, enjoying life. His vitality seemed inexhaustible. King B\u00e1thory declined in health; even the greatest alchemists, including John Dee, could not save him. He died in December 1586.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Erazm did not live to see the election of Sigismund III Vasa. He died in his bath, feasting and amusing himself in the company of beautiful women. He left a fortune envied by many magnates. After his death, disputes over his legacy revived accusations of greed and corruption. His line died out, as did the Montelupi, Boner and Bethman families with whom he had been closely connected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>All because of a secret<\/em>, of which only faint traces remain\u2014<em>the sculptures on the wall of the former service wing of the Czeczotka Palace.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The History of Erazm Czeczotka For forty years he served as a city councillor, burgrave and","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-18332","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/czeczotkabar.pl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/czeczotkabar.pl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/czeczotkabar.pl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/czeczotkabar.pl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/czeczotkabar.pl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18332"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/czeczotkabar.pl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18332\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18333,"href":"https:\/\/czeczotkabar.pl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18332\/revisions\/18333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/czeczotkabar.pl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}