Karl Moltrecht

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Karl Moltrecht (1882)

Karl Moltrecht (born May 12, jul. / 24. May  1860 greg. In the rectory of St. Matthiae , Governorate of Livonia , Russian Empire ; † 20th January 1919 at Tuckum , Latvia ), full name Emil Karl Johann Albert Moltrecht even Albert Karl Johannes Moltrecht or Carl Moltrecht written, Latvian Kārlis Moltdrehs or Kārlis Alberts Johans Moltdrehs , with full name Emīls Kārlis Johans Alberts Moltdrehs , was a German-Baltic clergyman. He is considered a Protestant martyr and is recorded on the Riga Martyrs Stone.

The dates in this article are based on the Julian calendar for the period up to 1918 unless otherwise noted.

Life

Before the revolutions

Karl Moltrecht came from a long-established Livonia family that had produced numerous pastors. His father Karl Moltrecht was also a pastor. His family character was accordingly Christian.

Dorpat University around 1860

Karl Moltrecht the Younger passed his Matura examination at the Riga Gouvernements-Gymnasium in June 1879 after visiting the Birkenruhschen Anstalt in 1869 . From 1879 to 1886 he studied theology at the University of Dorpat . There he belonged to the student union " Baltic Corporation Livonia Dorpat ". In 1880 he worked as a tutor in Wroclaw in Livonia. From October 5, 1884 to 1885, he was a member of the Dorpat Theological Association. He received his diploma as a graduate student in 1886. In October of this year he passed his candidate examination before the Livonian Evangelical Lutheran Consistory.

From 1886 to 1887 he spent his probationary year with Pastor Blumenthal in Peterskapelle in Livonia. He was ordained by his father on January 25, 1887 in Wolmar (Latvian Valmiera ), was pastor- adjunct in Kremon (Latvian Krimulda ) and in St. Matthiae with his father in 1887, and then from 1887 to 1889 in Pernigel (Latvian Liepupe ) in Livonia. In 1889 he was appointed a preacher in Zohden (Latvian Code , located in Courland ). It was unusual for him to be in the service of the Courland Church as a Livonian. On October 11, 1889, he married Amalie Johanna.

In 1891 he moved to Dondangen (Latvian Dundaga ) in Courland as a pastor . He was considered very conservative, also in theological questions. However, he was tolerant, friendly and reserved towards those who thought differently. He was equally popular with the German and Latvian communities. Whenever a parishioner needed his help, they traveled long distances in all weathers. It was not uncommon for him to have to cover distances of 60 km on bad roads.

Moltrecht was a member of the Association for Combating Leprosy in Courland.

In 1893, on the 22nd Sunday after Trinity, Moltrecht assisted Pastor Friedrich van Beuningen-Schleck in the inauguration of the new church of the Liv community in Popen in Courland, which was built on the foundations of the old, dilapidated church that was demolished for the new building had been. The church was within earshot of the sea. Moltrecht went with at the head of the procession, carrying some of the altarpieces. Then he said the prayer in front of the church. It was later reported that at the same moment the cloud cover broke up and let the sunshine through.

His first wife died on May 5, 1894; on June 8, 1895 he married Betty Wilhelmine Bose, a daughter of the manager Goswin Bose in Kokenhof in Livonia.

In May 1900, at the age of only 40, he was elected Provost of Pilten ( Piltene in Latvia ).

In April 1901 he was awarded the golden pectoral cross.

On May 27, 1901, Moltrecht assisted General Superintendent Panck in the inauguration of Hermann von Gavel as pastor of Neuhausen .

On December 13, 1902, on the occasion of a similar find, he informed the “Rigasche Rundschau” about a rare flying squirrel that had been caught in the Laiksaarschen Kronsforst in the summer of 1880 or 1881.

During the Russian Revolution of 1905

Despite the mortal danger for the country pastors, Karl Moltrecht stayed with his parish even during the Russian Revolution in 1905 .

In August 1905 Moltrecht got into a dispute over monuments and portraits of local patrons in his Dondangen church. The Latvian magazine " Peterburgas awises " reported that those honored were tyrants who are only remembered with hatred. This prevents the devotion. A monument even blocks the view and path to the altar. A former pastor had been removed from office because he had asked for the portraits to be removed. Moltrecht, however, does not care about the problem, but rather accuses the community of being sunk in sin and urgently needing to convert. The newspaper ruled that if forced to "worship" its former tyrants it would ruin the community. Instead of eliminating these "desecrations", the congregation is exhorted to wait patiently for help from above. The above are not interested in removing the pictures of their ancestors.

Following the 1905 revolution

On May 11th, July / May 24,  1906 greg. the pastor of the neighboring parish , Albert Grühn , was murdered. Moltrecht still stayed with his community.

On Wednesday May 3rd Jul. / May 16, 1906 greg. , Alphons Fuchs, the pastor of Klein- Irben , went back with his wife in the evening after a visit to Moltrecht. When Fuchs passed a ravine between Schlieterhof and Neuhof, he stopped to put on his dust coat. He was ambushed by strangers and seriously wounded by gunfire; his horse was also injured. A shotgun charge injured Fuchs in his left shoulder, and a bullet smashed a bone in his left arm. The next morning, the Windausche district doctor, the local doctor and the examining magistrate arrived at the scene to treat Fuchs and initiate the investigations. The injuries initially did not appear to be life-threatening. A report that Fuchs had succumbed to his injuries was later revoked. That is why Fuchs is usually not counted among the Baltic martyrs.

Even this event could not induce Moltrecht to leave his community, although he too was threatened. His long journeys to visit parishioners in particular represented a great danger, which is why the authorities and his parish offered him escort. But he mostly drove on alone, with reference to God's protection.

In 1906 the punitive expedition of the Russian Empire against the revolutionaries took place. In this situation, Moltrecht stood up for innocently accused parishioners, thereby saving many lives. The revolution made him doubt whether he had filled his office correctly. He was of the opinion that his sermons and his pastoral activities should have prevented parishioners from participating in the revolution, with its violent and atheistic aspects, if only a small part of the community had acted accordingly. After the revolution he considered resigning his office, or at least leaving Dondangen in order to return to his home parish of St. Matthiae, which requested him after the relevant pastorate had become vacant. But he overcame his doubts, also at the request of the Dondangen community, and stayed. He had also gained recognition as provost, although he was considered reticent, he stood by his views. He also retained his post as provost.

Between the revolutions

On August 17, 1908, Moltrecht took part in Pastor Schulz's inauguration as a preacher in the community of Klein-Irben.

On September 2, 1908, Moltrecht preached at a Latvian service in St. Anne's Church in Mitau on the occasion of the opening of the preachers' synod of the Courland consistorial district.

During the First World War

During the First World War , the Baltic region was occupied by German troops. During this time a Prussian prince had a conversation with Moltrecht, which is considered characteristic of the provost. The prince asked: “What would you do if you were ordered to pray for the German military, for the German emperor, in the service?” The priest replied in a calm tone:

"I would not do it, because I am still bound to the Russian Emperor by my oath of subjects."

The prince said: "We could use such people."

During the Latvian War of Independence

The Bolshevik (oil painting by Boris Kustodijew ; 1920)

During the Latvian War of Independence , the Bolsheviks occupied almost all of what is now Latvia after entering Riga on January 3, 1919 . Even in this situation, Moltrecht stayed with his community and continued to exercise his office as provost. He took the view that the Bolsheviks would only take action against wealthy people, while he was comparatively penniless. This hope should not come true.

In January 1919 a revolutionary committee was founded in Dondangen. Anyone who could resist this should be eliminated.

In the early morning of January 15, gunmen broke into the provost's bedroom and forced him and his wife to dress in front of them. They did not leave his side and did not allow him to say goodbye to his family undisturbed. They claimed he should be brought to Talsen for questioning immediately , but would return soon. Moltrecht believed this claim because he had hardly made enemies in his community. He was led out saying to his wife:

"Nothing can happen to me except what He has provided and what is blessed for me."

And to his daughters:

"Care for mother."

At that time his son was with the Baltic State Army . Moltrecht was imprisoned together with other people from his parish in Talsen. There he was ridiculed by the Bolsheviks. A commissioner asked him to play pastor now and to trust him with the Red Army soldier on watch. Moltrecht is said to have reacted indifferently to these actions and hoped that his community would free him, which was completely unrealistic in the given situation.

After four days, in very cold weather, the prisoners were taken towards Tuckum. Shortly before the location, the escort took off the prisoners' furs and boots. One of the Bolsheviks saw Moltrecht's gold watch, an anniversary gift from his congregation, and ordered: "Give me the watch, you will no longer need it." This made it clear that the prisoners were to be executed. They were detained in Tuckum. In the evening the landowners were called out of the cell. About the clergyman, the commissioner said: "That is one of the kind, he can come too." With that, the death sentence against Moltrecht as well as against the other accused was already established. A hearing did take place, but when the accused wanted to testify and defend themselves, they were silenced with the words "It's enough." Since the convicts spent their last night separately from the other prisoners, nothing is known about that night except that none of them survived.

In the early morning of January 20, Karl Moltrecht and the 18 other convicts were led out to the so-called “Galgenberg”, where they had to dig their own grave. Karl Moltrecht was knocked over with a blow on the head and killed with one shot. At least this picture emerged when his corpse was later recovered, on which there were no longer any valuables. He was buried in the Dondangen cemetery on April 25th.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Calendar reform by the Bolsheviks on February 1st July. / February 14,  1918 greg. , Declaration of independence of Latvia on November 5th jul. / November 18,  1918 greg.
  2. ↑ Locales. in the Rigaschen Zeitung , No. 138, June 18, 1879, online at Moltrecht | issueType: P
  3. ↑ Matura examinations in the Gouvernements-Gymnasium in the Rigaschen city papers , No. 25, June 21, 1879, online at Moltrecht | issueType: P
  4. ^ University of Dorpat. in the Rigaschen Zeitung , No. 208, September 12, 1886, online at Moltrecht | issueType: P
  5. ^ At the Livonian Evangelical Lutheran Consistory in the Rigaschen Zeitung , No. 233, October 11, 1886, online at Moltrecht | issueType: P
  6. ↑ From the Courland Leprosy Association in the Düna-Zeitung , No. 249, November 2, 1893, online at Moltrecht Pastor | issueType: P
  7. ^ From the Association to Fight Leprosy in Courland in the Düna-Zeitung , No. 238, October 21, 1894, online at Moltrecht | issueType: P
  8. ^ From the Association to Fight Leprosy in Courland in the Libauschen Zeitung , No. 240, October 22, 1894, online at Moltrecht | issueType: P
  9. ↑ Domestic. in the Düna-Zeitung , No. 254, November 8, 1893, online under Pastor Pastor Moltrecht Pastor | issueType: P
  10. ↑ Mitau. As provost of the Pilsen diocese in the Düna-Zeitung , No. 107, May 12, 1900, online under Moltrecht | issueType: P
  11. ^ Obituary Provost Karl Moltrecht †. in the Rigaschen Zeitung , No. 11, June 6, 1919, online at Moltrecht Karl Moltrecht | issueType: P
  12. ↑ Awards and medals. in the Düna-Zeitung , No. 75, April 3, 1901, online under Moltrecht | issueType: P
  13. ↑ Locales. in the Libauschen Zeitung , No. 76, April 4, 1901, online at Moltrecht | issueType: P
  14. ^ Neuhausen in Courland, May 27th. Introduction. in the Düna newspaper , No. 120, May 31, 1901, online at Propst Moltrecht | issueType: P
  15. ↑ Introduction. in the Libauschen Zeitung , No. 121, June 1, 1901, online at Propst Moltrecht | issueType: P
  16. ↑ From Dondangen in the Rigaschen Rundschau , No. 285, December 18, 1902, online at Moltrecht | issueType: P
  17. ^ Latvian press. in the Düna-Zeitung , No. 168, August 5, 1905, online under Pastor Moltrecht | issueType: P
  18. ↑ Domestic. in the Libauschen Zeitung , No. 103, May 8, 1906, online under Pastor Moltrecht Pastor | issueType: P
  19. ↑ Domestic. in the Düna-Zeitung , No. 106, May 10, 1906, online under Pastor Pastor Pastor Moltrecht | issueType: P
  20. ^ Wind exchanger circle. Dondangen. Ecclesiastical. in the Rigaschen Zeitung , No. 196, August 25, 1908, online at Moltrecht | issueType: P
  21. ↑ Mitau. The Synod of Preachers of the Kurland Consistorial District in the Rigaschen Zeitung , No. 204, September 3, 1908, online at Moltrecht | issueType: P
  22. ^ Oskar Schabert : Baltic Martyrs Book . Furche-Verlag, Berlin 1926, p. 94, end of the first section. ( Digitized version ) The report is based on the notes of Karl Moltrecht's son, G. Moltrecht, the chief forester, and R. Heinrichsen.
  23. ↑ Twenty years ago . In: Evangelium und Osten: Russischer Evangelischer Pressedienst , No. 5, May 1, 1939, online at Moltrecht | issueType: P
personal data
SURNAME Moltrecht, Karl
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Moltrecht, Emil Karl Johann Albert; Moltrecht, Albert Karl Johannes; Moltrecht, Carl; Moltdrehs, Kārlis (Latvian); Moltdrehs, Emils Kārlis (Latvian); Moltdrehs, Emīls Kārlis Johans Alberts (Latvian); Moltdrehs, Kārlis Alberts Johans (Latvian)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Evangelical Lutheran clergyman, German-Baltic martyr
DATE OF BIRTH May 24, 1860
PLACE OF BIRTH St. Matthiae
DATE OF DEATH January 20, 1919
Place of death Tuckum