Johannes Otto von Munsterberg

Johannes Otto von Münsterberg (also: Johann von Münsterberg ; Johannes Ottonis ; Czech: Jan Otův z Minstrberka ; * around 1360 in Münsterberg ; † March 24, 1416 in Leipzig ) was a German Roman Catholic theologian, rector of the University of Prague and founding rector of the University of Leipzig .

Life

Johannes studied philosophy and theology at the Prague University, which was responsible for Silesia at the time . In 1382 he obtained the degree of a Baccalaureus and in 1386 the licentiate . In 1387 he passed the philosophical master's examination and then obtained a doctorate in theology. Then he turned to the academic career. In addition, he held the office of dean of the theological faculty in 1395 and 1408 and worked as rector of Charles University in 1398 .

During his time in Prague he was in contact with many eminent scholars and had earned himself an excellent reputation. As a representative of semantic nominalism , he opposed the efforts of John Wyclif and Jan Hus . After King Wenzel IV changed the proportion of votes in the university committees to the disadvantage of the Germans with the Kuttenberg decree in early 1409 , Johann Otto von Münsterberg moved to Leipzig together with other German masters and scholars . There the Wettin sovereigns assigned some of the city's buildings to them , which served as the basis for a university to be newly founded.

With the papal decree of September 9, 1409, the establishment of the University of Leipzig was approved, the ceremonial opening of which took place on December 2, 1409. Johann Otto von Munsterberg was elected founding rector and procurator of the university because he had been particularly committed to the interests of non-Bohemian students in Prague and was instrumental in the establishment of the Leipzig University. At the Council of Constance he appeared against Jan Hus.

In the last years of his life he planned, among other things, a "Foundation of the College of Our Dear Women" for Silesian professors, which could only be founded after Johannes Otto's death in 1422 by his compatriot Johannes Hoffmann von Schweidnitz . He was buried in the Paulinerkirche in Leipzig .

Works

• Commentariorum in Petri Lombardi sententias libr. IV
• Orationes ad clerum
• Quaestiones magisteriales

literature

• Adolf Schimmelpfennig :  Johannes von Münsterberg . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 24, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1887, p. 756 f.
• Josef Joachim Menzel:  Johannes von Münsterberg. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 10, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1974, ISBN 3-428-00191-5 , p. 562 ( digitized version ).

Web links

• Otto, Johann, a Silesian. In: Johann Heinrich Zedler : Large complete universal lexicon of all sciences and arts . Volume 25, Leipzig 1740, column 2435 f.