Bishop, papal inquisitor and heretics. Remarks on the records of heresy trials in the court book of Bishop Zbigniew Oleśnicki of Włocławek

Abstract

In January 1480, in the court of Bishop Zbigniew Oleśnicki of Włocławek a few burgers of Inowrocław were summoned to testify about local supporters of Hussitism. Over the ten months, more than a dozen people were interrogated whose testimonies shed light on the activities of small groups of Kuyavian Utraquists over the course of over half a century. Testimonies of individuals suspected of heresy and witnesses, as well as notes regarding other judicial activities, were recorded in separate documentation, which constitutes the preliminary part of the oldest court book of Kuyavian bishops (currently in the Diocesan Archive in Włocławek, under reference number 011). The article analyses the creation and structure of this documentation, and at the same time shows the role of the bishop, the cathedral chapter, and the papal inquisitor in inquisitorial operations against Kuyavian adherents of Utraquism.