Johann Wilhelm von Archenholz

Johann Wilhelm Daniel von Archenholz (also Archenholtz ) ( born September 3, 1741 long fleet ( today Gdańsk ), † February 28, 1812 in Öjendorf near Hamburg) was a Prussian officer, author and editor of several journals. In the spirit of the Enlightenment, he saw himself as a citizen of the world and free spirit.

Life

Archenholz came from an old Hanoverian officer's family. He spent his childhood in Danzig, where his father was a sergeant lieutenant of the city did its service. 1757 the family moved to Berlin, where Archenholz, sixteen years old, entered the local, well-known to be very strict Cadet Corps on June 4.

In December 1758 he was transferred to Breslau and took the regiment Forcade part in the Seven Years' War. At the storming of the Süpitzer heights in the battle of Torgau in 1759, he was severely injured. Only in March 1761, he was able to rejoin his regiment. Overall Archenholz served until 1763 in the Prussian army, most recently as a captain in the regiment Puttkamer.

After Hubertusburg peace he was " his injuries due to" honorably discharged from the army, although King Frederick II of Archenholz ' passion for gambling knew. The next few years went Archenholz through half of Europe. Alone in the UK, whose constitution he admired, he spent six years. He also visited Italy, France and the Scandinavian countries. His biographer Friedrich Ruof writes that he had a living " not quite flawless, commercial operation" disputed by first literary work and. 1780 crashed Archenholz in Rome on horseback. Despite the immediate treatment in the sulfur baths at Pisa, remained a permanent paralysis of one foot that made him any further travel too burdensome. This misfortune embittered his already not socializing trending mind very much.

Archenholz moved to Dresden. Here he made ​​friends with Oberkriegsrat Leopold Neumann. In whose house he met, among others Friedrich Schiller and Georg Joachim Goschen know. His livelihood he could now completely deny with essays for scholarly journals. Since 1782, he published a successful monthly magazine called literature and ethnology and New literature and ethnology. He wrote many of the articles themselves, others came from writers from all over Europe, to whose acquaintance had Archenholz always very hard during his travels. In the summer of 1786 married Archenholz Sophie Friederike of Roksch. The two had four children: Agathon, Auguste Sophie, Charlotte Adrienne and William Anarchism. Shortly after his marriage left Archenholz Dresden with his family and moved to Hamburg, where the censorship of newspapers was less rigorously than in Saxony. The spotter could now afford his writings to be published openly and not anonymous.

Archenholz saw himself to his military service as world citizens and free spirit. Since the mid- 1760's, years he was a member of the Masons and lodge brother, among others by Johann Christoph Bode and Friedrich Ludwig Schröder. As in France in 1789 the revolution broke out, he was enthusiastic at first for their ideals. In August 1791, he moved even with his family to Paris. The first point of contact for every German was the German club with the circle around Count Gustav von Schlabrendorf. Here also Archenholz found himself one then. He founded the journal Minerva, to give the readers in Germany a reliable picture of events. End of June 1792, however, he had to flee due to the political situation in France. After several political publications threatened him to the guillotine. The increasing violence also changed its attitude towards the revolution.

Archenholz settled after returning from France in Hamburg again down and bought an estate in Öjendorf. He lived as a writer and newspaper publisher and called himself " editor, formerly a captain in royal. Preuss. Services ". In 1809 he began to withdraw from the publishing activities and moved to his estate on. He died there on 28 February 1812.

Importance

Johann Wilhelm von Archenholz had a very modern understanding of his work as a journalist for his time. He tried his readers to provide factual, unbiased information and to sell them no mind. His main interest was the current policy in the European countries as well as their history. In his journals, especially the Minerva he also regular debates on topical events in which he had a chance to speak a variety of parties.

His most famous work is the very vivid history of the Seven Years War. This book was the inspiration for a series of altered reprints as well as the basis of many textbooks. Very popular was also England and Italy, one of the most widely read travel descriptions of his time. In it, he faced the political situation in both countries, with England very well, but Italy came off badly.

Immensely detailed Archenholz writes in his 19 - volume work, " British Annals " ( Bd.20 = Reg ) for the period 1788 to 1796 every year about life in England, such as on political events, as well as criminal cases, customs, history, literature, Trade and Industry; He has also prompted by famous colleagues write ( zBForster ) individual parts. For his work on Gustav I Vasa, he commissioned the Berlin artist Johann Friedrich Bolt, to make an engraving of the Swedish king.

Writings

• Annals of British history during the years 1788-1796, 20 vols, Braunschweig ua.1788 -1800; (there are more simultaneous ed ) Olms, Hildesheim 1997 ( reprint of Tübingen from 1790 to 1800 )
• The English in India. Dyk, Leipzig 1.1786-3.1788 ( digitized: Vol 1, Vol 2, Vol 3)
• England and Italy. Winter, Heidelberg 1993, ISBN 3-8253-0110-9 (Vol. 1-3, reprint of Leipzig, 1785)
• Painting the Prussian army before and during the Seven Years' War. Saur, Munich, 1990 ( reprint of the edition Berlin 1791)
• History of the filibuster. Fumfei Edition, Berlin 1991, ISBN 3-86172-008-6 ( reprint of Tübingen 1803)
• History of Gustavus Vasa, King of Sweden. Saur, Munich 1990 /94 ( reprint of Tübingen 1801)
• History of the conspiracy of the Fieschi i.J. 1547th s n, Berlin 1791
• History of Pope Sixtus V s n, Berlin 1791
• History of the Seven Years' War in Germany 1756-1763, Karlsruhe 1791 ( digital copy of the edition Leipzig 1866: ULB Darmstadt) (EA 1788 at Swan and idol in Mannheim)
• Historical notes about the great moral revolution in the 16th century. s n, Berlin 1791
• Historical Handbook for Women. Saur, Munich 1990/1994 ( reprint of the edition Berlin 1791)
• Small historical writings. Schmieder, Karlsruhe 1791
• War in the Vendée. Dyk, Leipzig, 1794 ( Volume 1-2)
• Literature and ethnology. Goschen, Leipzig 1.1782-5.1786
• The Paris Jacobins in their meetings. Saur, Munich, 1991 ( reprint of Hamburg 1793)
• Minerva - A journal historical and political content, Hamburg 1792 - 1856
• Miscellen the history of the day. Scriptor Verlag, Kronberg im Taunus 1979 ( reprint of Hamburg 1795)
• New literature and ethnology. Olms, Hildesheim 1997 ( reprint of the edition Leipzig 1.1787-5.1791 )
• Rome and Naples. Manutius -Verlag, Heidelberg, 1990 ( reprint of the edition Leipzig 1790)