Václav Hanka

Václav Hanka (also: Váceslav Váceslavič, German: Wenzel ( Wenceslaus ) Hanka; born June 10, 1791 in Hořiněves; † January 12, 1861 in Prague) was a Czech linguist of the 19th century.

Life

Hanka attended the grammar school of the Order of the Jesuits in Hradec Králové, which he completed in 1809 with the Abitur. He then studied philosophy at the Charles University in Prague and 1813-1814 Law at the University of Vienna. Back in Prague, he studied Slavic philology and was favorite pupil of Josef Dobrovsky whose spelling reform of the Czech language, he promoted. Since 1818 Wenceslaus Hanka was head of the literary collection in the Czech National Museum in Prague, in 1848 lecturer and supplier forming after 1849 professor of Slavic languages ​​at the University of Prague.

Hanka was known by two manuscripts, the Queen Hofer handwriting and the Green Berger handwriting, which he is said to have 1817 or 1818 forged masterfully to simulate Czech epics from the time of the Middle Ages. As these texts came into his possession, is unclear. For both manuscripts published Wenzel Hanka studies and prompted translations into German and other European languages ​​. The authenticity of the manuscripts there were clashes, which continued into the 20th century.

Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, the future first president of Czechoslovakia was in 1886, the opponents have their say in the book edited by him in Prague monthly magazine Athenaeum in the dispute over the authenticity of the Koniginhof handwriting and the Green Berger handwriting. It sat by the opinion that there are fakes.

Publications

Complete index of publications by Wenzel Hanka in: Constantin von Wurzbach: Biographical Dictionary of the Empire of Austria, containing the life sketches of memorable persons who were born in the Austrian crown lands since 1750 and have lived and worked therein, Volume 7