Paúel Benecke

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pavel Benecke (or Paúel or Paul or Pawel) was a 15th century Danzig (Gdańsk) privateer, sometimes referred to as a pirate. Benecke was captain of the ship Peter von Danzig. In 1473, he boarded a galleon in the North Sea that was bound for Italy. Benecke seized, amongst other items, Hans Memling's triptych The Last Judgment. The painting had been commissioned for the chapel of a servant of the Medicis, Angelo Tani. Not surprisingly, the owners objected to the seizure and the issue was taken up in the papal court. Danzig defended Benecke on the basis that the seizure was a legitimate act of war (the Hanseatic League was at war with England at the time). The painting was not returned. Instead, it was given to St. Mary's Church, Gdańsk.

He had a wife called Margreta, and a daughter, Elsbeth.

He is one of the historical characters who appear in Dorothy Dunnett's novel Caprice and Rondo in the House of Niccolò series.

[edit] References

Mierzejewski, Marcin (1999-03-28). Golden Goals. The Warsaw Voice. Retrieved on 2007-01-15.