Christian Minkus (May or June 1770 in Klein-Lassowitz – November 20, 1849 in

Marienfeld Marienfeld is a large (2.6 km2 / 640 acres) grassy field on the reclaimed site of a former open-pit lignite mine about south-west of Cologne Cathedral in the city of Cologne, Germany, straddling the towns of Frechen and Kerpen. The mine ...

) represented

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

n constituencies of the former German provinces Rosenberg O.S. and Kreuzburg O.S. as a member of the

Frankfurt Assembly The Frankfurt National Assembly () was the first freely elected parliament for all German states, including the German-populated areas of the Austrian Empire, elected on 1 May 1848 (see German federal election, 1848). The session was held fr ...

Life

He was born in May or June 1770 in Klein-Lassowitz, Silesia, as the son of a farmer. He travelled through Upper Silesia as a salesman and thus became familiar with the needs of the local population. Through this awareness, Minkus became a representative of the counties Rosenberg O.S. and Kreuzburg O.S. in the Frankfurt National Assembly from May 29, 1848 to May 26, 1849. He was one of the oldest members of the first German National Assembly and was a member of the left-leaning faction ''

Deutscher Hof Deutscher is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Alma Deutscher, British musician and composer *Drafi Deutscher, German singer and composer *Guy Deutscher (linguist) *Guy Deutscher (physicist) *Isaac Deutscher, British jou ...

'' and, after November 21, 1848, the united left coalition, the ''Centralmärzverein.'' Minkus voted for

Friedrich Wilhelm IV Frederick William IV (; 15 October 1795 – 2 January 1861), the eldest son and successor of Frederick William III of Prussia, was King of Prussia from 7 June 1840 until his death on 2 January 1861. Also referred to as the " romanticist on the ...

to become the German Emperor. In October 1848, he was remanded to custody pending investigations into accusations of incitement to treason, murder, and conspiracy against the state after the death of politicians

Felix Lichnowsky Felix (von) Lichnowsky, ''fully'' Felix Maria Vincenz Andreas ''Fürst'' von Lichnowsky, ''Graf'' von Werdenberg (; 5 April 1814 – 19 September 1848) was a son of the historian Eduard Lichnowsky who had written a history of the Habsburg ...

and Hans von Auserwald at the hands of a mob during the September 1848 riots. An extradition request by the municipal court of Rosenberg was rejected in January 1849 by the National Assembly.

Minkus Affair

Minkus later sued three conservative representatives, who defamed him, saying that he was instrumental in the murders. He won the trial. This happening is known as the Minkus affair, exemplary for the behaviour of the conservatives in the later stages of the assembly. Maximilian Reinganum, lawyer of the

Rothschilds The Rothschild family ( , ) is a wealthy Ashkenazi Jews, Ashkenazi Jewish noble banking family originally from Frankfurt. The family's documented history starts in 16th-century Frankfurt; its name is derived from the family house, Rothschild, ...

in Frankfurt, defended Minkus in Court, and the finance minister

von Beckerath The term () is used in German surnames either as a nobiliary particle indicating a noble patrilineality, or as a simple preposition used by commoners that means or . Nobility directories like the often abbreviate the noble term to ''v.'' I ...

held a speech in Minkus' name. Minkus died in Marienfeld, Silesia, in November 1849. On March 7, 1849, Minkus wrote in the Parliament's album:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Minkus, Christian 1770 births 1849 deaths Silesian politicians Members of the Frankfurt Parliament 19th-century Prussian people