Karl Ritter von Scherzer (sometimes written Carl; 1 May 1821 in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

– 19 February 1903 in Görz) was an Austrian

explorer Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or interna ...

and natural scientist.

Biography

He began his working life as a printer. After inheriting a fortune, Scherzer was able to travel extensively. He took an active part in the

1848 revolution The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europe ...

and was exiled to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

in 1850. Here Scherzer became friends with German explorer and naturalist Moritz Wagner; together the men travelled through North and Central America and

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...

(1852–1855). After returning to Vienna, Scherzer, with the support of Archduke Maximilian, became a member of a scientific expedition traveling via the frigate ''

Novara Novara (, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It i ...

'' around the world (see

Novara expedition SMS ''Novara'' was a sail frigate of the Austro-Hungarian Navy most noted for sailing the globe for the Novara Expedition of 1857–1859 and, later for carrying Archduke Maximilian and wife Carlota to Veracruz in May 1864 to become Emperor an ...

). From that expedition he brought back enough coca leaves that Albert Niemann subsequently isolated

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Am ...

. After returning in 1859, Scherzer was appointed as a councillor of the board of trade, held an office in the bureau of foreign relations, and was tasked with compiling the commercial statistics of the empire. As a reward for his publications, Scherzer was

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

ed in 1866. During 1869 he was the leader of an expedition to eastern Asia. Afterwards he served as a diplomatic consul in several places, including

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prom ...

(today's

İzmir İzmir ( , ; ), also spelled Izmir, is a metropolitan city in the western extremity of Anatolia, capital of the province of the same name. It is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara and the second largest urban aggl ...

). In 1886 Scherzer retired.

Books

* ''Reisen in Nordamerika in den Jahren 1852 und 1853.'' (''Travels in North America during 1852 and 1853''), 3 parts, Arnold, Leipzig, 1854. Written together with Moritz Wagner. * ''Las Historias del origen de los Indios de Guatemala,'' par el R. P. F. Francisco Ximenes. Vienna, 1856. Copy of the Spanish translation of the ''

Popol Vuh ''Popol Vuh'' (also ''Popol Wuj'' or ''Popul Vuh'' or ''Pop Vuj'') is a text recounting the mythology and history of the Kʼicheʼ people, one of the Maya peoples, who inhabit Guatemala and the Mexican states of Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan and ...

'' manuscript ( more details). * ''Wanderungen Durch die Mittel-Amerikanischen Freistaaten Nicaragua, Honduras und San Salvador'' ("Travels through Central American States of Nicaragua, Honduras and San Salvador"), Braunschweig George Westermann, 1857. Details of the 1852 - 1855 expedition. * ''Reise der österreichischen Fregatte Novara um die Erde, in den Jahren 1857 - 1859'' ("Narrative of the circumnavigation of the globe by the Austrian frigate Novarra"), Vienna, 1861 - 1862, three volumes, with illustrations. First English edition by London Saunders, Otley, And Co. 1861. * ''Aus dem Natur- und Völkerleben im tropischen Amerika''. ("About the nature and the life of people in tropic America"), Leipzig, Wigand Verlag, 1864. * ''Statistisch-commerzielle Ergebnisse einer Reise um die Erde, unternommen an Bord der österreichischen Fregatte Novara in den Jahren 1857-1859''. ("Statistical and commercial results of the circumnaviagation of the globe, written on the board of Austrian frigate Novara during 1857-1859"), F.A. Brockhaus, Leipzig 1867. * ''Fachmannische Berichte über die Osterreichische-Ungarische Expedition nach Siam, China und Japan (1868-1871)'' ("Scholarly report about the Austro-Hungarian expedition to Siam, China and Japan (1868-1871)"), Stuttgart, Verlag von Julius Maier, 1872. * ''Smyrna'' ("

"), Vienna, 1873. A monograph about the city. * ''Das wirthschaftliche Leben der Völker. Ein Handbuch über Production und Consum''. ("Economic life of nations. Handbook of production and consumption."), Leipzig, Dürr, 1885.

Notes

References

External links

Extract from diary during

(1857 - 1859)
New York Times obituary
* Another 1857 portrait * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Scherzer, Karl von Austrian explorers Austrian knights Diplomats from Vienna People from Gorizia Austrian Mesoamericanists 19th-century Mesoamericanists Mesoamerican anthropologists People of the Revolutions of 1848 1821 births 1903 deaths