Josef Vratislav Monse

Josef Vratislav Monse (June 15, 1733 – February 6, 1793) was a Moravian lawyer and historian.

He was a leading enlightenment figure in the Habsburg monarchy and an early exponent of the Moravian Revival in Moravia. Monse played a key role in the development of modern Moravian historiography. He was a professor of law and, in 1780, the rector at the University of Olomouc.

Biography

Early life, studies in Prague and Vienna Josef Vít Monse was the eighth of nine children born into the family of a municipal legal official in the Vysočina Region. His parents were Johann Karl Monse and Anna Monse (née Moudrá). The family lived at house number eight on the main square at Nové Město na Moravě .

By this time Monse was becoming interested in the history of his own nation, which, since the Battle of White Mountain back in 1620, had been subjected to Catholicisation and Germanisation, while the Czech language had become no more than a means of communication between the peasants.

Monse left Prague for Vienna, where he attended the Faculty of Law at the University of Vienna and obtained a doctorate "juris utriusque" (of both civil and canon law) in 1762. While still in Vienna, Monse published his dissertation (in Latin), married Marie Anna and mastered Italian. The Collegium Nobilium was also dissolved by the emperor. Back in Olomouc, Monse started publishing in Czech (Moravian) language. At the same time Monse insisted upon the establishment of a Department of National (=Moravian) Law and History: however this department lasted only until 1786, when it was dissolved. Meanwhile, in 1784, the Directorate of Law became Faculty of Law.

Monse's health was by now deteriorating and he ceased lecturing in 1792.

The persisting issues with the catholic reaction as well as his health problems led to a reduction in Monse's publishing activity. He died in Olomouc on February 6, 1793.

Main works Tabula juris publici marchionatus Moraviae ("Catalogue of public law of March of Moravia"), Olomouc 1776 Dissertatio Suppeditata ad historiam litterariam Moraviae ("Brief treatise about literary history of Moravia"), Olomouc 1777 Infulae doctae Moraviae ("Learned bishops of Moravia"), Brno 1779 Geschichte des Schulwesens in Mähren („History of education in Moravia“), 1780 Versuch einer kurzgefassten politischen Landesgeschichte des Markgrafthums Mähren ("Brief political history of March of Moravia"), Olomouc 1783 Leitfaden über die Vorlesungen der Landesgesetze des Markgrafthums Mähren ("Textbook to the laws of March of Moravia"), Olomouc 1783 Cadet de Vaux, Ponawržení prostředkůw k umenšení nezdrawí takowých příbytkůw, které rozwodnění podrobené byly (translation; about sanitizing houses after flood) Olomouc 1785 Karl von Eckartshausen, Odkryté Tagnosti Cžarodegnjckých Kunsstů k Weystraze a Wyvčowánj obecnjho Lidu o Powěrách a sskodliwých Bludech Sepsané w německé Ržeči od Pána z Eckartshausen. Do morawskýho Gazyka přeložil Vpřjmný Milownjk swé Wlasti (translation; about witches, superstitions, etc.), Olomouc 1792