Zygmunt Unrug
Encyclopedia
Zygmunt Unrug also known as Sigismund von Unruh, was a Polish
szlachta
nobleman of German descent who served as a royal chamberlain
, starosta
, and ambassador
to the Kingdom of Prussia
during the period of Stanisław I Leszczyński and Augustus II the Strong
.
Charged with the crime of blasphemy
after some of his purloined private writings were made public by his political enemies, the Protestant
Unrug received refuge from Prussia's Frederick William I
after being sentenced to death by the Polish-Lithuanian authorities in 1715. Unrug, who, remained committed to clearing his name during his period abroad, was able to secure support from the Papacy and the Sorbonne
; a decade later, the original verdict of guilt was finally rejected by the Diet
of Grodno.
nobleman by birth, Unrug was born in Międzychód
in 1676, one of the six children and five sons of Gniezno
and Wałcz starosta
Krzyszstof Unrug (Christoph von Unrug) and his wife Bogumiłą Jaskolecką. A Protestant with German-Polish roots dating back to the 16th century, the privileged Zygmunt Unrug received a Polish education before attending a nearby German
university at Frankfurt on the Oder, and rose to become a starosta and a royal chamberlain
.
Unrug was notably sent as an ambassador to Prussia
's Frederick William I
, in 1708, shortly before Stanisław's replacement by King Augustus II the Strong
.
The well-read and philosophically-inclined Unrug spent a considerable amount of his time poring over the works of various writers and setting down his own ideas privately. Purloined from Unrug's closet, these notes fell into the hands of another nobleman, Andrzej Potockia political enemy who had earlier stood opposite Unrug during the earlier conflict between Stanisław I Leszczyński and Augustus II the Strong
. With Potocki's uproar about allegedly blasphemous passages in Unrug's collection of notes, the matter quickly became an affair for the Polish-Lithuanian
tribunal at Piotrków
.
The deliberations carried out at the tribunal returned a verdict confirming Unrug's guilt for the alleged blasphemy. Unrug's insistent protestations of innocence were disregarded; the tribunal ordered the confiscation of Unrug's property (some of it going to Potocki), as well as the burning of the offending notebookwhile Unrug himself was sentenced to death by burning after having his tongue torn out and his right hand cut off. Unrug's timely escape rendered the full execution of the sentence impossible, as Protestant monarch Frederick William granted Unrug his protection in Berlin
.
Unrug remained committed to clearing his name during his period abroad. Already supported by Protestants, he was able to secure support from the highest Catholic authority, the Pope, who rejected the original ruling on the basis of the incompetence of the court, as well as from the influential scholars at the Sorbonne
, who also rejected the Piotrków verdict. The original sentence was finally rescinded by the Diet
of Grodno in 1726, which ordered that the property earlier seized from Unrug be returned to him.
Zygmunt Unrug died in 1732.
Unrug's life and the nature of his historic blasphemy case was documented by influential Polish writer Aleksander Kraushar (Alexander Kraushar) in his two-volume Sprawa Zygmunta Unruga: epizod historyczny z czasów saskich, 1715-1740, first published in Kraków
(Austrian Poland) in 1890.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
szlachta
Szlachta
The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
nobleman of German descent who served as a royal chamberlain
Chamberlain (office)
A chamberlain is an officer in charge of managing a household. In many countries there are ceremonial posts associated with the household of the sovereign....
, starosta
Starosta
Starost is a title for an official or unofficial position of leadership that has been used in various contexts through most of Slavic history. It can be translated as "elder"...
, and ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to the Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
during the period of Stanisław I Leszczyński and Augustus II the Strong
Augustus II the Strong
Frederick Augustus I or Augustus II the Strong was Elector of Saxony and King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania ....
.
Charged with the crime of blasphemy
Blasphemy
Blasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
after some of his purloined private writings were made public by his political enemies, the Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
Unrug received refuge from Prussia's Frederick William I
Frederick William I of Prussia
Frederick William I of the House of Hohenzollern, was the King in Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg from 1713 until his death...
after being sentenced to death by the Polish-Lithuanian authorities in 1715. Unrug, who, remained committed to clearing his name during his period abroad, was able to secure support from the Papacy and the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
; a decade later, the original verdict of guilt was finally rejected by the Diet
Diet (assembly)
In politics, a diet is a formal deliberative assembly. The term is mainly used historically for the Imperial Diet, the general assembly of the Imperial Estates of the Holy Roman Empire, and for the legislative bodies of certain countries.-Etymology:...
of Grodno.
Biography
A szlachtaSzlachta
The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
nobleman by birth, Unrug was born in Międzychód
Miedzychód
Międzychód is a town in Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland, about 75 km west of Poznań. It is the capital of Międzychód County. Population is 10,920 .-Notable residents:* Manuel Joël , philosopher...
in 1676, one of the six children and five sons of Gniezno
Gniezno
Gniezno is a city in central-western Poland, some 50 km east of Poznań, inhabited by about 70,000 people. One of the Piasts' chief cities, it was mentioned by 10th century A.D. sources as the capital of Piast Poland however the first capital of Piast realm was most likely Giecz built around...
and Wałcz starosta
Starosta
Starost is a title for an official or unofficial position of leadership that has been used in various contexts through most of Slavic history. It can be translated as "elder"...
Krzyszstof Unrug (Christoph von Unrug) and his wife Bogumiłą Jaskolecką. A Protestant with German-Polish roots dating back to the 16th century, the privileged Zygmunt Unrug received a Polish education before attending a nearby German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
university at Frankfurt on the Oder, and rose to become a starosta and a royal chamberlain
Chamberlain (office)
A chamberlain is an officer in charge of managing a household. In many countries there are ceremonial posts associated with the household of the sovereign....
.
Unrug was notably sent as an ambassador to Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
's Frederick William I
Frederick William I of Prussia
Frederick William I of the House of Hohenzollern, was the King in Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg from 1713 until his death...
, in 1708, shortly before Stanisław's replacement by King Augustus II the Strong
Augustus II the Strong
Frederick Augustus I or Augustus II the Strong was Elector of Saxony and King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania ....
.
The well-read and philosophically-inclined Unrug spent a considerable amount of his time poring over the works of various writers and setting down his own ideas privately. Purloined from Unrug's closet, these notes fell into the hands of another nobleman, Andrzej Potockia political enemy who had earlier stood opposite Unrug during the earlier conflict between Stanisław I Leszczyński and Augustus II the Strong
Augustus II the Strong
Frederick Augustus I or Augustus II the Strong was Elector of Saxony and King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania ....
. With Potocki's uproar about allegedly blasphemous passages in Unrug's collection of notes, the matter quickly became an affair for the Polish-Lithuanian
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
tribunal at Piotrków
Piotrków
Piotrków may refer to the following places in Poland:*Piotrków Trybunalski, a city in Piotrków County, Łódź Voivodeship*Piotrków Kujawski, a city in Gmina Piotrków Kujawski in Radziejów County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship...
.
The deliberations carried out at the tribunal returned a verdict confirming Unrug's guilt for the alleged blasphemy. Unrug's insistent protestations of innocence were disregarded; the tribunal ordered the confiscation of Unrug's property (some of it going to Potocki), as well as the burning of the offending notebookwhile Unrug himself was sentenced to death by burning after having his tongue torn out and his right hand cut off. Unrug's timely escape rendered the full execution of the sentence impossible, as Protestant monarch Frederick William granted Unrug his protection in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
Unrug remained committed to clearing his name during his period abroad. Already supported by Protestants, he was able to secure support from the highest Catholic authority, the Pope, who rejected the original ruling on the basis of the incompetence of the court, as well as from the influential scholars at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
, who also rejected the Piotrków verdict. The original sentence was finally rescinded by the Diet
Diet (assembly)
In politics, a diet is a formal deliberative assembly. The term is mainly used historically for the Imperial Diet, the general assembly of the Imperial Estates of the Holy Roman Empire, and for the legislative bodies of certain countries.-Etymology:...
of Grodno in 1726, which ordered that the property earlier seized from Unrug be returned to him.
Zygmunt Unrug died in 1732.
Unrug's life and the nature of his historic blasphemy case was documented by influential Polish writer Aleksander Kraushar (Alexander Kraushar) in his two-volume Sprawa Zygmunta Unruga: epizod historyczny z czasów saskich, 1715-1740, first published in Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
(Austrian Poland) in 1890.
Further reading
- Kraushar, Alexander (1890). Sprawa Zygmunta Unruga: epizod historyczny z czasów saskich, 1715-1740. Kraków: G. Gebethner i Spółka.