Michael Weiß (also spelled ''Michael Weiss'', born in 1569, in Medgyes (German: Mediasch, today Mediaș, Romania), deceased 16 October 1612, in Barcaföldvár (German: Marienburg, today Feldioara, Romania) was a

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

n Saxon politician and historian. He is mostly known for being the mayor of Brassó (German: Kronstadt, modern-day Brașov, Romania).

Biography

He was born in Medgyes as the son of mayor Johannes Weiß and his wife, Gertrude Wolf, both of whom would die of the

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pe ...

in 1586. He went to the local elementary school, then, in 1583, aged 14, he attended the courses of the Jesuit school of

Kolozsvár ; hu, kincses város) , official_name=Cluj-Napoca , native_name= , image_skyline= , subdivision_type1 = County , subdivision_name1 = Cluj County , subdivision_type2 = Status , subdivision_name2 = County seat , settlement_type = City , l ...

(German: Klausenburg, today Cluj-Napoca, Romania). During the two years spent there, Weiß learned Hungarian, and progressed enough as to be able to write poems in this language. Shortly, he began his political career, as secretary of Count Ferdinand von Hardek, and then by working for the Hungarian chancellor office in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

. He was noticed by

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

Rudolf II Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–1608). He was a member of the Hous ...

, who ennobled him in 1589, at age 20. In 1590, he returned to Transylvania. He was chosen in the ''Assembly of the one hundred'' in 1591, then in 1594, as representative of Brassó in the Transylvanian Diet (the political and constitutional organ of the principality) and in the ''Senate'', in 1600. As representative and senator of Brassó, the

voivode Voivode (, also spelled ''voievod'', ''voevod'', ''voivoda'', ''vojvoda'' or ''wojewoda'') is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe since the Early Middle Ages. It primarily referred to the ...

s István Bocskay,

Sigismund Rákóczi Sigismund Rákóczi ( hu, Rákóczi Zsigmond; 1544 – 5 December 1608) was Prince of Transylvania from 1607 to 1608. He was the son of János Rákóczi, a lesser nobleman with estates in Upper Hungary. Sigismund began a military career as the ...

and those of the

Báthory family The Báthory family ( pl, Batory) was a Hungarian noble family of the Gutkeled clan. The family rose to significant influence in Central Europe during the Late Middle Ages, holding high military, administrative and ecclesiastical positions in ...

sent Weiß in several diplomatic missions, including to

domnitor ''Domnitor'' (Romanian pl. ''Domnitori'') was the official title of the ruler of Romania between 1862 and 1881. It was usually translated as "prince" in other languages and less often as "grand duke". Derived from the Romanian word "''domn''" ...

Radu Șerban Radu Șerban (? – 23 March 1620) was a Wallachian nobleman who reigned as the principality's ''voivode'' during two periods from 1602 to 1610 and during 1611. A supposed descendant of Neagoe Basarab, he attained high office during the reign of ...

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ro, Țara Românească, lit=The Romanian Land' or 'The Romanian Country, ; archaic: ', Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and s ...

. Michael Weiss described Șerban as being "wealthy, cunning, and very skilled in the ''craft of war''". In 1606, the Wallachian prince invited him to take part in several hunting and fishing trips, for two weeks. During this time, it appears they have discussed political issues of common interest, the results of which will be seen five years later. When

Gabriel Báthory Gabriel Báthory ( hu, Báthory Gábor; 15 August 1589 – 27 October 1613) was Prince of Transylvania from 1608 to 1613. Born to the Roman Catholic branch of the Báthory family, he was closely related to four rulers of the Principality of ...

wanted to subdue Brassó, Weiss led the resistance fight, having as ally Șerban. On October 16, 1612, a battle took place at Barcaföldvár, in which the Brassó army was defeated. Weiss was caught and killed. He was beheaded, and his head was taken to Gabriel Báthory, in

Nagyszeben Sibiu ( , , german: link=no, Hermannstadt , la, Cibinium, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'', hu, Nagyszeben ) is a city in Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Ci ...

(German: Hermannstadt, today Sibiu, Romania), as proof of victory.

Legacy

In memoriam

RO BV Feldioara 1612 Saxon students monument 02

In 1887, Nonnengasse (Nun Alley) was named after its former mayor. On the list of historical monuments created by the Ministry of Culture, at number 976, code LMI 2004 BV-IV-m-A-11919, is ''The Monument of Saxon Students fallen in Battle in 1612''. Built between 1912 and 1913, it commemorates the 39 young students that died near Barcaföldvár during the battle where Weiss lost his life. After 1989, DFDR Brașov has reinstated the tradition of commemorating and honouring predecessors through a celebration at the forementioned monument.

Literary works

Besides the poems written in his youth, Michael Weiß has left behind a few writings of importance with regard to his contemporary Brassó and Transylvania.Cărturari brașoveni, pp. 226–227. * ''Liber annalium raptim scriptus per Mich. Weyss Mediensem, senatorem Republicae Coronensis'', translatable as "''The book of haste chronicles by Michael Weiß of Medgyes, Senator of the Republic of Brassó''", a journal later published by Eugen von Trauschenfels, with a preface signed by A. Kurz. * ''Brevis consignatio tumultum bellicorum ab anno Chr. 1610, usque completum annum 1613 ambitione et inquietudine Gabrielis Báthori Principis motorum'', translatable as "''Brief writings of the tumultuous war of 1610, then added in 1613 by ambition and restlessness of Prince Gabriel Báthori''", with an anonymous addition to the events of 1613. It is also worth mentioning that all the documents of the Weiß family have been donated to the patrimony of '' Johannes Honterus high-school'' of Brassó.

Biography

Legacy

In memoriam

Literary works

References

Further reading