Christian Kelch

Kelch, Christian

 

Born 1657; died 1710. Livonian chronicler. The son of a Pomeranian pastor.

Kelch was educated in Germany. From 1680 to 1710 he was a parish priest in Estland (Estonia). His Livonian History consists of five parts and deals with the 13th to 17th centuries to 1690. Kelch later wrote the Continuation, covering 1690 to 1707. The fifth part, devoted to Swedish rule in Livonia, is especially interesting, as is the Continuation, with its rich factual material. Kelch favored Swedish absolutism.

REFERENCE

Zutis, J. Ocherki po istoriografii Latvii, part 1. Riga, 1949.