Anton Praetorius facts for kids
Anton Praetorius (born 1560 – died December 6, 1613) was a German Calvinist pastor. He was famous for speaking out against the unfair trials of people accused of being witches. He also strongly opposed the use of torture.
Anton Praetorius's Life
Anton Praetorius was born in Lippstadt, Germany. His birth name was Matthes Schulze. Later, he changed it to the Latin name Praetorius. He studied to become a pastor. After his studies, he became the head of a special school in Kamen, Westphalia. He got married there, but his wife, Maria, sadly died from the plague. They had one son named Johannes.
Anton Praetorius became the first Calvinist pastor in Dittelsheim. He visited Heidelberg, which was a very important place for Calvinist ideas in Germany. He was so amazed by the huge wine barrel at Heidelberg Castle. He even wrote a poem about it in 1595! He called it "Vas Heidelbergense." In his poem, he praised its size. He saw it as a sign of how great the Calvinist religion was.
Praetorius also wrote a poem for Count Wolfgang Ernst. In this poem, he asked Christian leaders to make changes to their countries and churches. He wanted them to follow the Bible and the Calvinist faith more closely. Because of this, the Count invited him to be a preacher at his castle in Birstein, near Frankfurt.
In Birstein, Praetorius wrote church songs and a book for families. This book was about how to raise children in a Christian way. In 1602, he wrote another book called De Sacrosanctis novi foederis Jesu Christi. This book discussed important religious topics like the Last Supper.
Fighting Against Witchcraft Trials
In 1597, Anton Praetorius became a pastor for the Count of Büdingen/Ysenburg in Birstein. There, he saw something terrible. Four women were accused of witchcraft and were being tortured.
The court records show that Pastor Praetorius was very upset by this. He strongly demanded that the torture stop. He wanted the trial against the last woman to end. The court record even says: "As the pastor has violently protested against the torture of the women, it has therefore been stopped this time." Because he protested, the Count fired Anton Praetorius from his job.
After being fired, Praetorius moved to Laudenbach near Heidelberg. There, he wrote a very important book. It was called Gründlicher Bericht über Zauberey und Zauberer. This means "Thorough Report about Witchcraft and Witches." He wrote it to protest against torture and the unfair trials of people accused of witchcraft.
At first, he published the book in 1598 using his son's name, Johannes Schulze. He did this to protect himself. But in 1602, he was brave enough to publish the book again using his own name. The book was published two more times, in 1613 and after his death in 1629.
Praetorius was one of the first people to describe how awful prisoners were treated. He was also one of the first to speak out against torture. With his book, he publicly disagreed with what most churches believed at the time. Both Catholic and Protestant leaders (like Martin Luther and John Calvin) often supported the torture and burning of people accused of witchcraft. Anton Praetorius died in Laudenbach.
Publications
Anton Praetorius wrote several books and poems. His most famous work was:
- Gründlicher Bericht von Zauberey und Zauberern (Thorough Report about Witchcraft and Witches). This book was first published in 1598 under a fake name. Then it was published under his own name in 1602, 1613, and 1629.
Tributes
Today, the church in Laudenbach has a special plaque to remember Anton Praetorius. Also, on May 7, 2015, the city of Lippstadt named a path after him to honor his brave actions.
See also
In Spanish: Anton Praetorius para niños
