Nicolaus Gercken

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Nicolaus Gercken (born February 28, 1555 in Salzwedel ; † August 16, 1610 ) was a German lawyer and chancellor .

Life

Nicolaus Gercken, born as the son of Johannis Geriken, the rector of the Neustädter Schule zu Salzwedel, first went to the city high school in Magdeburg, later also to study at the University of Rostock and the University of Wittenberg . After completing his studies, he became vice principal in Stendal for three years . In 1580 he traveled with the two sons of Breda von Rantzow to Thuringia, where he began to study law. Four years later he traveled to Basel to get a doctorate in law. After he had already passed the exam, he broke off his doctorate in response to a letter from his father in order to save the money he needed for practical training. In 1585 he traveled to Speyer and did a year of practical training as a lawyer. Then he traveled back to Magdeburg . There he became a lawyer in 1590 and married Margaretha Busse in 1590.

Soon he was promoted to Chancellor of Duke Wolfgang von Braunschweig-Grubenhagen . A little later he traveled as its envoy to the Reichstag in Regensburg and was also appointed by the Magdeburg cathedral chapter to the office of syndic, which he administered until his death.

testament

Although Nicolaus Gercken had amassed a considerable fortune through active thrift, there were no direct heirs to whom he could leave this. The close relatives also belonged to the wealthier population and were not dependent on the estate. He therefore decided to invest the money in a foundation that would benefit his grandfather's descendants. From then on, it was the task of the Nicolaus Gercken'schen Family Foundation to maintain the assets in the form of a scholarship foundation and to enable the descendants of the Gercken family to have a good academic education.

literature

  • Paul Gerhardt: The Nicolaus Gerckensche Family Scholarship Foundation in Salzwedel. In: Family Research Today. 07/1993, pp. 39-48.
  • Patronage of the Gercken Family Foundation (ed.): History of the Family Foundation of Domsyndicus Nicolaus Gercken. Salzwedel 2001.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ According to the German National Library, in which Nicolaus Gercken can be found under the name Nicolaus Gerike , surname variants are also possible: Gericius, Gericus, Gerycus, Gericke, Gerike.
  2. ↑ Short biography on the website of the Nicolaus Gerckenschen Family Foundation
  3. ↑ See the entry of Nicolaus Geritius alias Gercken's matriculation in the Rostock matriculation portal
  4. ^ Gerhardt: The Nicolaus Gerckensche Family Scholarship Foundation , p. 40.
personal data
SURNAME Gercken, Nicolaus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German lawyer
DATE OF BIRTH February 28, 1555
PLACE OF BIRTH Salzwedel
DATE OF DEATH August 16, 1610