Friedrich Christoph Förster (24 September 1791 in Münchengosserstädt on the

Saale The Saale (), also known as the Saxon Saale (german: Sächsische Saale) and Thuringian Saale (german: Thüringische Saale), is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Franconian Saal ...

– 8 November 1868 in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

) was a German historian and

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...

Biography

He was the second son of Karl Christoph Förster (1751-1811), and consequently an older brother of the painter

Ernst Joachim Förster Ernst Joachim Förster (8 April 1800 – 29 April 1885) was a German painter and an art critic, author of a number of elaborate and important works bearing on the history of art in Germany and Italy. Biography He was born in Saaleplatte, and in ...

(1800-1885). He received his early education at

Altenburg Altenburg () is a city in Thuringia, Germany, located south of Leipzig, west of Dresden and east of Erfurt. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district and part of a polycentric old-industrial textile and metal production region betw ...

, and after a course of

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

Jena Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a po ...

, devoted some time to

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsc ...

and the history of art. At the outbreak of the

War of Liberation Wars of national liberation or national liberation revolutions are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) to establish separat ...

against

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

in 1813, he joined the

Lützow Free Corps Lützow Free Corps ( ) was a volunteer force of the Prussian army during the Napoleonic Wars. It was named after its commander, Ludwig Adolf Wilhelm von Lützow. The Corpsmen were also widely known as the “''Lützower Jäger''“ or “''Schwarz ...

with Theodor Körner, quickly attaining the rank of captain. Like Körner, he wrote spirited war songs, which added to the national enthusiasm. On the conclusion of the war, he was appointed professor at the school of

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

and

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

, but on account of some democratic writings he was dismissed from this office in 1817. He then became connected with various journals until about 1829, when he received an appointment at the

royal museum The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland, was formed in 2006 with the merger of the new Museum of Scotland, with collections relating to Scottish antiquities, culture and history, and the adjacent Royal Scottish Museum (opened in ...

in Berlin, with the title of court councillor (german: Hofrat). He was the founder and secretary of the ''Wissenschaftlicher Kunstverein'' in Berlin.

Works

Förster's principal works are: * ''Beiträge zur neueren Kriegsgeschichte'' ("Contributions to the history of modern wars," Berlin, 1816) * ''Grundzüge der Geschichte des preussischen Staates'' ("Essentials of Prussian history," Berlin, 1818) * ''Der Feldmarschall Blücher und seine Umgebungen'' ("Field marshal Blücher and his surroundings," Leipzig, 1820) * ''Friedrich der Grosse, Jugendjahre, Bildung und Geist'' ("

Frederick the Great Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Sil ...

: Youth, Education and Intellect," Berlin, 1822) * ''

Albrecht von Wallenstein Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein () (24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein ( cs, Albrecht Václav Eusebius z Valdštejna), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the Th ...

'' (Potsdam, 1834) * '' Friedrick Wilhelm I, König von Preussen'' (Potsdam, 1834-1835) * ''Die Höfe und Kabinette Europas im 18. Jahrhundert'' ("The courts and ministries of Europe in the 18th century," Potsdam, 1836-1839) * ''Leben und Taten Friedrichs des Grossen'' ("Life and deeds of Frederick the Great," Meissen, 1840-1841) * ''Wallensteins Prozess'' (Leipzig, 1844) * ''Preussens Helden in Krieg und Frieden, neuere und neueste preussische Geschichte'' ("Prussia's heroes in war and peace, late and modern Prussian history," 7 vols., Berlin, 1849-1860). This is a history of Prussia from 1640-1815. The three concluding volumes of this work contain the history of the war of liberation of 1813-1815. This worked provoked severe criticism. He brought out an edition of

Hegel Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (; ; 27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a German philosopher. He is one of the most important figures in German idealism and one of the founding figures of modern Western philosophy. His influence extends a ...

's works, adapted several of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's plays for the theatre, wrote a number of poems and an historical drama, ''Gustav Adolf'' (Berlin, 1832). Many of his lesser writings were collected and published as ''Kriegslieder, Romanzen, Erzählungen und Legenden'' ("War songs, romances, stories and legends," Berlin, 1838). The beginning of an autobiography of Förster, edited by H. Kletke, has been published under the title, ''Kunst und Leben'' ("Art and Life," Berlin, 1873).

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Forster, Friedrich Christoph 1791 births 1868 deaths 19th-century German historians 19th-century German poets 19th-century German male writers Prussian Army personnel of the Napoleonic Wars German male poets Hegelian philosophers