Bishop Johannes Rudbeckius or ''Johannes Rudbeck'' (April 3, 1581–August 8, 1646), was
bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...
at
Västerås
Västerås ( , , ) is a city in central Sweden on the shore of Lake Mälaren in the province of Västmanland, west of Stockholm. The city had a population of 127,799 at the end of 2019, out of the municipal total of 154,049.
Västerås is the se ...
,
Sweden from 1619 until his death and personal chaplain to King
Gustavus II Adolphus
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.
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Biography
Johannes Rudbeck was born in Ormesta, Almby parish, outside
Örebro
Örebro ( , ) is the sixth-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Örebro Municipality, and capital of the Örebro County. It is situated by the Närke Plain, near the lake Hjälmaren, a few kilometers inland along the small river Svartån, and ...
, Sweden. He was the son of Johan Pedersson Rudbeck (1550-1603) and Christina Pedersdtr Bose. He was a student at
Uppsala University
Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation.
The university rose to significance during ...
in 1598 and at
University of Wittenberg
Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (german: Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg), also referred to as MLU, is a public, research-oriented university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg and the largest and oldest university in ...
received his
Master of Philosophy
The Master of Philosophy (MPhil; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. In the United States, an MPhil typically includes a taught portion and a significant research portion, during which a thesis project is conducted under supervision. An MPhil ...
in 1693. He was a professor of mathematics at Uppsala from 1604, professor of Hebrew from 1609 and professor of theology from 1611.
He was made Bishop in the
Diocese of Västerås
The Diocese of Västerås ( sv, Västerås stift) is a division of the Church of Sweden. Its home is in the Västerås Cathedral.
History
The diocese existed as a Catholic diocese from the 11th to the 16th century. The see was founded at Munkto ...
in 1618. In his capacity of bishop, he was restlessly active in organising. He founded the Swedish system of
parish register
A parish register in an ecclesiastical parish is a handwritten volume, normally kept in the parish church in which certain details of religious ceremonies marking major events such as baptisms (together with the dates and names of the parents), ma ...
s, ordering his parsons to file comments on every person in the parish. In 1623 he founded the first
gymnasium, a school of
secondary education
Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final pha ...
in Sweden. He also founded the first school for girls in Sweden,
Rudbeckii flickskola, in 1632. Rudbeckius was considered politically suspect by his superiors but his reforms were gradually introduced in the whole country.
Personal life
With his second wife Magadalena Malin Carlsdotter (1602–1649), he had a son
Olaus Rudbeck
Olaus Rudbeck (also known as Olof Rudbeck the Elder, to distinguish him from his son, and occasionally with the surname Latinized as ''Olaus Rudbeckius'') (13 September 1630 – 12 December 1702) was a Swedish scientist and writer, professor o ...
(1630–1702), who was a noted scientist of the 17th century. His grandson
Olof Rudbeck the Younger
Olof Rudbeck the Younger or Olaus Rudbeckius d.y. (15 March 1660 – 23 March 1740) was a Swedish explorer, scientist, botanist, ornithologist and rector of Uppsala University.
Biography
Olof Rudbeck was born in Uppsala, Sweden, the son of Ola ...
(1660–1740) was a scientist, botanist and ornithologist. Bishop Rudbeckius' granddaughter, Wendela Rudbeck (1668–1710), married
Peter Olai Nobelius (1655–1707) from whom descended
Alfred Nobel (1833–1896).
References
1581 births
1646 deaths
People from Örebro
Uppsala University alumni
University of Wittenberg alumni
Uppsala University faculty
Rectors of Uppsala University
17th-century Swedish Lutheran priests
Bishops of Västerås
17th-century Swedish educators
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