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 ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

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

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

school of

Kolozsvár Cluj-Napoca ( ; ), or simply Cluj ( , ), is a city in northwestern Romania. It is the second-most populous city in the country and the seat of Cluj County. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest (), Budapest () and Belgrade ( ...

(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 ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

. He was noticed by

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

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 H ...

, 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 voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...

István Bocskay Stephen Bocskai or Bocskay (, ; 1 January 155729 December 1606) was Prince of Transylvania and Hungary from 1605 to 1606. He was born to a Hungarian noble family. His father's estates were located in the eastern regions of the medieval Kingdom ...

Sigismund Rákóczi Sigismund Rákóczi (, ; 15445December 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 sword-bearer of the wealth ...

and those of the

Báthory family The House of Báthory () was an old and powerful Hungarian nobility, 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 ...

sent Weiß in several diplomatic missions, including to

domnitor ''Prince Domnitor'', in full ''Principe Domnitor'' (Romanian pl. ''Principi Domnitori'') was the official title of the ruler of Romania between 1862 and 1881. It was usually translated as "prince regnant" in English and most other languages, ...

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. Biography A supposed descendant of Neagoe Basarab, he attained high office during ...

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...

. 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 (; 15 August 1589 – 27 October 1613) was Prince of Transylvania from 1608 to 1613. The Ottomans nicknamed him "Deli Kiral" (Mad King). Born to the Catholic Church, Roman Catholic branch of the Báthory family, he was closely ...

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 ( , , , Hungarian: ''Nagyszeben'', , Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'' or ''Hermestatt'') is a city in central Romania, situated in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Buch ...

(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