Karl Abraham Freiherr von Zedlitz und Leipe (4 January 1731 – 18 March 1793) was a

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

n minister of education who was instrumental in establishing mandatory education in Prussia, which served as a model for the

public education State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary schools that educate all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in pa ...

system in the United States. Karl Abraham von Zedlitz-Leipe

Biography

Zedlitz was born on 4 January 1731 in Schwarzwaldau in

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...

(now Czarny Bór,

Lower Silesian Voivodeship Lower Silesian Voivodeship, or Lower Silesia Province, in southwestern Poland, is one of the 16 voivodeships (provinces) into which Poland is divided. The voivodeship was created on 1 January 1999 out of the former Wrocław, Legnica, Wałbrz ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

). After his education at the Military Academy in

Brandenburg an der Havel Brandenburg an der Havel () is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, which served as the capital of the Margraviate of Brandenburg until it was replaced by Berlin in 1417. With a population of 72,040 (as of 2020), it is located on the banks of the H ...

, he took a civil service position as clerk in the Chamber Court in 1755. In 1759 he took a position in the Oberamt Government in Breslau. In 1764 he became the president of the Government of Silesia; in 1770 he became the Secretary of State and Minister of Justice. In 1771 he was in charge of the criminal department, oversaw the entire spiritual department, and was in charge of school supplies. From 18 November 1770 to 18 January 1771, he headed the Prussian Supreme Tribunal – then the fourth senate of the

Kammergericht The Kammergericht (KG) is the ''Oberlandesgericht'', the highest state court, for the city-state of Berlin, Germany. As an ordinary court according to the German Courts Constitution Act (''Gerichtsverfassungsgesetz''), it deals with criminal a ...

– as its president. In 1779 he was entangled in

Miller Arnold case The Miller Arnold case () is a landmark 18th-century German court case and cause célèbre during the reign of Frederick II that raised issues relating to the concept of judicial independence. It is an example of the ' () of Frederick ...

, a cause célèbre during the reign of Frederick II. A follower of

Immanuel Kant Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and ...

's philosophy, he promoted education and a free spiritual direction for people in the higher schools. Kant's 1781 '' Critique of Pure Reason'' opens with a dedication to Zedlitz, keeping with the common eighteenth century practice of dedicating philosophical works to prominent patrons. In 1788, Zedlitz lost the spiritual department when Johann Christoph von Wollner was transferred. Zedlitz resigned from government service. In 1788 and 1789 he was director of the Knight's Academy in

Liegnitz Legnica (Polish: ; german: Liegnitz, szl, Lignica, cz, Lehnice, la, Lignitium) is a city in southwestern Poland, in the central part of Lower Silesia, on the Kaczawa River (left tributary of the Oder) and the Czarna Woda. Between 1 June 1975 a ...

. He died on his estate in Kapsdorf. He died on 18 March 1793 in Schweidnitz (now Świdnica).

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Biography

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