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[[File:Coat of arms of Erasmus Vitellius, 1501 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Coat of arms of Erasmus Vitellius]]
'''Erasmus Vitellius''' (c 1470–1522) was a 16th-century [[Roman Catholic]] [[Bishop#Catholism|Bishop]] of [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Płock|Płock]] in Poland,<ref>[http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/ploc0.htm  Diocese of Płock]</ref> who then served the prince Alexander as a diplomat.

Born in 1470 at [[Kraków]] to humble parents. His education was patronized by Ciolek de Vitellio, whose name he assumed.
In 1504, he was appointed bishop of [[Płock]] by [[Alexander Jagiellon]], King of Poland (1501-1506). At the lord's disposition he twice was sent to Rome to speak to [[Pope Julius II]]. In 1518 he was sent by King [[Sigismund I the Old|Sigismund I]] to the [[Diet of Augsburg]] to solicit aid against the Ottoman Turks,<ref>[https://www.biblicalcyclopedia.com/V/vitellius-erasmus.html Biblical Cyclopedia], short biographical entry.</ref> and subsequently to Rome to seek the mediation of [[Pope Leo X]] regarding the [[Polish–Teutonic War (1519–1521)|conflict between Poland and the Teutonic knights]]. The negotiations proved very dilatory and treaties were not signed until after Vitellius died. 

His correspondence was collected in the ''Acta Regalia'' by [[Stanislaus Gorski]], and his biography was written in the work on Polish literature (Kraków, 1819) by [[Józef Maksymilian Ossoliński|Count Ossolinski]], a prefect of the Imperial Library of Vienna.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=hg5BAQAAMAAJ Dizionario biografico universale], Volume 5, by Felice Scifoni, Publisher Davide Passagli, Florence (1849); page 635-636.</ref> 

==References==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Vitellius Erasmus}}
[[Category:1470 births]]
[[Category:1522 deaths]]
[[Category:Clergy from Kraków]]
[[Category:Bishops of Płock]]
[[Category:Polish diplomats]]

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