Lucas David

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Lucas David (also: Lukas David) (1503 - April 1583) was a Prussian historian, who from about 1550 on compiled extensive volumes on Prussian history.

Lucas David was born in Allenstein, Prussia (in the Bishopric of Warmia (Ermland), now Olsztyn, Poland). He studied at the University of Leipzig, where he also received a Magister degree. Despite having converted to Protestantism, he became the chancellor of Bishop Tiedemann Giese between 1540 and 1549. After Tiedemann Giese received the Diocese of Warmia, Lucas David joined the Ducal Court of Albert of Prussia in Königsberg (Królewiec) in 1549, taking his oath on March 26, 1550.

Albert commissioned a work on the history of Prussia, mainly to counter in his view the biased Polish and catholic works. However, he was only able to produce a recent history of Prussia before he died. His son, Albrecht Friedrich of Prussia (1553 - 1618), however, continued the efforts, and instructed Lucas David to compile a history of Prussia. This was also supported by various social classes, which believed that the Polish histories belittled Prussian achievements. Hence Lucas David researched documents of Prussian history, and started to write his Prussian Chronicles ("Preußische Chronik") from around 1575. While Lucas David utilized large parts of the work of Simon Grunau, he also frequently corrected errors by Grunau.

Lucas David married a wealthy widow in Leipzig. For poor students from his hometown he also arranged stipends at the University of Leipzig.

Before Lucas David was able to complete his chronicles, he died in April 1583 at the age of 80. The chronicle ends with the events preceding the Battle of Grunwald (Battle of Tannenberg]) 1410 (Other sources state that his works extend till 1475). His works were largely unknown to his contemporaries, and were re-discovered only around 1720, with another 100 years before its first publication in the years between 1812-1817 in eight volumes. Since then he has become well known past the borders of his homeland for these Prussian Chronicles. He is ranked as a 'modern' historian, as he based his studies on historic sources.

The Prussica-Sammlung Trunz started by another Allenstein native, Dr. August Trunz (1875-1963), contains works by Lucas David. It is housed in the library of the University of Münster.

[edit] Works

Hennig, Ernst (ed): Preussische Chronik. - Königsberg : Haberland, 1.1812 - 6. 1814

[edit] Literature

Hubatsch, W.: Lucas David, der Geschichtsschreiber seiner Zeit. - in: Südostpreussen und das Ruhrgebiet
Schmauch, H.: Über die Arbeitsmethoden und Quellen des Lucas David. - in: Prussia 29.1931