Zbigniew of Szczyrzyc served as chancellor under the last two Piast rulers: Władysław the Elbow-high and Casimir the Great. He came from a modest noble family, the Śreniawita-zdrowie family, from southern Lesser Poland. Little is known about his early life. He was probably educated at the Krakow Cathedral School and studied abroad. In 1314, he worked as a writer in the office of Władysław the Elbow-high. The following year he was deputy chancellor of Krakow. He accompanied the Grand Duke on his travels many times. He took part in many political events, including: the Sulejów coivocation of 1318, which supported Władysław the Elbow-high's efforts to obtain the royal crown. In the years 1320-21 he was one of the representatives of the Polish king at the special arbitration court in Inowrocław, which considered Polish complaints against the Teutonic Knights. At the same time, he became the manager of the law firm in Sieradz. It is believed that in 1325-26 he went to Avignon as an assistant to Jan Grot, later bishop of Krakow. In 1328 he was appointed chancellor of Kraków. He held the position until his death in 1356. In the 1330s he was involved in royal diplomacy, i.e. in 1335 and 1338 he went on diplomatic missions to Hungary. His advancement in the church kept pace with his successful political career. He became a canon of the Krakow cathedral around 1318/20. In 1322 he became archdeacon of Zawichost, and in 1325 canon of the Wrocław cathedral. As Krakow provost (from 1323) and dean of the Krakow chapter, he remained in close contact with the Krakow bishops. Zbigniew of Szczyrzyc was a secret advisor to both Władysław the Elbow-high and Casimir the Great, as well as to Jadwiga the Elbow-high. There is also sufficient evidence to link him to Spicymir of Dębno, the castellan of Kraków. They both headed the faction supporting a personal union between Poland and Hungary.
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