Jurgis Pliateris
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Graf (; feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility and later also of the Russian nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title ...
Jurgis Konstantinas Broel Pliateris (; 1810–1836) was a
bibliographer Bibliography (from and ), as a discipline, is traditionally the academic study of books as physical, cultural objects; in this sense, it is also known as bibliology (from ). English author and bibliographer John Carter describes ''bibliograph ...
and researcher of the
Lithuanian language Lithuanian (, ) is an East Baltic languages, East Baltic language belonging to the Baltic languages, Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family. It is the language of Lithuanians and the official language of Lithuania as well as one of t ...
and
literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...
. He was an activist of the early stages of the
Lithuanian National Revival The Lithuanian National Revival, alternatively the Lithuanian National Awakening or Lithuanian nationalism (), was a period of the history of Lithuania in the 19th century, when a major part of Lithuanian-inhabited areas belonged to the Russian ...
. A member of the
nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...
, Pliateris received his liberal arts and literature education at
Vilnius University Vilnius University ( Lithuanian: ''Vilniaus universitetas'') is a public research university, which is the first and largest university in Lithuania, as well as one of the oldest and most prominent higher education institutions in Central and Ea ...
. He visited various archives, including those in
Königsberg Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...
,
East Prussia East Prussia was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871); following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's ...
, researching Lithuanian language and literature. He collaborated with several researchers, including Simonas Stanevičius whom he employed as his secretary and librarian and professor Ludwig Rhesa. Pliateris wrote several studies, but many were unfinished and none were published due to his early death. His key surviving work in an unfinished bibliographical study of Lithuanian books published to date. He also collected various historical artifacts and amassed a personal library of about 3,000 volumes. It included some old and rare books and manuscripts, but many items were lost and remaining few were dispersed among various libraries and collections.


Biography

Pliateris was a member of the noble
Plater family The Plater family is a German nobility, German noble family originating in Westphalia, whose members first settled in Livonia and later in Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Lithuania and Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Poland.https://worldhistory.de/wnf ...
, originally from
Westphalia Westphalia (; ; ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the region is almost identical with the h ...
. His parents were count Jerzy Plater (1780–1825) and duchess Karolina née Giedroyć (1770–1820). His mother, a relative of Bishop , was from the
Giedroyć family Giedroyć (Lithuanian language, Lithuanian: Giedraitis; Russian language, Russian: Гедройц; French language, French: Guedroitz) is a Polish surname, originating from the Giedroyć family, Giedroyć princely family of the Grand Duchy of Lithu ...
. The family had thirteen children (six sons and seven daughters). Ten children survived to adulthood and all sons received university education. A copy of his baptismal record located in 2012 recorded his full given name as Jurgis Jonas Vincentas, not as Jurgis Konstantinas which is cited in literature about him. The baptismal record also revealed that Pliateris was born in Memel (
Klaipėda Klaipėda ( ; ) is a city in Lithuania on the Baltic Sea coast. It is the List of cities in Lithuania, third-largest city in Lithuania, the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, fifth-largest city in the Baltic States, and the capi ...
) which was then part of
East Prussia East Prussia was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871); following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's ...
and not in his family's estate in or near
Švėkšna Švėkšna is a town in the Šilutė District municipality, 21 km northeast of Šilutė, Lithuania. It is the administrative center of Švėkšna Eldership. There are 29 streets in the town. In the western part of the town flows the river . ...
as previously assumed. Likely, the family searched for better medical care in Memel. He received basic education from tutors in the family estate at
Švėkšna Manor Švėkšna Manor is a former residential Manor house, manor in Švėkšna, Šilutė District Municipality, Šilutė district. It was last occupied by Countess Felicija Laimė Broël-Plater. History The Kęsgaila family Švėkšna Estate wa ...
. In 1820, he enrolled in the
Kražiai College The Kražiai College () was a Jesuit college (equivalent to a modern secondary school) in Kražiai, Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later Russian Empire. Established in 1616 in hopes to educate new generations of Counter-Reformation, anti-Protestants ...
where Simonas Stanevičius became his teacher. A year later he transferred to the
Vilnius Gymnasium Vilnius Boys' Gymnasiums () were two secondary education institutions that existed in Vilnius while it was part of the Russian Empire. The 1st Gymnasium was opened in 1803 and closed in 1918. The 1st and 2nd gymnasiums were located on the premises ...
and graduated in 1825. He then studied literature and
liberal arts Liberal arts education () is a traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''skill, art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the fine arts. ''Liberal arts education'' can refe ...
at
Vilnius University Vilnius University ( Lithuanian: ''Vilniaus universitetas'') is a public research university, which is the first and largest university in Lithuania, as well as one of the oldest and most prominent higher education institutions in Central and Ea ...
. His professors included
Joachim Lelewel Joachim Lelewel (22 March 1786 – 29 May 1861) was a Polish historian, geographer, bibliographer, polyglot and politician. Life Born in Warsaw to a Polonized Prussian family, Lelewel was educated at the Imperial University of Vilna, where in ...
and . Graduating in 1828 at only 18 years of age, he started independent research on the Lithuanian language and literature. Pliateris inherited about of land with a manor in from his parents and started organizing his library there. He hired Stanevičius as his secretary and librarian. Around 1834, Pliateris was elected as the local Marshal of Nobility and moved to
Raseiniai Raseiniai (; Samogitian dialect, Samogitian: ''Raseinē'') is a city in Lithuania. It is located on the south eastern foothills of the Samogitians highland, some north from the A1 highway (Lithuania), Kaunas–Klaipėda highway. History Grand ...
. He supported education of the peasants and planned to establish schools that would teach according to the method developed by
Joseph Lancaster Joseph Lancaster (25 November 1778 – 23 October 1838) was an English Quaker and public education innovator. He developed, and propagated on the grounds both of economy and efficacy, a monitorial system of primary education. In the first deca ...
. Pliateris distributed some prayer books and other books on religion and morality to the villagers. However, he died suddenly on and was buried in
Švėkšna Švėkšna is a town in the Šilutė District municipality, 21 km northeast of Šilutė, Lithuania. It is the administrative center of Švėkšna Eldership. There are 29 streets in the town. In the western part of the town flows the river . ...
. His tomb was added to the Cultural Heritage Registry in 1993. Pliateris married Natalija Mikševičiūtė (Natalia Mikszewicz) from
Upytė Upytė is a small village in Panevėžys district municipality in northern Lithuania. It is situated some 12 km southwest of Panevėžys on the banks of Vešeta Creek. It is now the capital of an elderate. In 1987 it had 580 residents. In ...
and they had one son Teodoras born just three months before Pliateris' death. As a young man, Teodoras fell off a horse, hit his head, and became mentally disabled requiring assistance until his death at the age of 66.


Research

Pliateris collaborated with
Dionizas Poška Dionizas Poška (; October 1764 – 12 May 1830) was a Lithuanian poet, historian and lexicographer sometimes described also as Polish-Lithuanian He contributed to the early 19th-century Samogitian Revival, the early stage of the Lithuanian Nati ...
,
Simonas Daukantas Simonas Daukantas (; 28 October 1793 – 6 December 1864) was a Lithuanian/Samogitian historian, writer, and ethnographer. One of the pioneers of the Lithuanian National Revival, he is credited as the author of the first book on the history of Li ...
, Jurgis Pabrėža. He studied libraries and archives of Vilnius University, Kretinga Monastery, various nobles and members of the clergy. In 1830–1831, during the
November Uprising The November Uprising (1830–31) (), also known as the Polish–Russian War 1830–31 or the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in Russian Partition, the heartland of Partitions of Poland, partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. ...
, together with Simonas Stanevičius, he visited libraries of
Königsberg Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...
and studied sources of Lithuanian and
Prussian Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, the House of Hohenzoll ...
languages, searched for and described Lithuanian books, and became acquainted with professors Ludwig Rhesa and Peter van Bohlen. In 1833, Pliateris financed the publication of ''Pažymės žemaitiškos gaidos'' (Notes of Samogitian melodies), a collection of
sheet music Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chords of a song or instrumental musical piece. Like its analogs – printed Book, books or Pamphlet, pamphlets ...
for
Lithuanian folk songs Lithuanian folk songs (in Lithuanian: ) are often noted for not only their mythological content but also their relating historical events. Lithuanian folk music includes romantic songs, wedding songs, as well as work songs and archaic war s ...
prepared by Stanevičius. In a short time, Pliateris wrote several studies on the Lithuanian language, though due to his early death many were left unfinished and none were published during his lifetime. He completed short biographies of 27
Elders of Samogitia An elder is someone with a degree of seniority or authority. Elder or elders may refer to: Positions Administrative * Elder (administrative title), a position of authority Cultural * North American Indigenous elder, a person who has and tr ...
(Lithuanian translation by
Jonas Šliūpas Jonas Šliūpas (6 March 1861 – 6 November 1944) was a prominent and prolific Lithuanian activist during the Lithuanian National Revival. For 35 years, he lived in the United States working to build national consciousness of Lithuanian American ...
published in 1921) and an 18-page study about the Lithuanian translation of the Bible by Samuel Bogusław Chyliński (written in Lithuanian, discovered in 1959, and published in 1964). His manuscripts on the
Lithuanian grammar Lithuanian grammar retains many archaic features from Proto-Balto-Slavic that have been lost in other Balto-Slavic languages. Properties and morphological categories Grammatical terminology : Gender Lithuanian nouns are classified into one of ...
,
accentuation In linguistics, and particularly phonology, stress or accent is the relative emphasis or prominence given to a certain syllable in a word or to a certain word in a phrase or sentence. That emphasis is typically caused by such properties as i ...
, and
etymological Etymology ( ) is the study of the origin and evolution of words—including their constituent units of sound and meaning—across time. In the 21st century a subfield within linguistics, etymology has become a more rigorously scientific study. ...
tables were lost. His Polish-language bibliographical work ''Materiały do historyi literatury języka litewskiego'' (Sources for the history of the Lithuanian language) was left unfinished. He completed 147 pages in which he described 39 Lithuanian, three Prussian, and seven Latvian books. The Prussian and Latvian books were included because Pliateris considered them to be written in Lithuanian dialects and not in different languages. He organized the books chronologically disregarding content or religious affiliation of the work. In crafting his descriptions, he used studies of the first Lithuanian hymnal by (1793) and of the Lithuanian Bibles by Ludwig Rhesa (1816). Pliateris described not only the books but also provided biographies of their authors. He cited more than 150 sources in Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Latin, French, Russian, and German languages.


Library

Pliateris collected books, schematic plans of thirteen castles, portraits of the nobility, weapons (shields made of
European bison The European bison (: bison) (''Bison bonasus'') or the European wood bison, also known as the wisent ( or ), the zubr (), or sometimes colloquially as the European buffalo, is a European species of bison. It is one of two extant species of bi ...
skin), numismatic and archaeological artifacts, etc. He amassed a personal library of about 3,000 books and manuscripts. The library had copies of ''Postil'' of Mikalojus Daukša (1599), Polish–Latin–Lithuanian dictionary by
Konstantinas Sirvydas Konstantinas Sirvydas (rarely referred as ''Konstantinas Širvydas''; ; ; – August 23, 1631) was a Lithuanian religious preacher, lexicographer, and one of the pioneers of Lithuanian literature from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, at the ti ...
, unpublished manuscript by
Simonas Daukantas Simonas Daukantas (; 28 October 1793 – 6 December 1864) was a Lithuanian/Samogitian historian, writer, and ethnographer. One of the pioneers of the Lithuanian National Revival, he is credited as the author of the first book on the history of Li ...
, Lithuanian sermon delivered on the occasion of the death of King
Sigismund III Vasa Sigismund III Vasa (, ; 20 June 1566 – 30 April 1632 N.S.) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1587 to 1632 and, as Sigismund, King of Sweden from 1592 to 1599. He was the first Polish sovereign from the House of Vasa. Re ...
in 1632, etc. The oldest known book is a Latin theological work by François de Coster (Francisco Costero) from 1586. Most likely Pliateris inherited the library of
Dionizas Poška Dionizas Poška (; October 1764 – 12 May 1830) was a Lithuanian poet, historian and lexicographer sometimes described also as Polish-Lithuanian He contributed to the early 19th-century Samogitian Revival, the early stage of the Lithuanian Nati ...
. The library was organized by Simonas Stanevičius who inherited it after Pliateris' death. Pliateris brother Kazimieras moved the library and employed Stanevičius at his manor in Stemplės. The collection was later moved back to Gedminaičiai, then to
Švėkšna Švėkšna is a town in the Šilutė District municipality, 21 km northeast of Šilutė, Lithuania. It is the administrative center of Švėkšna Eldership. There are 29 streets in the town. In the western part of the town flows the river . ...
and
Vepriai Vepriai () is the largest town in Ukmergė district, Lithuania, situated south-west of Ukmergė with population of about 549 (2011). The capital of Vepriai elderate. History Vepriai was founded on a hill near Vepriai Lake and south of Šventoj ...
. Many items were lost during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
; six boxes and a bag of most valuable books and documents were hidden by a local priest. Surviving books were donated to the Central Library in
Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...
in 1919. Books and documents from the original collection are now dispersed among different libraries in Lithuania and Latvia. In 2012, Domas Kaunas published a
monograph A monograph is generally a long-form work on one (usually scholarly) subject, or one aspect of a subject, typically created by a single author or artist (or, sometimes, by two or more authors). Traditionally it is in written form and published a ...
analyzing the library. He described 91 items that belonged to the Pliateris collection, of them only 76 survived to present day. By 2016,
Vilnius University Library Vilnius University Library or VU Library (also ''VUL'') is the oldest and one of the largest academic libraries of Lithuania. It was founded in 1570 by the Jesuits and as such is nine years older than Vilnius University. VU Library holds 5.4 mil ...
identified 25 more books that once belonged to the library.


References


External links


Bibliography about Jurgis Pliateris
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pliateris, Jurgis 1810 births 1836 deaths Linguists of Lithuanian Bibliographers
Jurgis Jurgis () and Jurģis () are male given names. They are cognates of George. They may refer to: *Jurgis Baltrušaitis (1873–1944), Lithuanian Symbolist poet and translator * Jurgis Baltrušaitis (son) (1903–1988), Lithuanian art historian *Jurg ...
Vilnius University alumni Lithuanian book and manuscript collectors