Matthew of Kraków

The chapter presents Matthew of Kraków as one of the most important Polish theologians of the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries and as a participant in European debates concerning the crisis of the Church. His reflection arose primarily from the experience of the Great Western Schism and focused on ecclesiastical authority, reform, and the responsibility of the clergy. Matthew criticised abuses connected with ecclesiastical centralisation, simony, and the distribution of benefices, emphasising the importance of law, reason, and the moral quality of ecclesial office. His thought contains significant conciliar elements and reflects the conviction that institutional reform must be accompanied by spiritual and moral renewal. The chapter portrays his work as an important stage in the development of medieval ecclesiology and Polish reflection on the credibility of the Church.