Joseph Leopold Freiherr von Petrasch (born 19 October 1714 in Slavonski Brod

Slavonski Brod

Slavonski Brod is a city in Croatia, with a population of 59,507 in 2011. The city was known as Marsonia in the Roman Empire, and as Brod na Savi 1244–1934. It is the sixth largest city in Croatia, after Zagreb, Split, Rijeka, Osijek and Zadar. Located in the region of Slavonia, it is the...

, Slavonia

Slavonia

Slavonia is a geographical and historical region in eastern Croatia...

; died 15 May 1772 in Nesovice

Nesovice

Nesovice is a village and municipality in Vyškov District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 1,147 ....

, Moravia

Moravia

Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...

) was a soldier, a writer and a philologist

Philology

Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...

. He founded in 1746 the Olomouc

Olomouc

Olomouc is a city in Moravia, in the east of the Czech Republic. The city is located on the Morava river and is the ecclesiastical metropolis and historical capital city of Moravia. Nowadays, it is an administrative centre of the Olomouc Region and sixth largest city in the Czech Republic...

 based Societas incognitorum

Societas eruditorum incognitorum in terris Austriacis

Societas eruditorum incognitorum in terris Austriacis was the first learned society in the lands under control of Austrian Habsburgs. It was established, formally, in 1746 at the university and episcopal town of Olomouc in order to spread Enlightenment ideas...

, the first Enlightenment

Age of Enlightenment

The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...

 inspired learned society in the Hapsburg territories.

As a young man he pursued a military career as Adjutant to Prince Eugene of Savoy

Prince Eugene of Savoy

Prince Eugene of Savoy , was one of the most successful military commanders in modern European history, rising to the highest offices of state at the Imperial court in Vienna. Born in Paris to aristocratic Italian parents, Eugene grew up around the French court of King Louis XIV...

, accumulating substantial wealth. On 27 March 1750 Petrasch was able to buy the lordship of Nové Zámky (modern Nesovice) for 85,600 Gulden

Austro-Hungarian gulden

The Gulden or forint was the currency of the Austrian Empire and later the Austro-Hungarian Empire between 1754 and 1892 when it was replaced by the Krone/korona as part of the introduction of the gold standard. In Austria, the Gulden was initially divided into 60 Kreuzer, and in Hungary, the...

. He relocated here from Olomouc in 1758, which triggered a cultural awakening locally, Petrasch himself taking on a succession of theatrical productions. He also established a rich library which included valuable first editions and foreign publications.

He left four daughters, the eldest of whom, Antonia, when she died in 1781, had become the Princess of Pütring. Her three younger sisters, Karolina of Lipowsky, Maria Anna of Petrasch and Josepha of Hochberg sold Nové Zámky in 1789 for 100.000 Gulden to Johann Nepomuk Wengerský of Ungarschitz.