Werner Kaegi

Werner Kaegi ( born February 22, 1901 in Oetwil am See, † June 15, 1979 in Basel) was a Swiss historian.

Life

Werner Kaegi was the son of Paul Kaegi, reformed pastor in Oetwil am See. After attending high school in Zurich, he studied literature at the University of Zurich and the University of Leipzig and in Florence from 1919 to 1924 history, art history and Italian literature. Kaegi 1924 in Leipzig with a thesis on Hutten and Erasmus was. Their friendship and their dispute his doctorate. Further studies took him to Paris and Basel. He habilitated in 1933 at the University of Basel. At this university he was appointed in 1935 as Professor of Medieval and Modern History. Kaegi worked there until 1971.

Werner Kaegi was married since 1935 with the same age of Adrienne Speyr, the widow of his predecessor Emil Dürr, which became known as Catholic mystic and through its collaboration with Hans Urs von Balthasar.

Kaegi was basically researching for the humanities and the history of ideas. A particular example is an extensive biography of Jacob Burckhardt. He transferred works by the Dutch cultural historian Johan Huizinga into German.

Kaegi was awarded the Erasmus Prize and Gottfried Keller Prize, and in 1971 Jacob Burckhardt Prize of the Basel Johann -Wolfgang -von- Goethe Foundation. His legacy is preserved in the Paul Sacher Foundation in Basel.

Works (selection)

• Jacob Burckhardt, 7 volumes, 1947-1982. Volume I: Childhood and early youth, with 27 fig
• Volume II: The Experience of the historical world, with 32 fig
• Volume III: The Time of the classic works, with 32 panels
• Volume IV: The historic office and the late travel, with 33 panels
• Volume V: The newer Europe and experiencing the present, with 29 panels
• Volume VI, 1/2: World History Medieval Art History, the last few years, from 1886 to 1897, with 29 panels
• Volume VII: Greek cultural history, life in the city-state, the friends with people and places registers to the complete work.