Herman Witte (bishop)
Herman Witte (7 December 1666 — 24 March 1728) was the Bishop of Turku from 1721 to 1728.
The Right Reverend Herman Witte | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Turku | |
| Church | Church of Sweden |
| Diocese | Turku |
| Appointed | 16 September 1721 |
| In office | 1721-1728 |
| Predecessor | Johannes Gezelius the younger |
| Successor | Lars Tammelin |
| Orders | |
| Consecration | October 8, 1721 by Mathias Steuchius |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 7, 1666 Riga, Swedish Empire |
| Died | March 24, 1728 (aged 61) Turku, Swedish Empire (Present-day Finland) |
| Buried | Turku Cathedral |
| Denomination | Lutheran |
| Parents | Verner Witte & Hedvig von Roloff |
| Spouse | Catarina Margareta Wittmack |
| Children | 3 |
| Previous post | Superintendent of Saaremaa(1707-1710) |
Biography
Witte was born on December 7, 1666 in Daugavgrīva, Riga, in what was the Swedish Empire and is present-day Latvia. He was educated at the Lyceum in Riga between 1682 and 1688 under the tutorship of Johann Uppendorff. he then studied at the University of Wittenberg and then in September 1691 was appointed an assistant professor in the Faculty of Philosophy. In 1695 he became the vicar of Stettin in present-day Poland. On July 11, 1707, he was appointed the superintendent of Saaremaa (present-day Estonia). After Sweden lost the Great Northern War of the Baltic States, Witte moved to Sweden in 1710. In February 1710, Witte appealed to the National Council for a post in Sweden and the Council initially decided to appoint him to the vacant bishopric of Växjö. However, the decision to appoint the German-born Witte, who had insufficient knowledge of Swedish, raised strong oppositions and the Council withdrew its decision. Nonetheless, Witte managed to become the German-speaking chaplain of Ulrika Eleonora.
In 1721 he was appointed Bishop of Turku. Archbishop Mathias Steuchius consecrate him bishop in Uppsala Cathedral on October 8, 1721. He firmly resisted Pietism and pursued purity. As bishop he frequently inspected the congregations and closely monitored the school system, and examined priests and school teachers to make sure they were performing their teaching duties in a proper manner. Witte was also appointed prosecutor at the University of Turku and worked to re-open the Royal Academy of Turku, which happened in 1722. He died in Turku on March 28, 1728.[1]
References
- Nenonen, Kaisu-Maija & Teerijoki, Ilkka (1998). Historian suursanakirja, p. 587. WSOY. ISBN 9510220442.
| Religious titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Johannes Gezelius the younger |
Bishop of Turku 1721 — 1728 |
Succeeded by Lars Tammelin |