Joseph Zerboni di Sposetti explained

Joseph Johann Baptist Andreas von Zerboni di Sposetti (23 May 1766 – 23 May 1831) was a German philosopher.

Biography

In 1796, he wrote to the governor of Silesia a letter in which he set forth the absurdity of granting to the nobility exalted privileges through right of birth. Knowledge of the letter reaching Frederick William III, he was imprisoned for three years on a charge of high treason. When his case was brought to trial he was freed, with no political disability, and later received various official appointments.

References

General references

• Zerboni di Sposetti, Joseph.

External links

• • Encyclopedia: Allgemeine deutsche Real-Encyclopädie für die gebildeten Stände. Brockhaus. Zerboni di Sposetti. 873–874. 1824. de. This source gives an excerpt of the offending letter, and says F. W. II ordered him to prison.
• Encyclopedia: Biographisches lexikon des kaiserthums Oesterreich. K. K. Hof- und Staatsdruckerie. 1890. Zur Genealogie und familiengeschichte der Zerboni di Sposetti. 333–334. de. This gives the year of his birth as 1866.