Michał Jan Borch (, , , 20 June 1753 – ) was a Polish-Livonian

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

and writer. It is interesting to mention the impact of Polish Count Michał Jan Borch in understanding the nature of truffles. The whitish truffle (Tuber borchii) is named after him.

Biography

Ancestry

Michał Jan Borch came from the

Courland Courland is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia. Courland's largest city is Liepāja, which is the third largest city in Latvia. The regions of Semigallia and Selonia are sometimes considered as part of Courland as they were ...

ish branch of the noble family . His parents were the Polish

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

(1715-1780) and Ludwika Anna (1725–1788). He was born in

Varakļāni Varakļāni (; , , , ) is a town in the Latgale historical region of Latvia. The population in 2020 was 1,740. History The town of Varakļāni was founded and established in the Russian Empire in the 18th century. Varakļāni Palace is locate ...

in present-day Latvia.

Career

Michał Jan Borch was educated and raised at the family estate by French teachers, as well as partly in Poland, to some extent at the ''Collegium Pium'' in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

. He entered Polish military service in 1762 and obtained the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in the

hussar A hussar, ; ; ; ; . was a member of a class of light cavalry, originally from the Kingdom of Hungary during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry ...

s no later than 1776. According to some sources, he was wounded by during the kidnapping of

Stanisław August Poniatowski Stanisław II August (born Stanisław Antoni Poniatowski; 17 January 1732 – 12 February 1798), known also by his regnal Latin name Stanislaus II Augustus, and as Stanisław August Poniatowski (), was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuani ...

in 1771 while trying to protect the king. Thanks to his loyalty and to his skill, he was promoted to Quartermaster general of

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

in 1781, became a member of the Ministry of War in 1786 and eventually promoted to

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

. In addition, he was made

starost Starosta or starost (Cyrillic: ''старост/а'', Latin: ''capitaneus'', ) is a community elder in some Slavic lands. The Slavic root of "starost" translates as "senior". Since the Middle Ages, it has designated an official in a leadersh ...

Ludza Ludza (; , , , , ''Ludza'') is a town in the Latgale region of eastern Latvia. Ludza is the oldest town in Latvia and this is commemorated by a key in its coat of arms. Ludza is the administrative centre of Ludza Municipality that is located near ...

(

Latgale Latgale (; ; ; ; ; ; Belarusian Latin alphabet, Belarusian Latin: ''Łathalija''; ), also known as Latgalia or Latgallia, is one of the Historical Latvian Lands. It is the easternmost region of the country and lies north of the Daugava River. Wh ...

) in 1772 and from 1787

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 ...

of the

Belz Voivodeship Bełz Voivodeship (, ) was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Kingdom of Poland from 1462 to the Partitions of Poland in 1772–1795. Together with the Ruthenian Voivodeship it was part of Red Ruthenia, Lesser Poland ...

(today in Ukraine), where he promoted the spreading of the

Polish language Polish (, , or simply , ) is a West Slavic languages, West Slavic language of the Lechitic languages, Lechitic subgroup, within the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family, and is written in the Latin script. It is primarily spo ...

. Between 1774 and 1778 he conducted an extensive Grand Tour through Germany, France, Switzerland and Italy. His tour included a visit to the

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, and commonly known as the Order of Malta or the Knights of Malta, is a Catholic lay religious ...

on Malta. He was inspired to visit

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

and Malta by reading the then-popular book ''A Tour through Sicily and Malta'' by

Patrick Brydone Patrick Brydone, FRSE, FRS, FSAScot, FSA (5 January 1736 – 19 June 1818) was a Scottish traveller and author who served as Comptroller of the Stamp Office. Life Brydone was born in Coldingham, Berwickshire, on 5 January 1736, the son o ...

. On Sicily he dedicated himself to extensive studies of

mineralogy Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical mineralogy, optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifact (archaeology), artifacts. Specific s ...

between September 1776 and April 1777. He published the results of his studies in seven Italian scientific publications and later, in extended form, as books translated into French. In his ''

Italian Journey ''Italian Journey'' (in the German original: ) is Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's report on his travels to Italy from 1786 to 1788 that was published in 1816 & 1817. The book is based on Goethe's diaries and is smoothed in style, lacks the sponta ...

'',

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

speaks favourably of von der Borch. His extensive natural history collections where still piously preserved in the castle of Varakļāni as late as 1868. In recognition of his work as a naturalist, the

Brachiopod Brachiopods (), phylum (biology), phylum Brachiopoda, are a phylum of animals that have hard "valves" (shells) on the upper and lower surfaces, unlike the left and right arrangement in bivalve molluscs. Brachiopod valves are hinged at the rear e ...

'' Bicarinatina borchi'' is named after von der Borch. In 1783, he was elevated to the rank of

Imperial Count Imperial Count (, ) was a title in the Holy Roman Empire. During the medieval era, it was used exclusively to designate the holder of an imperial county, that is, a fief held directly ( immediately) from the emperor, rather than from a prince wh ...

by the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II. In 1790 he traveled to England on a mission for the Polish king, whose complete trust von der Borch enjoyed. Following the

Third Partition of Poland The Third Partition of Poland (1795) was the last in a series of the Partitions of Poland–Lithuania and the land of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth among Prussia, the Habsburg monarchy, and the Russian Empire which effectively ended Polis ...

he retired from all official duties and settled on his estate in Varakļāni. Already in 1789 he had hired the Italian architect Vincenzo de Mazotti to rebuild

Varakļāni Palace Varakļāni Palace () is a palace in Varakļāni, Varakļāni Municipality in the historical region of Latgale, in Latvia. History After the end of the Livonian War in 1583, family acquired the :lv:Varka (pilsnovads), Vark castle district, it ...

and redesign the garden of the estate, which had been in the family since 1483. Among other decorations, Michał Jan Borch was awarded the Order of the Lion of Bavaria, the

Order of Saint Stanislaus The Order of Saint Stanislaus (, ), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Poniatowski of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It remained under the Congress Poland, Kingdom of Pola ...

and the Order of the White Eagle. As a writer he concentrated on natural sciences, maintained international scientific contacts and was a member of several academies.

Family

In 1783 he married Countess Eleonore Christina von Browne of Camus (1766–1844) in

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

, the daughter of the Russian

governor general Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

Livonia Livonia, known in earlier records as Livland, is a historical region on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the Livonians, who lived on the shores of present-day Latvia. By the end of the 13th century, the name was extende ...

George Browne. The couple had seven children: * Karol Jerzy Jan (1787-1861) * Zofia (1795-1880) * Eliza Luiza Izabella (1796-1870) * Izabela Amerlia Marianna (1799-1862) * Anna Klara Julia (1801-1869) * Aleksander Antoni Stanisław (1804-1867) * Józef Kazimierz Piotr (1807-1881)

Works

* ''Ode... pour la séance publique du premier d'Avril de la conversation galante de Monsieur le prince di Campofranco...''. Palermo 1777. * ''Lettres sur la Sicile et sur l'île de Malthe ... écrites en 1777. Pour servir de supplément au voyage en Sicile et à Malthe de Monsieur Brydonne''. Berne 1785. * ''Lythologie sicilienne ou Catalogue raisonné de toutes les pierres de la Sicile propres à embellir le cabinet d'un amateur''. Naples 1777. * ''Lythologie sicilienne, en connaissance de la nature des pierres de la Sicile, suivie d'un discours sur la Catcara de Palerme''. Rome 1778. * ''Minéralogie sicilienne docimastique et métallurgique ou Connaissance de tous les minéraux que produit l'île de Sicile, avec les détails des mines et des carrières et l'histoire des travaux anciens et actuels de ce pays. Suivie de la minér-hydrologie sicilienne, ou la description de toutes les eaux minérales de la Sicile''. Turin 1780. * ''Lettres sur les truffes du Piémont, écrites en 1780''. Milan 1780. * ''Victor Amédée. Tragédie en 5 actes et en vers, par l'auteur de la Minéralogie sicilienne''. Warsaw 1789. * ''La Stanislaĭde ou l'Heureuse délivrance de Stanislas II roi de Pologne. Poème''. Warsaw 1791. * ''Histoire de la vie de George de Browne, comte du Saint-Empire, gouverneur général de Livonie et d'Esthonie…'', Riga 1794
Digitalised
; = L. Schubert: ''Leben des Reichsgr. Georg von Browne, General-Gouverneur von Liefland und Esthland, Oberfeldherr der Russischen Armeen''.

Johann Friedrich Hartknoch Johann Friedrich Hartknoch (sometimes referred to as Johann Friedrich Hartknoch the Elder to distinguish him from his son; 28 September 1740 – 1 April 1789) was a Baltic Germans, Baltic German book publisher. He came from a poor family in Gołd ...

, Riga 1795
Digitalised
. * ''Jardin sentimental du château de Warkland dans le Comté de Borch en Russie Blanche'', Warsaw 1795.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Borch, Michael Johann von der 1753 births 1810 deaths People from Varakļāni Municipality 18th-century German naturalists 18th-century naturalists 19th-century naturalists Polish naturalists Livonian nobility Polish nobility 18th-century Polish–Lithuanian scientists