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Benjamin Ursinus von Bär (commonly spelled 'Baer'; February 12, 1646 - December 23, 1720) was the Court Preacher to the
Benjamin Ursinus von Bär (commonly spelled 'Baer'; February 12, 1646 - December 23, 1720) was the Court Preacher to the Elector of Brandenburg
This article lists the Margraves and Electors of Brandenburg during the period of time that Brandenburg was a constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire.
The Mark, or ''March'', of Brandenburg was one of the primary constituent states of the Hol ...
, and was a bishop of the protestant Reformed Church descendant from a family of clergymen.
Early life
Ursinus was born into a family of high ranking clergymen at Lissa; his grandfather David Ursinus was Court Preacher to the Carolath Castle in Lower Silesia. Ursinus' father (also named Benjamin Ursinus) was the first Vice Rector in Lissa before becoming a pastor in 1648. Ursinus was raised in Danzig and was enrolled as a theology student inHeidelberg
Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
in 1663. Afterwards, on the suggestion of his teachers, he was ordained as a secret preacher in the secret Reformed Church of Cologne in 1667.
Court Preacher of Brandenburg
After his ordination, Ursinus became the Court Preacher toFrederick William, Elector of Brandenburg
Frederick William (german: Friedrich Wilhelm; 16 February 1620 – 29 April 1688) was Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia, thus ruler of Brandenburg-Prussia, from 1640 until his death in 1688. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he is ...
in 1670. After Frederick William's death, he retained his office under Frederick I Frederick I may refer to:
* Frederick of Utrecht or Frederick I (815/16–834/38), Bishop of Utrecht.
* Frederick I, Duke of Upper Lorraine (942–978)
* Frederick I, Duke of Swabia (1050–1105)
* Frederick I, Count of Zol ...
of Prussia, under whom he gained greater prestige. He anointed him as King in Prussia
King ''in'' Prussia (German: ''König in Preußen'') was a title used by the Prussian kings (also in personal union Electors of Brandenburg) from 1701 to 1772. Subsequently, they used the title King ''of'' Prussia (''König von Preußen'').
T ...
in Königsberg
Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was na ...
in 1701. In 1703, Ursinus was invited to talks about uniting Protestant Churches in Prussia, which would cumulate a century later as the Old Prussian Union. In 1712, Ursinus baptised the Crown Prince's son Frederick, who would become known as Frederick the Great
Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the S ...
. Upon the ascension of Frederick William I, Ursinus' standing dropped significantly due to the king's militarist leanings, and his salary dwindled. Ursinus died in Berlin
Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...
and was buried in Gütergotz in 1720.
References