Michael Stolleis (20 July 1941 – 18 March 2021) was a German jurist and historian. He was a law professor at
Goethe University Frankfurt
Goethe University (german: link=no, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main) is a university located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It was founded in 1914 as a citizens' university, which means it was founded and funded by the wealt ...
until 2006 and directed the Max Planck Institut für Europäische Rechtsgeschichte of the
Max Planck Society
The Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science (german: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e. V.; abbreviated MPG) is a formally independent non-governmental and non-profit association of German research institutes. ...
from 1991 to 2009.
Biography
Michael was the son of Erich Stolleis, who served as Mayor of
Ludwigshafen
Ludwigshafen, officially Ludwigshafen am Rhein (; meaning " Ludwig's Port upon Rhine"), is a city in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, on the river Rhine, opposite Mannheim. With Mannheim, Heidelberg, and the surrounding region, it form ...
from 1937 to 1942. After his secondary studies, he studied law, German literature, and art history at
Heidelberg University
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Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...
and the
University of Würzburg
The Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg (also referred to as the University of Würzburg, in German ''Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg'') is a public research university in Würzburg, Germany. The University of Würzburg is one of ...
. He passed his
Staatsexamen
The ("state examination" or "exam by state"; pl.: ''Staatsexamina'') is a German government licensing examination that future physicians, dentists, teachers, pharmacists, food chemists, psychotherapists and jurists (i.e., lawyers, judges, public ...
in 1965 and finished his doctoral thesis at the
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich or LMU; german: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) is a public research university in Munich, Germany. It is Germany's sixth-oldest university in continuous operatio ...
, titled ''Staatsraison, Recht und Moral in philosophischen Texten des späten 18. Jahrhunderts''.
In 1991, Stolleis received the
Leibniz Prize
The Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize (german: link=no, Förderpreis für deutsche Wissenschaftler im Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz-Programm der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft), in short Leibniz Prize, is awarded by the German Research Foundation to ...
for being an "exceptional academic", awarded by the
German Research Foundation
The German Research Foundation (german: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft ; DFG ) is a German research funding organization, which functions as a self-governing institution for the promotion of science and research in the Federal Republic of Germ ...
. That same year, he was appointed Director of the Max Planck Institut für Europäische Rechtsgeschichte of the Max Planck Society. In 2006, he became a professor ''emeritus'' at
Goethe University Frankfurt
Goethe University (german: link=no, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main) is a university located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It was founded in 1914 as a citizens' university, which means it was founded and funded by the wealt ...
and retired as director of the MPI for the History of European Law of the Max Planck Society, but returned, as acting director, from 2007 to 2009.
In 2015, Stolleis became a Grand Officer of the
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...
. He was awarded the ''
Pour le Mérite
The ' (; , ) is an order of merit (german: Verdienstorden) established in 1740 by Frederick the Great, King Frederick II of Prussia. The was awarded as both a military and civil honour and ranked, along with the Order of the Black Eagle, the Or ...
'' order for
Sciences and Arts in 2014.
Michael Stolleis died 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 ...
on 18 March 2021 at the age of 79.
Bibliography
*''Staatsraison, Recht und Moral in philosophischen Texten des späten 18. Jahrhunderts'' (1972)
*''Gemeinwohlformeln im nationalsozialistischen Recht'' (1974)
*''Pecunia nervus rerum: Zur Staatsfinanzierung in der frühen Neuzeit'' (1983)
*''Geschichte des öffentlichen Rechts in Deutschland'' (1988–2012)
**''Band 1: Reichspublizistik und Policeywissenschaft 1600–1800'' (1988)
**''Band 2: Staatsrechtslehre und Verwaltungswissenschaft 1800–1914'' (1992)
**''Band 3: Staats- und Verwaltungsrechtswissenschaft in Republik und Diktatur 1914–1945'' (1999)
**''Band 4: Staats- und Verwaltungsrechtswissenschaft in West und Ost 1945–1990'' (2012)
*''Staat und Staatsraison in der frühen Neuzeit: Studien zur Geschichte des öffentlichen Rechts'' (1990)
*''Recht im Unrecht: Studien zur Rechtsgeschichte des Nationalsozialismus'' (1994) (translated as ''The Law under the Swastika'')
*''Konstitution und Intervention: Studien zur Geschichte des öffentlichen Rechts im 19. Jahrhundert'' (2001)
*''Geschichte des Sozialrechts in Deutschland: Ein Grundriss'' (2003)
*''Das Auge des Gesetzes: Geschichte einer Metapher'' (2004)
*''Sozialistische Gesetzlichkeit. Staats- und Verwaltungsrechtswissenschaft in der DDR'' (2009)
*''Ausgewählte Aufsätze und Beiträge'' (2011)
*''Öffentliches Recht in Deutschland. Eine Einführung in seine Geschichte. 16.–21. Jahrhundert'' (2014)
*''Nahes Unrecht, fernes Recht. Zur Juristischen Zeitgeschichte im 20. Jahrhundert'' (2014)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stolleis, Michael
1941 births
2021 deaths
German jurists
20th-century German historians
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize winners
Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class)
Heidelberg University alumni
University of Würzburg alumni
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni
Academic staff of Goethe University Frankfurt
People from Ludwigshafen
21st-century German historians
Max Planck Institute directors