Ignaz Edler von Born, also known as Ignatius von Born ( hu, Born Ignác, ro, Ignațiu von Born, cs, Ignác Born) (26 December 1742 in

Alba Iulia Alba Iulia (; german: Karlsburg or ''Carlsburg'', formerly ''Weißenburg''; hu, Gyulafehérvár; la, Apulum) is a city that serves as the seat of Alba County in the west-central part of Romania. Located on the Mureș River in the historica ...

Grand Principality of Transylvania Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and co ...

, Habsburg monarchy – 24 July 1791 in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

), was a

mineralogist Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the proce ...

and metallurgist. He was a prominent freemason, being head of Vienna's Illuminati lodge and an influential anti-clerical writer. He was the leading scientist in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

during the 1770s in the

age of Enlightenment The Age of Enlightenment or the Enlightenment; german: Aufklärung, "Enlightenment"; it, L'Illuminismo, "Enlightenment"; pl, Oświecenie, "Enlightenment"; pt, Iluminismo, "Enlightenment"; es, La Ilustración, "Enlightenment" was an intel ...

. His interests include mining, mineralogy, palaeontology, chemistry,''Dvaasedmdesát jmen české historie (46/72). Ignác Born.''
(Film document by Czech television, 2009), website. Retrieved 3 October 2009. metallurgy and malacology.

Biography

Born belonged to a noble family of Transylvanian Saxon origin. He started school in his hometown, then was educated in a Jesuit college in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, but left the Jesuits after sixteen months to study law at Prague University. He then travelled extensively to present-day Germany, the Netherlands, and France, studying mineralogy, and on his return to Prague in 1770 entered the department of mines and the mint. In 1776 he was appointed by Maria Theresa to arrange the imperial museum at Vienna (german: link=no, K.k. Hof-Naturalienkabinette, the predecessor of today's

Naturhistorisches Museum The Natural History Museum Vienna (german: Naturhistorisches Museum Wien) is a large natural history museum located in Vienna, Austria. It is one of the most important natural history museums worldwide. The NHM Vienna is one of the largest museum ...

), where he was nominated to the council of mines and the mint, and continued to reside until his death. He introduced a method of extracting metals by amalgamation (''Uber des Anquicken der Erze'', 1786), and other improvements in mining and other technical processes. His publications also include ''Lithophylacium Bornianum'' (1772–1775) and ''Bergbaukunde'' (1789), besides several museum catalogues. Born attempted satire with no great success. ''Die Staatsperücke'', a tale published without his knowledge in 1772. He criticised state bureaucracy in this work. And an attack on Father Hell, the Jesuit, and king's astronomer at Vienna, are two of his satirical works. Part of a satire, entitled ''Monachologia'', in which the monks are described in the technical language of natural history, is also ascribed to him. Born was well acquainted with

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

and the principal modern languages of Europe, and with many branches of science not immediately connected with metallurgy and mineralogy. He took an active part in the political changes in Hungary. After the death of the

emperor Joseph II Joseph II (German: Josef Benedikt Anton Michael Adam; English: ''Joseph Benedict Anthony Michael Adam''; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg lands from November 29, 1780 un ...

, the diet of the states of Hungary rescinded many innovations of that ruler, and conferred the rights of denizen on several persons who had been favourable to the cause of the Hungarians, and, amongst others, on Born. In 1771 Born was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and in 1774 a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathemat ...

In 1781 Born proposed that Austria undertake a scientific voyage round the world, emulating those of Cook. The expedition was described in the press in the following terms:

Vienna, 20 July 1782. His Majesty the Emperor has ordered Councillor von Born, one of our Monarchy’s most learned savants, to put forward two subjects experienced in Natural History, to send to America in order to make new discoveries there. Mr. Heidinger, Adjunct in the Imperial Natural History Cabinet, and Doctor Maerter, Lecturer in Natural History at the Theresianum, were presented and approved; also, a Gardener and a Painter were included with them. They will go by Cape Horn to Otaheiti, from thence to Sandwich Island, to the American Coast on the North side of California, and finally to China. They both have knowledge of all areas of Natural History; it can therefore be assured that their discoveries will be of much greater ambit and usefulness than all that have been made hitherto, since Banks, Solander, and Forster looked at few other Objects of Natural History than Botany. At the end of August, they will sail on the Ship ''Comte de Cobenzell''.

Born himself hoped to lead the expedition, but the poor state of his health meant that he had to relinquish the post of leader in favour of Franz Josef Maerter, who was accompanied by

Franz Boos Franz Boos (23 December 1753 (Frauenalb) – 9 February 1832 (Vienna) ) was an Austrian gardener-botanist in the Age of Enlightenment, a voyager and collector of natural history specimens for Emperor Joseph II of Austria, who reigned from 1765 to ...

. Subsequently, in July 1789, Born recommended

Thaddaeus Haenke Jude ( grc-gre, Ἰούδας Ἰακώβου translit. Ioúdas Iakóbou) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is generally identified as Thaddeus ( grc-gre, Θαδδαῖος; cop, ⲑⲁⲇⲇⲉⲟⲥ; ...

to the Spanish Government for appointment as botanist on the Malaspina expedition. In 1790, he catalogued the mineral collection of Éléonore de Raab, and this work formed the basis of William Babington's 1799 work ''A New System of Mineralogy, in the form of a Catalogue, after the manner of Baron Born’s Systematic Catalogue of the collection of fossils of Mlle Éléonore de Raab''. At the time of his death in 1791, he was writing ''Fasti Leopoldini'', probably relating to the prudent conduct of Leopold II, the successor of Joseph, towards the Hungarians. As an active freemason in the "Benevolence" lodge, he introduced and tutored Mozart into the lodge. Born's essay ''Über die Mysterien der Ägypter '' (The Mysteries of the Egyptians), published in 1784 in the freemason periodical ''Journal für Freymaurer'', was one of the sources for the libretto for The Magic Flute written for Mozart by Emanuel Schikaneder. Born was also the regional head of the Viennese

Illuminati The Illuminati (; plural of Latin ''illuminatus'', 'enlightened') is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically, the name usually refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on ...

lodge, and was a sympathiser with the enlightenment ideas of Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. He published an anticlerical satire called ''Monachologien'' in 1783, in which he depicts monks as being of a distinct race that is a mixture between ape and man. The mineral bornite (Cu₅FeS₄), a common copper ore mineral was named in his honour.

Selected publications

* Born, I. 1778
''Index rerum naturalium Musei Cæsarei Vindobonensis''
Pars I.ma. Testacea. Verzeichniß der natürlichen Seltenheiten des k. k. Naturalien Cabinets zu Wien. Erster Theil. Schalthiere. Vindobonæ: Kraus. –40+ 1–458 + –82 (in

and German language) *

Species described

Species described by Ignatius von Born include:Malacolog Version 4.1.1. A Database of Western Atlantic Marine Mollusca. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
searching for Born
gastropods: * '' Bullata bullata'' (Born, 1778) – synonyms: ''Voluta bullata'' Born, 1778; ''Marginella bullata'' (Born, 1778) * '' Cerithium atratum'' (Born, 1778) – synonym: ''Murex atratus'' Born, 1778 * '' Cerithium litteratum'' (Born, 1778) – synonym: ''Murex litteratus'' Born, 1778 * ''

Clathrodrillia gibbosa ''Clathrodrillia gibbosa'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Drilliidae. Description The size of an adult shell varies between 20 mm and 60 mm. The shell is yellowish white or brownish, usually interr ...

'' (Born, 1778) – synonyms: ''Crassispira gibbosa'' (Born, 1778); ''Drillia gibbosa'' (Born, 1778); ''Murex gibbosus'' Born, 1778 * '' Conus centurio'' Born, 1778 * '' Conus ermineus'' Born, 1778 – synonym: ''Dendroconus ermineus'' (Born, 1778) * '' Fissurella nodosa'' (Born, 1778) – synonym: ''Patella nodosa'' Born, 1778 * '' Hastula cinerea'' (Born, 1778) – synonyms: ''Terebra cinerea'' (Born, 1778); ''Buccinum cinereum'' Born, 1778 * ''

Labyrinthus plicatus ''Labyrinthus plicatus'' is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial animal, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Labyrinthidae. Distribution This species occurs in: * VenezuelaAlan Solem, Solem A. (31 May) 1966'' ...

'' (Born, 1780) – synonym: ''Helix plicata'' Born, 1780 * '' Osilinus turbinatus'' (Born, 1780) – synonym: ''Trochus turbinatus'' Born, 1780 * '' Patella miniata'' Born, 1778 * '' Patella oculus'' Born, 1778 * '' Prunum marginatum'' (Born, 1778) – synonym: ''Voluta marginata'' Born, 1778 * ''

Scutellastra cochlear ''Scutellastra cochlear'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Patellidae, one of the families of true limpets. It is commonly known as the snail patella, the pear limpet or the spoon limpet and is native to Sout ...

'' (Born, 1778) – synonym: ''Patella cochlear'' Born 1778 * '' Semicassis granulata'' (Born, 1778) – synonyms: ''Phalium granulata'' (Born, 1778); '' Phalium granulatum'' (Born, 1778); ''Buccinum granulatum'' Born, 1778 * ''

Stigmaulax sulcatus ''Stigmaulax sulcatus'' is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Naticidae, the moon snails. Distribution An uncommon species -Western Atlantic sources Description The maximum recorded shell Shell may r ...

'' (Born, 1778) – synonym: ''Nerita sulcata'' Born, 1778 * '' Tegula fasciata'' (Born, 1778) – synonyms: ''Trochus fasciatus'' Born, 1778; ''Chlorostoma fasciata'' (Born, 1778) * '' Thais lacera'' (Born, 1778) – synonym: ''Thais lacerus'' (Born, 1778) * '' Trochita trochiformis'' (Born, 1778) – synonyms: ''Turbo trochiformis'' Born, 1778; ''Patella trochiformis'' (Born, 1778) * '' Vasum muricatum'' (Born, 1778) – synonyms: ''Voluta muricata'' Born, 1778; ''Turbinella muricatum'' (Born, 1778) * '' Xenophora conchyliophora'' (Born, 1780) – synonyms: ''Astraea conchyliophora'' (Born, 1780); ''Trochus conchyliophorus'' Born, 1780 synonyms of gastropods: * ''Tritonium costatum'' (Born, 1778) and ''Triton costatum'' (Born, 1778) and ''Murex costatus'' Born, 1778 are synonyms for '' Cymatium parthenopeum'' (von Salis, 1793) * ''Murex gigas'' Born, 1780 is a synonym for '' Syrinx aruanus'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * ''Turbo torcularis'' Born, 1778 is a synonym for '' Torcula exoleta'' (Linnaeus, 1758) bivalves: * '' Argopecten nucleus'' (Born, 1778) – synonyms: ''Ostrea nucleus'' Born, 1778; ''Aequipecten nucleus'' (Born, 1778); ''Pecten nucleus'' (Born, 1778) * '' Ctenoides scabra'' (Born, 1778) – synonyms: ''Ostrea scabra'' Born, 1778; ''Lima scabra'' (Born, 1778) * '' Dosinia concentrica'' (Born, 1778) – synonyms: ''Venus concentrica'' Born, 1778; ''Cytherea concentrica'' (Born, 1778); ''Artemis concentrica'' (Born, 1778) * '' Eurytellina punicea'' (Born, 1778) – synonym: ''Tellina punicea'' Born, 1778 * '' Gafrarium calipygum'' (Born, 1778) * '' Mactra glauca'' Born, 1778 * '' Ostrea cristata'' Born, 1778 * '' Panopea glycimeris'' (Born, 1778) * '' Papyridea lata'' (Born, 1778) – synonym: ''Cardium latum'' Born, 1778 * '' Pitar circinatus'' (Born, 1778) – synonyms: ''Venus circinata'' Born, 1778; ''Cytherea circinatus'' (Born, 1778) * '' Tellina punicea'' (Born, 1778) * '' Tivela mactroides'' (Born, 1778) – synonym: ''Venus mactroides'' Born, 1778; ''Cytherea mactroides'' (Born, 1778)

Notes

References

* *Museum guide of Mozarthaus Vienna (Prestel museum guide)

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20170925112650/http://ignatiusvonborn.ro/ * http://www.ilab.org/db/book1099_22049.html * http://tv.sms.cz/televise/CT2/20091002/1170029325_Dvaasedmdesat_jmen_ceske_historie_46_72
species described in ''Index rerum naturalium…''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Born, Ignaz von 1742 births 1791 deaths People from Cavnic 18th-century Austrian scientists Austrian mineralogists Austrian metallurgists Austrian malacologists Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Fellows of the Royal Society Edlers of Austria Hungarian nobility 18th-century Hungarian scientists Czech mineralogists Austrian Freemasons Members of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities