Otto von Pack (c. 1480 – 8 February 1537),

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

conspirator.

Life

He studied at the

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December 1409 by Frederick I, Electo ...

, and obtained a responsible position under

George, Duke of Saxony George the Bearded ( Meissen, 27 August 1471 – Dresden, 17 April 1539) was Duke of Saxony from 1500 to 1539 known for his opposition to the Reformation. While the Ernestine line embraced Lutheranism, the Albertines (headed by George) were ...

, which he lost owing to his dishonesty. In 1528, he revealed to Philip, Landgrave of Hesse, the details of a scheme agreed upon in Breslau by the archduke Ferdinand, afterwards the emperor Ferdinand I, and other influential princes, to conquer

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

for Ferdinand and then to attack the reformers in Germany. Pack was sent to Hungary to concert joint measures with

John Zapolya John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, the opponent of Ferdinand in that country, but

John, Elector of Saxony John (30 June 146816 August 1532), known as John the Steadfast or John the Constant (''Johann, der Beständige''), was Prince-elector, Elector of Electorate of Saxony, Saxony from 1525 until 1532 from the House of Wettin. He is notable for organ ...

, advised that the associates of Ferdinand should be asked to explain their conduct, and Pack's revelations were discovered to be false; the copy of the treaty which he had shown to Philip proving to be a forgery. For some time, Pack lived the life of a fugitive, finally reaching the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, where he was seized at the request of Duke George. Examined under torture, he admitted the forgery, and the government of the Netherlands passed sentence of death, which was carried out on 8 February 1537. This affair has given rise to an acute controversy whether Philip of Hesse was himself deceived by Pack, or was his assistant in concocting the scheme.

Life

References

Further reading