Paul Ludwig Adalbert Falk (10 August 18277 July 1900) was a German

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. Falk was born in Metschkau (Mieczków),

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...

. In 1847, he entered the Prussian state service, and in 1853, he became public prosecutor at Lyck (now Ełk). In 1858, he was elected a deputy and joined the Old Liberal Party. In 1868, he became a privy councillor in the ministry of justice. In 1872, he was made minister of education and, in connection with

Otto von Bismarck Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (, ; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898), born Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck, was a conservative German statesman and diplomat. From his origins in the upper class of J ...

's policy of the

Kulturkampf (, 'culture struggle') was the conflict that took place from 1872 to 1878 between the Catholic Church led by Pope Pius IX and the government of Prussia led by Otto von Bismarck. The main issues were clerical control of education and ecclesiastic ...

, was responsible for the

Falk Laws The Falk Laws or May Laws (German: ''Maigesetze'') of 1873–1875 were legislative bills enacted in the German Kingdom of Prussia during the Kulturkampf conflict with the Catholic Church. They were named after Adalbert Falk, the Prussian Minist ...

, or May Laws, against the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. In 1879, with his position becoming untenable because of the death of

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

and the change of German policy with regard to the Vatican, he resigned his office but retained his seat in the Reichstag until 1882. He was then made president of the supreme court of justice at

Hamm Hamm (, Latin: ''Hammona'') is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northeastern part of the Ruhr area. As of 2016 its population was 179,397. The city is situated between the A1 motorway and A2 motorway. Hamm railwa ...

, where he died in 1900.

References

1827 births 1900 deaths People from Środa Śląska County People from the Province of Silesia German Protestants Free Conservative Party politicians National Liberal Party (Germany) politicians Members of the Prussian House of Representatives Members of the 2nd Reichstag of the German Empire Members of the 3rd Reichstag of the German Empire Members of the 4th Reichstag of the German Empire Members of the 5th Reichstag of the German Empire Members of the Prussian Academy of Sciences Education ministers of Prussia {{Germany-politician-stub