Hermann Weinsberg, also known as Hermann von Weinsberg (1518–1597) was a city councillor in

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

and a diarist whose autobiographical writings, long obscure, are now considered to be of historical importance.

Life

Weinsberg was born in Cologne on 3 January 1518, the oldest son of a wine merchant. He was educated at the school of the

Brethren of the Common Life The Brethren of the Common Life (Latin: Fratres Vitae Communis, FVC) was a Roman Catholic pietist religious community founded in the Netherlands in the 14th century by Gerard Groote, formerly a successful and worldly educator who had had a religio ...

Emmerich am Rhein Emmerich am Rhein ( Low Rhenish and nl, Emmerik) is a city and municipality in the northwest of the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The city has a harbour and a quay at the Rhine. In terms of local government organization, it i ...

(1531–1534), and at

Cologne University The University of Cologne (german: Universität zu Köln) is a university in Cologne, Germany. It was established in the year 1388 and is one of the most prestigious and research intensive universities in Germany. It was the sixth university to ...

(1534–1543), where he held a scholarship and took the degrees Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, Bachelor of Law and Licentiate of Law. In 1543 he was elected to the city council. In 1549 he resigned from the city council to hold a paid office, but in 1565 successfully stood for re-election and was regularly re-elected for further terms thereafter. From 1583 to 1587 he was captain of a company of the watch."Hermann von Weinsberg"
in Gabriele Jancke (ed.): ''Selbstzeugnisse im deutschsprachigen Raum. Autobiographien, Tagebücher und andere autobiographische Schriften 1400–1620. Eine Quellenkunde'' (Berlin, 2009). Accessed 23 Jan. 2015. He died in Cologne on 23 March 1597.

Writings

The writings of Hermann von Weinsberg comprise a family history, ''Das boich Weinsberg'', and a three-volume autobiography consisting of the retrospective ''Liber Juventutis'' (1518–1578) and the more diaristic ''Liber Senectutis'' (1578–1588) and ''Liber Decrepitudinis'' (1588–1597). These manuscripts were discovered in the archives during the 19th century, and various selections have since been published under the title ''Das Buch Weinsberg'' (1886, 1898, 1926, 1961). A full digital edition is currently under way at the

University of Bonn The Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (german: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is a public research university located in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the ( en, Rhine ...

References

Studies

* Manfred Groten, ''Hermann Weinsberg (1518-1597): Kölner Bürger und Ratsherr. Studien zu Leben und Werk'' (SH-Verlag, 2005)

External links

Die autobiographischen Aufzeichnungen Hermann Weinsbergs: Digitale Gesamtausgabe
(2003–2007). Accessed 23 Jan. 2015. {{DEFAULTSORT:Weinsberg, Hermann German autobiographers German diarists 16th-century German writers 16th-century German male writers German city councillors Politicians from Cologne 1518 births 1597 deaths German male non-fiction writers 16th-century diarists