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, in the Bishopric of Ermland (Warmia) now in 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 Ermland, Lucas David joined the Ducal Court of Albert of Prussia in Königsberg in 1549, taking his oath on March 26 1550.
Albert commissioned a work on the history of Prussia, mainly to counter the in his view 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 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 on April 1583 at the age of 80. The chronicle ends with the events preceding the 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 became 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.
Works
- Hennig, Ernst (ed): Preussische Chronik. - Königsberg : Haberland, 1.1812 - 6. 1814
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
References
- Lucas David, Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, Leipzig, 1875 (in German)
