Johann Wilhelm Hoffmann (* 19 November 1710 in

Zittau Zittau ( hsb, Žitawa, dsb, Žytawa, pl, Żytawa, cs, Žitava, Upper Lusatian Dialect: ''Sitte''; from Slavic "''rye''" (Upper Sorbian and Czech: ''žito'', Lower Sorbian: ''žyto'', Polish: ''żyto'')) is the southeasternmost city in the Ger ...

; † 12 November 1739 in

Wittenberg Wittenberg ( , ; Low Saxon: ''Wittenbarg''; meaning ''White Mountain''; officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg (''Luther City Wittenberg'')), is the fourth largest town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Wittenberg is situated on the River Elbe, north of ...

) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

historian, jurist and writer.

Life

Johann Wilhelm Hoffmann was born in 1710 in

Electorate of Saxony The Electorate of Saxony, also known as Electoral Saxony (German: or ), was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire from 1356–1806. It was centered around the cities of Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz. In the Golden Bull of 1356, Emperor Charl ...

, the son of school rector Gottfried Hoffmann. After the early death of his father in 1712, his mother (born Schoenfelder) and later his brother, Christian Gottfried Hoffmann, took over his upbringing. After he completed his education in 1728, he moved on to the University of Frankfurt (Oder) to pursue studies in law. He quickly got to academic studies. He earned a

Magister degree A magister degree (also magistar, female form: magistra; from la, magister, "teacher") is an academic degree used in various systems of higher education. The magister degree arose in medieval universities in Europe and was originally equal to th ...

in 1731 and on 8 December 1731 joined the philosophical faculty. After earning a legal doctorate on November 15, 1732, he became Professor of the Faculty of Law at the

University of Greifswald The University of Greifswald (; german: Universität Greifswald), formerly also known as “Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald“, is a public research university located in Greifswald, Germany, in the state of Mecklenburg-Western ...

. According to his inclinations, he then followed a call to the

University of Wittenberg Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (german: Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg), also referred to as MLU, is a public, research-oriented university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg and the largest and oldest university in ...

in 1737 as a professor of history. Johann arrived in Wittenberg on 7 May 1737, along with the famous library of his brother. There he lectured on Roman literature as well as church and legal history. Offers from the

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen, (german: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, known informally as Georgia Augusta) is a public research university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded i ...

, the

University of Uppsala Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. The university rose to significance durin ...

and the University of Frankfurt (Oder) were received and declined. By 1739 he had assumed an additional Chair in Law at Wittenberg, as well as an appointment to the Royal Court and Judicial Council of

Augustus the Strong Augustus II; german: August der Starke; lt, Augustas II; in Saxony also known as Frederick Augustus I – Friedrich August I (12 May 16701 February 1733), most commonly known as Augustus the Strong, was Elector of Saxony from 1694 as well as Ki ...

. But nothing came from this title, as the constant overexertion cut Hoffmann's life short.

Selected works

* Publicae laetitiae monumentum quod... Francisci Stephani regiae Celsitudini consecravit J. G. Hoffmannnus * Diss. De juribus emigrantium propter religionem, 1732 * de observantia gentium circa praeliminaria pacis, 1736 * dissertatio de jure publico, quod in rom. Imperio interregni magni tempore obtinuit, 1736, 1740

References

* * Walter Friedensburg: ''Geschichte der Universität Wittenberg''. Verlag Max Niemeyer, Halle (Saale) 1917 * Heinz Kathe: ''Die Wittenberger Philosophische Fakultät 1502–1817''. Böhlau Verlag, 2002, *

Christian Gottlieb Jöcher Christian Gottlieb Jöcher (20 July 1694 – 10 May 1758) was a German academic, librarian and lexicographer. Jöcher was born in Leipzig, and became professor of history at the University of Leipzig Leipzig University (german: Universität ...

: ''Allgemeines Gelehrtenlexikon'' 1750/51

External links

* *

Ersch Johann Samuel Ersch (23 June 1766 – 16 January 1828) was a German bibliographer, generally regarded as the founder of German bibliography. Biography He was born in Großglogau (now Głogów), in Silesia. In 1785 he entered the University o ...

Gruber __NOTOC__ Gruber is a German surname from Austria and Bavaria, referring to a person from a geological depression, mine, or pit. It is the most common surname in Austria (see List of most common surnames). Places * Gruber Mountains, Antarctica * ...

Allgemeine Encyclopädie der Wissenschaften und Künste The ''Allgemeine Encyclopädie der Wissenschaften und Künste'' ("Universal Encyclopaedia of Sciences and Arts") was a 19th-century German encyclopaedia published by Johann Samuel Ersch and Johann Gottfried Gruber, therefore also known as the "Er ...

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoffmann, Johann 1710 births 1739 deaths 18th-century German historians Jurists from Saxony German male writers People from Zittau