Hinrich Murmester

Hinrich Murmester (* around 1435 in Hamburg ; † April 19, 1481 ibid) was a German lawyer, politician and mayor of Hamburg.

Live and act

Murmester was the son of a merchant and studied from 1452 jurisprudence at the University of Erfurt , from 1461 at the University of Padua . In 1462 and 1463 he was elected rector of the law faculty. In this office he was able to push through a comprehensive revision of the university's statutes. In 1464 he received his doctorate in Roman law . After a short stay in Rome , he returned to his native city.

1465 he was appointed to the Council elected the city. Murmester was thus the first lawyer in the committee, which until then had only consisted of business people. In 1467 he was elected one of the four mayors of the Hanseatic city at the time. In this position he was particularly involved in foreign policy and traveled extensively. He attended the Hanseatic Days and represented Hamburg's interests regarding independence from Denmark . He also tried to mediate in disputes between the Count of Oldenburg and his older brother, Christian I, regarding the rule in Schleswig and Holstein . In 1471 he and a contingent of Hamburg troops participated in the victory of Christian I over the Eiderstedter Frisians. In the same year he made a decisive contribution to the suppression of a peasant uprising and Hamburg's rule in the Elbmarschen . As a thank you, the king promised him a grain rent .

Murmester, together with the Hamburg councilor Henning Büring, played a decisive role in the 1474 peace treaty of Utrecht . Since the king had great confidence in him, he asked him in 1480 for diplomatic mediation in his conflict with Dithmarschen . In addition, he took care of the trade interests of the Hanseatic League and had a decisive influence on Hamburg's position in the Elbe trade . In 1480, because of his relationship with Christian I, he was able to obtain a ducal stacking privilege, followed by an imperial privilege in 1482. These privileges enabled Hamburg to dominate the Elbe trade in the following years.

estate

In his will written on January 29, 1481, Murmester bequeathed his book collection to the public library, which was housed in what was then the town hall. It is considered the basis of the Hamburg State and University Library .

literature

• Franklin Kopitzsch , Daniel Tilgner (Ed.): Hamburg Lexikon. 4th, updated and expanded special edition. Ellert & Richter, Hamburg 2010, ISBN 978-3-8319-0373-3 , p. 479.
• Werner von Melle:  Murmester, Heinrich . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 23, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1886, p. 66.
• Rainer Postel :  Murmester, Hinrich. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 18, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1997, ISBN 3-428-00199-0 , p. 614 f. ( Digitized version ).