Adam Olearius

Adam OLEARIUS (actually Oehlschlegel or Ölschläger; baptized September 24, 1599 in Aschersleben, † February 22, 1671 at Gottorp Castle, Schleswig today ) was a German writer, scholar and diplomat.

Life

Adam OLEARIUS was the son of the tailor Oehlschlegel Adam and his wife Maria Porst. He grew up in modest circumstances. Nevertheless, he made it in 1620, to matriculate at the University of Leipzig for the subject of theology. Besides, he also studied philosophy and mathematics. 1627 OLEARIUS the title of Master of Philosophy and was awarded five years later, where he taught first at the St. Nicholas School and then at the St. Thomas School, he became the assistant of Arts in Leipzig. In addition, he was promoted as the smaller collegiate Prince Foundation.

Travel to Russia and Persia

1633 he joined the service of Duke Friedrich III. of Schleswig -Holstein - Gottorp. The Duke was planning a economic ties with Russia in northern Germany. Therefore, he endowed an embassy, which was launched on November 6, 1633 in Altona, under the direction of the merchant Otto Brüggemann and the Ducal Council Philip Crusius. The first objective of this delegation was Moscow, where it arrived on August 14, 1634. The delegation consisted of 120 people and OLEARIUS belonged to her as a secretary. The objective of the mission was to agree on a trade agreement with Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov. As the Tsar but had extremely unrealistic ideas about the rightful customs revenues, failed the embassy in their eigentlichem order.

Nevertheless, it was begun immediately after returning Gottorp on April 6, 1635 with the preparations for another expedition to the Persian court. This should end for a trade agreement with Persia and move the prevailing Safavids to an alliance against the Ottomans. This journey initiated Otto Brüggemann and Philip Crusius, OLEARIUS again acted as secretary. They were accompanied to the poet and physician Paul Fleming among others by Johann Albrecht von Mandelslo as well. On October 22, 1635 we started again in Altona, embarked in Travemünde, reached on March 29, 1636 Moscow and continued the journey on 30 June of the same year over Volga Nizhny Novgorod propagates downward. In Astrakhan wanted to cross the Caspian Sea on October 10 by means of a self-built ship, but suffered shipwreck near Derbent. On 22 December 1636 overland journey was continued. On December 30, the embassy Schamacha reached, the capital of the province of Shirvan; there she paused to 27 March 1637th During this time OLEARIUS led by astronomical terms, met with local scientists and learned the Persian language. On August 3, 1637, the delegation finally reached the capital city of Isfahan. As the members - especially apparently Otto Brüggemann - extremely autocratic aufführten and the Safavids snubbed, the mission failed soon. On December 21, 1637 Legation broke again to go home, without accomplishing anything. Johann Albrecht von Mandelslo separated from the group and traveled to India. The rest of the group went on an arduous route through the Alborz Mountains and reached on June 14, 1638 again the Caspian Sea. From here, the more return as the outward journey is designed. OLEARIUS separated due to severe disagreements with Brüggemann of the group and left Reval advance. Brüggemann even met with the rest of the travel company on August 1, 1639 again in Gottorp. He was made solely responsible for the complete failure of the mission and the financial losses - although apparently Crusius was the leader of the expedition - and therefore sentenced to death and executed in public on May 5, 1640 for incompetence.

On both trips OLEARIUS published detailed descriptions Travel ( 1647). With this report, he founded the scientific travelogue in Germany. At the same time he corrected since Ptolemy representative view, the Caspian Sea would have its greatest extent in the east-west direction, correctly in north-south direction. Also of great importance are his translations from the Persian.

On Gottorfer Hof

1639 OLEARIUS was of Duke Friedrich III. appointed court mathematician. Ten years later OLEARIUS also became the court librarian. As such, he was entrusted with the construction of the still existing Gottorfischen Kunstkammer. After his companion Crusius had 1639 merchant's daughter Maria Möller geehelicht in whose father's house in Reval, the expedition had returned several times, OLEARIUS married a year later her sister Catharina. With her he had three daughters and a son. 1644 presented the Duke him land and wood for a home in Schleswig -Friedrich mountain near Schloss Gottorp available.

By Duke Wilhelm IV of Saxe- Weimar OLEARIUS was included in the Fruitful Society in 1651. The Duke gave him the name of the company Vielbemühete and the motto of the stranger. As an emblem of his Muscovite oranges was intended for. In Köthener society book, OLEARIUS ' entry found under No. 543 The publication forced the fruit bearer according to he composed the epigram:

As he was court mathematician in 1654 known far beyond the borders, as he constructed the so-called Gottorfer giant globe with 3.00 m diameter.

Also around the Church tried to OLEARIUS, by transferring the hitherto Low German liturgy into High German. This liturgy was published in 1665 and was in Schleswig -Holstein churches until the introduction of the designed by Jacob Georg Christian Adler rationalist liturgy, some even longer in use and was reprinted in 1850.

The scent shrub ( genus of the daisy family ) is also called Olearia. This is done either in honor of Adam OLEARIUS (1599-1671) or the theologian Johann Gottfried OLEARIUS ( 1635-1711 ).

Works (selection)

• Exquisite Poems, ed. Wilhelm Müller, Leipzig 1822 ( Library German poet to the 17th century. , 9)
• Funny how the history Tabacktrincken cometh. Schleswig, 1643
• Increased Newe Description The Muscowitischen and Persian Reyse So by occasion of a Holstein embassy to the Russian Zaar and king of Persia happen. Schleswig 1656 (Reprint Tübingen: Niemeyer, 1971)
• Muscovite and Persian travel: the Holstein embassy from 1633 to 1639. Schleswig in 1656, Repr Stuttgart: Thienemann, 1986 ISBN 3-522-60650-7.
• The last Maij ... let Kurtze memory and reporting of the great and dreadful sun darkness so this 1630th year look at, Leipzig 1630 ( digitized Wolfenbüttel )
• Offt coveted Description The Newen Oriental Travel / So by chance a Holstein Legation happened to the king of Persia: Wherein of those orter and countries / through which the journey taken / as fürnemblich Russia / Tartary and Persia / sampt its inhabitants Nature / life and being busy described and / gestellet with many Kupfferstücken / so after life / adorned / by M. Adamum Olearium, Ascanium Saxonem, Princely Schleßwig -Holstein Hoff - tutoring. Item A letter from the WolEdeln [ et ] c. Johann Albrecht From Mandelslo: worinnen OstIndianische its journey across the Oceanum included; Zusampt kurtzen a report of its current state of eussersten Oriental kingdom Tzina, Schleswig 1647 ( digitized and full text archive in the German text, digitized Wolfenbüttel )
• Persianischer Rosenthal Hamburg 1654 ( digitized Wolfenbüttel )
• Detailed Description of the kundbaren Reyse After Muscow and Persia. Done so by occasion of a Holstein Gesandschafft of Gottorff Auss to Michael Fedorowitz the big Zaar in Muscow / and chess Sefi king of Persia ..., Schleswig 1663 digitized Wolfenbüttel
• Gottorfische Art Cammer, Schleswig 1666 ( digitized Wolfenbüttel: Part 1, Part 2)

In his literary work OLEARIUS made ​​use frequently the following pseudonyms: Olivarius Ascanius, Ascanius d' Oliva, Adonis, Adonis Sleidanus, or AOnides.

Literature (selection )

• Faramarz Behzad: Adam OLEARIUS Persianischer Rosenthal: Studies on the translation of Saadi " Golestan " in the 17th century. Cambridge University Press, Göttingen 1970
• Elio C. Brancaforte: Visions of Persia: mapping the travels of Adam OLEARIUS. Harvard University Press, Cambridge MA 2003, ISBN 0-674-01221-6
• F. Prince: From the histories of foreign peoples: the Adam OLEARIUS diplomatic missions by Russia and Persia " in: .. At that time, Volume 24, 1994, pp. 850-866
• Karl Rauch: Silk Road to Moscow: the great journey of Adam OLEARIUS to Moscow and Isphahan 1633-1639 Pfeiffer, Munich 1960.
• Gerhard Dünnhaupt: Adam OLEARIUS ( 1599-1671 ). In: Personal bibliographies on the printing of the Baroque, Vol 4 Hiersemann, Stuttgart 1991, ISBN 3-7772-9122-6, pp. 2979-3004
• Claus Priesner: OLEARIUS, Adam. In: New German Biography ( NDB ). Volume 19, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-428-00200-8, pp. 517-519 ( digitized ).
• Friedrich Ratzel: OLEARIUS, Adam. In: General German Biography (ADB ). Volume 24, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1887, pp. 269-276.

• OLEARIUS (Adam). In: Johann Heinrich Zedler: Large full Universal Lexicon Aller managed knowledge and skills. Volume 25, Leipzig 1740, column 1166 f
• Ersch - Gruber: General Encyclopedia of Sciences and Arts. FA Brockhaus, Leipzig 1832, 3rd Section, Part 3, p 37 ( Online)

Was treated Literary OLEARIUS ' life in Erich Maletzke: A turbulent life. Adam OLEARIUS. Gottorfer Court scholar. A documentary novel; Wachholtz Neumünster 2011