Carl Robert Jakobson ( – ) was an Estonian writer, politician and teacher active in the
Governorate of Livonia
The Governorate of Livonia, also known as the Livonia Governorate, was a Baltic governorate of the Russian Empire, now divided between Latvia and Estonia.
Geography
The shape of the province is a fairly rectangular in shape, with a maximum ...
,
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
. He was one of the most important persons of the
Estonian national awakening
The Estonian Age of Awakening ( et, Ärkamisaeg) is a period in history where Estonians came to acknowledge themselves as a nation deserving the right to govern themselves. This period is considered to begin in the 1850s with greater rights bein ...
in the second half of the 19th century.
Political activity
Between 1860 and 1880, the Governorate of Livonia was led by a moderate nobility-dominated government. Jakobson became the leader of the radical wing, advocating widespread reforms in Livonia. He was responsible for the economic-political program of the Estonian national movement. Jakobson urged
Estonians
Estonians or Estonian people ( et, eestlased) are a Finnic ethnic group native to Estonia who speak the Estonian language.
The Estonian language is spoken as the first language by the vast majority of Estonians; it is closely related to other ...
to demand equal political rights with the region's
Germans
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3,322,405
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and an end to privileged position of the
Baltic-German nobility
Baltic Germans (german: Deutsch-Balten or , later ) were ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since their coerced resettlement in 1939, Baltic Germans have markedly declined ...
.
In 1878, Jakobson established the Estonian newspaper ''
Sakala''. The paper quickly became a vital promoter of the cultural awakening. He also had a central role in the establishment of the
Society of Estonian Literati
The Society of Estonian Literati ( et, Eesti Kirjameeste Selts - EKmS) was an influential association of Estonian intellectuals based in Tartu between the years 1871 and 1893.Toivo U. Raun, ''Estonia and the Estonians'', Hoover Press, 2001, , p75 ...
, which was an influential Estonian association in the second half of the 19th century.
Jakobson died on March 19, 1882 at the age of 40 in the village of
Kurgja, where he lived in the Kurgja Manor.
Legacy
Museum
In 1948, the Museum of Carl Robert Jakobson was established by Jakobson's oldest daughter, Linda, in their family estate in
Kurgja. The main house of the museum includes an exhibition which introduces the life and activities Jakobson. The museum is designed to illustrate elements of rural life in Estonia during Jakobson's lifetime and remains an active farm with cattle-breeding and land cultivation.
500 kroon note
Carl Robert Jakobson was depicted on the
500 kroon banknote.
References
External links
Estonian banknotes – 500 kroonsIngrid Rüütel's 6 July 2003 speech
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jakobson, Carl Robert
1841 births
1882 deaths
Writers from Tartu
Politicians from Tartu
People from Kreis Dorpat
Estonian politicians
Estonian journalists
19th-century Estonian writers
19th-century journalists
Male journalists
Estonian male writers
19th-century male writers
19th-century Estonian educators