The Maces of the Jagiellonian University: A Contribution to the Research on Insignia of Power in the Late Middle Ages and at the Beginning of the Early Modern Period

The text discusses four maces of the University of Cracow, the second oldest university in Central Europe, founded in 1364. The maces are singular with regard to their function, since only the oldest one (c. 1403–1416) was made especially for the university. The other three—originally cardinal's maces, associated with the bishops of Cracow who were ex officio chancellors of Cracow University, namely the cardinals: Zbigniew Oleśnicki (1389–1455), Frederick Jagiellonian (1468–1503), and Bernard Maciejowski (1548–1608)—were donated by the cardinals to the university, and are, in all likelihood, the oldest surviving insignia of this kind in Europe. The role of the Cracow cardinals' maces as signs and guardians of memory about the great prelates of the local Church is as important as is their unique function and unparalleled craftsmanship.