Nathanael Praetorius

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Nathanael Praetorius (* 1722 in Thorn , Royal Prussia , Poland-Lithuania , † July 25, 1791 ) was the mayor of Thorn.

Life

The father Ephraim Praetorius was the first pastor ( senior ) in Thorn. After his death (1723), his mother Elisabeth Lenska married the mayor Jacob Meisner.

Nathanael Praetorius probably attended high school in Thorn. In 1740 he was involved in the writing of the funeral speech for his stepfather. In 1742 he enrolled at the University of Königsberg, 1744 in Jena and 1746 in Erlangen . He then traveled through Germany, the Netherlands, England, France and Switzerland. In 1748/49 he worked for the Podlaskie Voivode Michał Antoni Sapieha as a secretary and librarian.

From 1750 Praetorius held various offices in Thorn. He was initially Schöppe of the suburb, 1755 the old town. In 1761 he became a member of the city council. Praetorius later became chief treasurer and mint director as the chief responsible for the city's finances.

In the context of the Thorn Confederation in 1767, he campaigned for real religious and legal equality for Protestants in the city. He also supported the Bar Confederation the following year. Before the First Partition of Poland, Nathanael Praetorius was involved in talks with Prussian representatives, whose new territory extended from 1772 to just outside the city gates.

In 1771 Praetorius became the last postal director under royal Polish administration. In 1775 he was elected President of the City Council (first mayor) for the first time , and again in 1779. In 1780 he was a royal Polish burgrave . Soon after, he went blind. He continued to take part in the council meetings and held the title of (subordinate) mayor, but was barely able to act in this office.

In 1790 Nathanael Praetorius was raised to the nobility at the Polish General Sejm ( Reichstag ). He died the following year. An inventory was made by his library and has been preserved in print. Two years later, Thorn's membership of Poland for more than three centuries ended for the time being.

Nathanael Praetorius was married to Katharina Geret. Was a son

literature

  • Carl Gotthelf Praetorius : Thorner temple of honor or directory of the mayors and town councilors of the city of Thorn. Edited by Wilhelm Theodor Lohde. Berlin 1832. p. 65
  • Jerzy Dygdała: Praetorius (Prätorius) Nataniel, burmistrz toruński. In: Słownik biograficzny Pomorza Nadwiślańskiego. T. 3, pod red. Zbigniewa Nowaka. Gdańskie Towarzystwo Naukowe, 1997. pp. 485-486
  • Jerzy Dygdała: Praetorius (Prätorius) Nataniel (Nathanael) (1722–1791), burmistrz toruński. In: Toruński słownik biograficzny. T. 2, pod red. Krzysztofa Mikulskiego. Towarzystwo Miłośników Torunia, Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika, 2000. pp. 203-204

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Praetorius, Nathanael
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Praetorius, Nataniel (modern Polish spelling)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Mayor of Thorn
DATE OF BIRTH 1722
PLACE OF BIRTH Thorn , Royal Prussia , Poland-Lithuania
DATE OF DEATH July 25, 1791