Johann Weikhard von Valvasor Janez Vajkard Valvasor | |
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Born | 1641 |
Died | September or October 1693 (aged 52) |
Known for | nobleman, scholar, polymath |
Title | Member of the Royal Society |
Spouse | Anna Rosina Valvasor née Grafenweger |
Parent(s) | Bartholomäus von Valvasor Anna Maria von Valvasor née Rauber |
Johann Weikhard Freiherr von Valvasor [Note 1] or Johann Weichard Freiherr von Valvasor [Note 2] (Slovene : Janez Vajkard Valvasor, pronounced [ˈʋáːlʋazɔɾ] ) [2] or simply Valvasor (baptised on 28 May 1641 – September or October 1693) was a natural historian and polymath from Carniola, present-day Slovenia, and a fellow of the Royal Society in London.
He is known as a pioneer in the study of karst topography. Together with his other writings, until the late 19th century his best-known work—the 1689 Glory of the Duchy of Carniola , published in 15 books in four volumes—was the main source for older Slovenian history, making him one of the precursors of modern Slovenian historiography. [3]
Valvasor was born in the town of Ljubljana (Laibach), at the time the principal city of Duchy of Carniola, today the capital of Slovenia, to an aristocratic family originally from Bergamo, Italy. [4] In the 16th century, it was Johann Baptist Valvasor who moved the Valvasor family to the Duchy of Carniola in central Europe, to a part of the Habsburg monarchy that is now part of Slovenia. In medieval Latin Valvasor or Valvasore held the meaning 'carrier of a feud'. [5]
Neither the exact day nor the actual place of Valvasor's birth are known, but his baptism was registered at Ljubljana Cathedral, where he was baptized Joannes Waichard Valvasor. [6] He was the twelfth child born to Bartholomäus and Anna Maria Freiin von Rauber, who only lived at Medija Castle in Izlake but also had a town residence in Ljubljana at Old Square. His godparents were Freiherr (Baron) Konrad Ruess von Ruessenstein from Strmol Castle and Regina Dorothea Rasp from Krumperk Castle.
Valvasor's father died when the boy was ten years old. His mother died when he was 16. At the time he was attending the Jesuit school in Ljubljana. [7] Graduating in 1659 at the age of seventeen, he did not choose to continue his studies at a university but decided to broaden his horizons by meeting learned men on a journey across Europe. This journey lasted fourteen years and it even took him to northern Africa. During this period, he joined the army in the Austro-Turkish War, where he became closely acquainted with the conditions on the Croatian Military Frontier.
Shortly after marrying 13-year-old Anna Rosina Grafenweger in 1672, Valvasor acquired Bogenšperk Castle near Litija, where he arranged a writing, drawing and printing workshop. Valvasor spent a fortune on the publishing of his books; towards the end of his life, his debts forced him to sell Bogenšperk Castle, his vast library and his collection of prints. In 1690, Aleksandar Ignacije Mikulić, the Bishop of Zagreb, bought his library, along with some 7,300 graphics, and moved it to Slavonia, where the collection became part of the library of the Zagreb Archbishopric, now part of the Croatian State Archives. [8] In 1692, he lost most of his wealth after he invested in travel, graphics and printbooks which proved unprofitable. He had nine children, among them daughters Maria Sidonia, Maximilla Kordula, Johanna Rosina, and Anna Theresia, and sons Wolfang Waikhard, Johann Gottlieb, Johann Ludwig, Johann Wolfgang Engelbert, and Franz Joseph. Five children died very early, and then, when delivering their last child in 1687, Anna Maria Rosina died as well. Just three months after her death, Valvasor married Baroness Anna Maximilla Zetschker of Vrhovo. They had four children. In 1693, the same year that their last child, Franz Engelbert, was baptized, Valvasor died at age 52 in Krško.
He is believed to have been buried in the family crypt at Medija Castle, [9] but this is uncertain. [1] The Yugoslav Partisans dynamited the castle in 1944 [10] and no trace of his putative grave remains today. [9]
Valvasor's most important work remains The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola (original title: Die Ehre deß Herzogthums Crain, [11] [12] Slovene: Slava vojvodine Kranjske), published in 1689 [13] in 15 books (four volumes), totalling 3532 pages and including 528 illustrations and 24 appendices, which provides a vivid description of Carniola at the time. He also recorded the first written document on vampires when he wrote on the legend of a vampire in Istria named Jure Grando. [14] [15]
From 2009 until 2012, it was translated into Slovene by Doris, Primož and Božidar Debenjak. The initiator, project manager, editor and technical editor of this monumental publishing project was Tomaž Čeč. [16]
Valvasor was a pioneer of study of karst phenomena. Upon the proposal of Edmond Halley, who was not only an astronomer but also a geophysicist, and in 1687 his extensive treatise on the hydrology of intermittent Lake Cerknica won him a fellowship of the Royal Society. [17]
The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola is an encyclopedia published in Nuremberg in 1689 by the polymath Johann Weikhard von Valvasor. It is the most important work on his homeland, the Duchy of Carniola, the present-day central part of Slovenia.
Lake Cerknica is an intermittent lake in the southern part of the Cerknica Polje, a karst polje in Inner Carniola, a region in southwestern Slovenia. The lake, oriented in the Dinaric direction from northwest to southeast, is present for the most part of the year. When full, it is the largest lake in the country. The plain is surrounded by the Javornik Hills to the south and Slivnica to the north, both belonging to Dinaric Alps. The area of the lake mainly reaches 28 square kilometres (11 sq mi), but can reach up to 38 km2 (15 sq mi) and the surface level varies from 546 m (1,791 ft) to 551 m (1,808 ft) above sea level. The lake is an important wildlife resort, especially as a nesting place for many bird species. Botanically, it is distinguished by amphibious plants. It is therefore a part of two Natura 2000 areas of protection and the focus of the Inner Carniola Regional Park, which covers additional Natura 2000 areas in the broader region. The climate in the area is continental, with a mean temperature of 9.2 °C (48.6 °F) and the annual precipitation about 1,700 millimetres (67 in). The largest settlement at the border of the lake is Cerknica, located north of the lake. Various watersports, including rowing, are popular on the lake.
Postojna Cave is a 24.34 km (15.12 mi) long karst cave system near Postojna, southwestern Slovenia. It is the second-longest cave system in the country as well as one of its top tourism sites. The caves were created by the Pivka River.
Janez is a Slovene form of the given name John.
The National Museum of Slovenia is located in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is located in the Center district of the city near Tivoli City Park. Along with the Slovenian Museum of Natural History, located in the same building, the National Museum of Slovenia is the country's oldest scientific and cultural institution. The museum has an extensive collection of archaeological artefacts, old coins and banknotes and displays related to the applied arts. In 2021 it's been given the golden Order for Exceptional Merits by the president of Slovenia, Borut Pahor.
St. James's Parish Church is a church in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is dedicated to St. James the Greater. Its name is often incorrectly translated as St. Jacob's because Slovene, like many other languages, uses the same word for both James and Jacob.
The Karst Shepherd Dog is a breed of dog of the livestock guardian type, originating in Slovenia. This breed is recognised by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale.
Hans Weilhammer was a sixteenth-century politician in Slovenia when the country was under the Holy Roman Empire. Weilhammer may have come to Ljubljana from Salzburg. He became mayor of Ljubljana in 1536 and was the first mayor to serve a term of eight years, double the previous longest term. He was succeeded by Volk Gebhardt in 1544.
Babna Gora is a dispersed settlement, east of Polhov Gradec in the Municipality of Dobrova–Polhov Gradec in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia. It includes the hamlet of Zibel to the southwest of the main settlement and other scattered farms.
Nanos is a karst limestone plateau at the eastern border of the Inner Carniola in southwestern Slovenia.
Izlake is a settlement in the Municipality of Zagorje ob Savi in the Central Sava Valley, central Slovenia. The area is part of the traditional region of Upper Carniola. It is now included with the rest of the municipality in the Central Sava Statistical Region.
Krško Castle is a 12th-century castle ruin to the right of the Sava above the old center of the town of Krško, southeastern Slovenia. It stands in the territory of the settlement of Cesta. The castle and town are both named after the nearby Krka River.
Kozjak Castle is a 13th-century castle ruin on a rocky hill above the village of Dolenje Selce near the town of Dobrnič, part of the Municipality of Trebnje in Lower Carniola, Slovenia.
Virgil von Graben, also Virgil vom Graben, was an Austrian noble, politician and diplomat. He was one of the most important noblemen and officials in the County of Gorizia and in the Habsburg Empire of Frederick III. and Maximilian I.
Medija Castle is a castle ruin located in the southern part of the settlement of Podlipovica, west of Izlake, in the Municipality of Zagorje ob Savi, central-eastern Slovenia. The castle and its stables were destroyed by the Yugoslav Partisans during World War II. The castle chapel was later restored and now serves as a venue for plays, concerts, and other cultural events, as well as weddings.
Ulrich II von Graben was a Styrian noble, a member of the edelfrei Von Graben family. He held the titles as Lord of Kornberg and Graben, as well as burgrave of Gleichenberg, Rothenfels and Hohenwang.
Šmarčna is a settlement on the right bank of the Sava River in the Municipality of Sevnica in east-central Slovenia. The area is part of the historical region of Lower Carniola. The municipality is now included in the Lower Sava Statistical Region. The settlement includes the hamlet of Gomila.
Johann Ludwig Schönleben was a Carniolan priest, rhetorician, and historian.
Konrad Adam Glušič, was a clergyman and bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ljubljana. He was born in Komen or near Gornji Grad. He was appointed bishop in 1571. He died in 1578.
Ulrich I von (vom) Graben was a burgrave and knight from the Austrian Herren von Graben family
The noble family of Valvasor originates from Bergamo in northern Italy.
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