Baron Friedrich Karl von Moser Filseck (born 18 December 1723 in Stuttgart; died 11 November 1798 in Ludwigsburg) was a German jurist, state journalist and a politician.
Moser was the eldest son of
Johann Jacob Moser
Johann Jakob Moser (18 January 1701 – 30 September 1785) was a German jurist, publicist and researcher, whose work earned him the title "The Father of German Constitutional Law" and whose political commitment to the principles of Liberalism cau ...
. He was educated in the
Pietist
Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christianity, Christian life, including a social concern for ...
tradition at
Kloster Berge school
The Kloster Berge school or Berge monastery school was a '' gymnasium'' at the (Berge Abbey or Berge Monastery) at Buckau on the outskirts of Magdeburg, Germany which was founded in the mid-16th century and during its heyday from 1660 to 1806 w ...
. He studied law in
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 popu ...
, and in 1743 became an assistant to his father, a lawyer and diplomat. Between 1747-67 and 1782–98, he was an active writer and journalist.
From 1751-67 Moser lived in
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
. In 1769 he was made a baron. In 1772 he was appointed as First Minister by
Ludwig IX. He reorganised the finances of the state, which had accumulated heavy debts. Moser reached a settlement of these debts. His autocratic style of government made him many enemies. He resigned in 1780, and returned to writing.
From 1783-90 Moser lived in Mannheim, then in Ludwigsburg.
Publications
* ''Teutsche Hofrecht'' (1754).
* ''Der Christ in der Freundschaft'' (1754).
* ''Der Herr und der Diener, geschildert mit patriotischer Freiheit'' (1759).
* ''Der Hof in Fabeln'' (1761).
* ''Die Ministerschule'' (1762).
* ''Daniel in der Löwen-Grube'' (1763). Translated into French by
Antoine Gilbert Griffet de Labaume in 1787.
* ''Geistliche Gedichte'' (1763).
* ''Gesammelte Moralische und Politische Schriften'' (1763).
* ''Von dem Deutschen Nationalgeist'' (1765).
* ''Patriotische Briefe'' (1767).
* ''Necker'' (1782).
* ''Über Regenten, Regierung und Ministers'' (1784).
* ''Über den Diensthandel Deutscher Fürsten'' (1786).
* ''Über die Regierung der Geistlichen Staaten in Deutschland'' (1787).
* ''Politische Wahrheiten'' (1796).
* ''Actenmäßige Geschichte der Waldenser'' (1798).
Works in English translation
* In James Schmidt (ed.), ''What is Enlightenment?'' Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996.
** "Publicity," pp. 114–118.
** "True and False Political Enlightenment," pp. 212–216.
Further reading
* Rosenstein, Immanuel (1865). ''Friedrich Karl von Moser.'' Berlin: Druck von Georg Reimer.
External links
Works by Friedrich Karl von Moser at
Hathi Trust
HathiTrust Digital Library is a large-scale collaborative repository of digital content from research libraries including content digitized via Google Books and the Internet Archive digitization initiatives, as well as content digitized locally ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moser, Friedrich
Barons of Germany
Politicians from Stuttgart
1723 births
1798 deaths