Alfred von Reumont

Alfred von Reumont ( born August 15, 1808 in Aachen, † April 27, 1887 in Aachen in Burtscheid district ) was a German statesman and historian with Roman Catholics.

Life

Reumont originally came from a resident of Liege family. After graduating from high school, he participated - contrary to his inclination, but according to the wishes of his father Gerhard Reumont - the studies of medicine in Bonn and Heidelberg. This study, he gave up after the death of his father. After a short time as a tutor in Florence Reumont had since 1830 been private secretary to the Prussian envoy in Florence Friedrich von Martens. This he followed in 1832 by Konstantin Opel. Besides, he had already been replaced with numerous works on the history of the city of Aachen to the public. However, in 1833 he received his doctorate cumulative Doctor of Philosophy in Erlangen. Later, he was a diplomat at the Foreign Office in Berlin (1835-1836), as secretary of legation in Florence and Rome ( 1836-43 ) and as secretary in the Foreign Office ( 1843-1847 ), where he also as a private secretary to King Friedrich William IV was used. The confidence of his king in Reumont meant that he finally in 1846 elevated him to the peerage. His numerous diplomatic missions enabled him to gain an in-depth picture of Italy. More diplomatic missions in the Prussian service led him next to Rome to Florence as a Prussian charge d'affaires in charge of Parma and Modena in 1851 and as a " responsible business carriers " in Florence and five years later as Minister Resident at the Grand Ducal court. In 1852 he became a member of the Accademia della Crusca. The revolutionary events in Italy put an end to his activities in the diplomatic service in Italy. In Prussia, he was no more use in the civil service. Since its Catholic denomination may have been a certain obstacle.

From the 1850s he devoted himself almost exclusively to his literary studies, which also led him into numerous libraries and archives. This first started in Rome, followed by his birth city of Aachen, 1868 in Bonn, where he had started studying to eventually return to Aachen 1878. In 1853 he became a corresponding member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, a foreign member in 1858. The Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin had taken him in 1854 as Corresponding Member. Despite serious health problems he kept, now in 1855 promoted to Chamberlain, always his scientific work at. His most important works are created since 1860. He also maintained a lively personal and epistolary intercourse with distinguished fellow historian and political figures in Germany and Italy. Among the correspondents personalities like his former colleague Hermann von Thile, combined with him inngste Friendship, Marchese Gino Capponi, the famous Italian literary historian, Leopold von Ranke, the most important German historian, he had in 1830 attacked and were which on its history finally but was of determining importance, and some members of the Prussian royal family, especially Queen Elizabeth and Emperor Wilhelm I.. His diverse correspondence culminated in a collection under the title Roman letters from a Florentine. This is not only of contemporary politics and private affairs in the narrower sense, the speech, but also of impressions of Italian landscapes, architecture and art, etc.

In addition, Alfred von Reumont counted in 1879 to the founding members of the Aachen History Association and was its first president until 1886, when he was a year earlier promoted to the " real advice ". His extensive work and literature collection, including his Dante collection, Reumont bequeathed after his death the City Library Aachen. This in turn is one of the most valuable items of this library. In 1883 Reumont was made ​​an honorary citizen of Aachen. He also received an honorary citizen of the Italian cities of Rome and Florence. In addition, a road and later a school in Aachen were named after him later.

Alfred von Reumont found his final resting place at the Aachen East Cemetery.

Work

Reumont was an extremely prolific author who drove mainly literary history. His concern here was to look for the communication to the German readers and to promote a deeper understanding of Italian art and history. In this way he wanted to prepare a spiritual connection between Germany and Italy. In a way he had not such a small proportion of the German perception of Italy during the Risorgimento. Reumonts works on Italy during the Renaissance apply in addition to those of Ludwig von Pastor, Georg Voigt, Jacob Burckhardt and Ferdinand Gregorovius as the most important in the German historiography of the 19th century. You are essentially still part of the standard literature. This is especially true for his three -volume history of the city of Rome. The significance of his work was made really no time in question, not even by his contemporaries. Some books, including the biography of Lorenzo de ' Medici, have been translated into other languages.

In contrast to Voigt and partly Burckhardt his oeuvre spans the entire period of the Renaissance. The city of Rome, he described similar Gregorovius from its beginnings until the end of the 16th century into it. Work on the city of Rome should be not only the largest but also the most important of Reumont for the Italian Renaissance. His descriptions are not only interesting for the history of literature, but how about the painter Andrea del Sarto for art history and epigraphy. Like Ranke, Voigt and Gregorovius Reumont was the fundus of the Privy little or no use for this purpose Vatican Archives. This was made in 1883 by papal decree of Pope Leo XIII. generally possible. Previously, probably could only John Voigt and Ludwig use of Pastor comprehensive these stocks.

Also in the Reformation historical research, his work was appreciated. This applies to the pre-Reformation period, the time during and after the conquests of Charles V to Rome in 1519 and the sack of Rome, the Sack of Rome in the year 1527th In hardly any large-scale history of the Reformation is missing references to his work, when it comes to political processes in Rome is even. His biography of Lorenzo de ' Medici was the time likes to quote.

Reumont worked from the 1840s for the renowned Augsburg Allgemeine Zeitung. The obtained at the German Literature Archive in Marbach am Neckar editorial copy of the newspaper and the fee book of newspaper lists the 1500 Article. He wrote on political issues as to all aspects of Italian culture.

Works (selection)

  • Andrea Del Sarto. Brockhaus, Leipzig 1835.
  • Travel descriptions and outlines from southern regions ( = travel and country descriptions of the older and latest time. Vol. 5, ZDB - ID 1026888-1 ). Cotta, Stuttgart and Others 1835.
  • Ruins of the Rhine, Their times and traditions. Edited by Charles White. Kohnen, Aix -La Chapelle, among others in 1838, Digitized edition of the University and State Library Dusseldorf.
  • Sagas légendes the bords du Rhin. Orné de 8 gravures sur acier. Kohnen, Aix -La Chapelle, among others in 1838, Digitized edition of the University and State Library Dusseldorf.
  • As editor: Italia. 2 vols. Duncker, Berlin 1838-1840, ZDB - ID 525272-6.
  • ( New ) Roman letters from a Florentine 1837-1838. 4 volumes. Brockhaus, Leipzig 1840-1844 (Vol. 3-4 under the title: New Roman letters from a Florentine part 1-2. ).
  • The Carafa of Maddaloni. Naples under Spanish rule. 2 vols. Decker, Berlin, 1851.
  • Contributions to Italian history. 6 volumes. Decker, Berlin 1853-1857.
  • History of the city of Rome. 3 ( 4 ) volumes. Decker, Berlin 1867-1870; Volume 1: From the founding of the city until the end of the Western Empire. 1867;
  • Volume 2: From the reign of the Germanic peoples until the end of the Great Schism. 1867 ( full text );
  • Volume 3: From the relocation of the Holy See to the present. Division 1: The Restoration. 1868;
  • Volume 3: From the relocation of the Holy See to the present. Division 2: The modern Rome. In 1870.
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