Piraten, Reichsräte, Entdecker Amerikas oder germanische Seehelden?

Hans Pothorst und Diderik Pining am Ausgang des 15. Jahrhunderts

Autor/innen

  • Carsten Jahnke

Abstract

The assessment of people and events depends on our understanding
of the present. This applies to historical figures as well. By using two people
from the Hanseatic period and area, Hans Pothorst and Diderik Pining,
we show how particular circumstances attributed negative and positive
epithets to them. Hanseatic cities and the Danish royal couple valued them
as “entrepreneurs of violence” and explorers. They were able to rise to
the nobility and the Imperial Council of Norway. On the other hand, they
made enemies of merchants who ascribed them the attribute of “pirates”.
Scholars of the 16th century stylised them as the “enemy of all men”. They
were banished by the Danish king. At the same time, and especially at the
beginning of the 20th century, they were seen as “discoverers of America”.
During National Socialism they were singled out as examples of “Germanic
spirit of discovery”. These attributes had little to do with historical reality,
but all the more with the political reality of the writers. This example should
therefore make us think about the fact that we must always question historical
epithets and contrast them with the sources.

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Veröffentlicht

2024-11-06