thumb|a house on the kanonicza street in krakÃ³w, built by paweÅ wÅodkowic. nowadays hotel copernicus paweÅ wÅodkowic (paulus vladimiri in latin) (ca. 1370 â october 9, 1435) was a distinguished scholar, jurist and rector of the cracow academy who defended poland and native non-christian tribes against the teutonic knights and its policies of conquest. though it is commonly assumed that "wÅodkowic" was a surname, it was in fact a patronymic denoting that he was the son of a certain wÅodko or wÅodzimierz. he was born in brudzeÅ duÅ¼y near dobrzyÅ nad wisÅÄ and studied at prague university, where he took degrees in 1393. he continued studying law at padova, italy, in 1404â1408. in 1411 or 1412 he was made a doctor of canon law at the academy in krakÃ³w, where he also began to lecture. he was influenced by the philosophies of william of ockham, matthew of cracow and stanisÅaw of skarbimierz. in 1413 he served as king jagieÅÅo's emissary at buda, hungary, during disputes with the teutonic order. in 1414â1415 he became rector and in 1418 prorector of cracow academy. paweÅ wÅodkowic represented poland at the 1414 council of constance, where he delivered a thesis about the power of the pope and the emperor, the tractatus de potestate papae et imperatoris respectu infidelium (treatise on the power of the pope and the emperor respecting infidels). in it he drew the thesis that pagan and christian nations could coexist in peace and criticized the teutonic order for its wars of conquest of native non-christian peoples in prussia and lithuania. due to his influence, in 1421 the pope sent antionio zeno to investigate the teutonic order and its activities. in 1420 paweÅ wÅodkowic represented poland at a conference between poland and the teutonic order held in wrocÅaw under the aegis of sigismund of luxemburg. as early as the beginning of the 15th century, along with stanisÅaw of skarbimierz, wÅodkowic strongly supported the idea of conciliarism and pioneered the notion of peaceful coexistence among nations â a forerunner of modern theories of human rights. throughout his political, diplomatic and university career, paweÅ wÅodkowic expressed the view that a world guided by the principles of peace and mutual respect among nations was possible and that pagan nations had a right to peace and to possession of their own lands. after 1424 retired from public life to kÅodawa, where he died in 1435. ==sources== * http://original.britannica.com/eb/topic-646378/pawel-wlodkowic * http://www.britannica.com/ebchecked/topic/646378/pawel-wlodkowic * http://www.123exp-biographies.com/t/00034177042/ * http://www.wzks.uj.edu.pl/epi/2004/lha11/zyciorys.html (in polish) == see also == * francisco de vitoria 
1435_deaths 14th-century_Polish_people 15th-century_Polish_people Canon_law_jurists Charles_University_in_Prague_alumni Diplomats_of_the_PolishaLithuanian_Commonwealth Jagiellonian_University_faculty People_from_Lipno_County Polish_academics Polish_expatriates_in_Italy Polish_expatriates_in_the_Czech_lands Polish_political_writers Rectors_of_the_Jagiellonian_University University_of_Padua_alumni