Heinrich Leo
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Heinrich Leo (17 March 1799 – 24 April 1878) was a
Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
n
historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...
born in
Rudolstadt Rudolstadt is a town in the German federal state Thuringia, with the Thuringian Forest to the southwest, and to Jena and Weimar to the north. The former capital of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, the town is built along the River Saale inside a wide v ...
, his father being chaplain to the garrison there. His family was not of
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
origin, as he himself was inclined to believe on the strength of family tradition, but established in
Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...
as early as the 10th century. The taste for historical study was early instilled into him by the eminent
philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...
Karl Wilhelm Göttling (1793 - 1869), who in 1816 became a master at the Rudolstadt gymnasium. From 1816 to 1819 Leo studied at the universities of Breslau,
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
Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, t ...
, devoting himself to
history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
,
philology Philology () is the study of language in oral and writing, written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defin ...
and
theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
. At this time the universities were still agitated by the Liberal and patriotic aspirations aroused by the
War of Liberation Wars of national liberation or national liberation revolutions are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) to establish separat ...
; at Breslau Leo fell under the influence of Jahn, and joined the political gymnastic association (''
Turnverein Turners (german: Turner) are members of German-American gymnastic clubs called Turnvereine. They promoted German culture, physical culture, and liberal politics. Turners, especially Francis Lieber, 1798–1872, were the leading sponsors of gy ...
''); at Jena he attached himself to the radical wing of the students association, the so-called Black Band, under the leadership of
Karl Follen Charles (Karl) Theodor Christian Friedrich Follen (September 6, 1796 – January 13, 1840) was a German poet and patriot, who later moved to the United States and became the first professor of German at Harvard University, a Unitarian minister, a ...
. The murder of
August von Kotzebue August Friedrich Ferdinand von Kotzebue (; – ) was a German dramatist and writer who also worked as a consul in Russia and Germany. In 1817, one of Kotzebue's books was burned during the Wartburg festival. He was murdered in 1819 by Karl L ...
by Karl Sand, however, shocked him out of his revolutionary views, and from this time he tended, under the influence of the writings of
Hamann People with the German surname Hamann include: Politicians and military personnel *A. P. Hamann (1909–1977), American politician *Adolf Hamann (1885–1945), German Nazi general executed for war crimes *Joachim Hamann (1913–1945), Nazi office ...
and
Herder A herder is a pastoral worker responsible for the care and management of a herd or flock of domestic animals, usually on open pasture. It is particularly associated with nomadic or transhumant management of stock, or with common land grazing. ...
, more and more in the direction of
conservatism Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...
and
romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...
. He ended, in a mood almost of pessimism, by attaching himself to the extreme right wing of the forces of reaction. So early as April 1819, at Göttingen, he had fallen under the influence of
Karl Ludwig von Haller Karl Ludwig von Haller (1 August 1768 – 20 May 1854) was a Swiss jurist, statesman and political philosopher. He was the author of ''Restauration der Staatswissenschaft'' (Restoration of Political Science, 1816–1834), a book which gave its ...
's ''Handbuch der allgemeinen Staatenkunde'' (1808), a textbook of the counter-revolution. On 11 May 1820 he took his doctor's degree; in the same year he qualified as Privatdozent at the
University of Erlangen A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...
. For this latter purpose he had chosen as his thesis the constitution of the free Lombard Cities in the Middle Ages, the province in which he was destined to do most for the scientific study of history. His interest in it was greatly stimulated by a journey to Italy in 1823; In 1824 he returned to the subject, and, as the result, published in five volumes a history of the Italian states (1829-1832). Meanwhile, he had been established (1822-1827) as
Dozent The title of docent is conferred by some European universities to denote a specific academic appointment within a set structure of academic ranks at or below the full professor rank, similar to a British readership, a French " ''maître de conf ...
in
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, where he came in contact with leaders of German thought and was somewhat spoiled by the attentions of society. Here, too, it was that
Hegel Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (; ; 27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a German philosopher. He is one of the most important figures in German idealism and one of the founding figures of modern Western philosophy. His influence extends a ...
's philosophy of history made a deep impression upon him. It was at Halle, however, where he remained for forty years, that he acquired his fame as an academical teacher. In addition to his lecturing, Leo found time for much literary and political work. As a critic of independent Views he won the approval of Goethe; on the other hand, he fell into violent controversy with Ranke about questions connected with Italian history. Up to the revolutionary year 1830 his religious views had remained strongly tinged with rationalism, Hegel remaining his guide in religion as in practical politics and the treatment of history. It was not until 1838 that Leo's polemical work ''Die Hegelingen'' proclaimed his breach with the radical developments of the philosopher's later disciples; a breach which developed into opposition to the philosopher himself. Under the impression of the July revolution in Paris and of the orthodox and pietistic influences at Halle, Leo's political convictions were henceforth dominated by reactionary principles. As a friend of the Prussian Camarilla and of King
Frederick William IV of Prussia Frederick William IV (german: Friedrich Wilhelm IV.; 15 October 17952 January 1861), the eldest son and successor of Frederick William III of Prussia, reigned as King of Prussia from 7 June 1840 to his death on 2 January 1861. Also referred to ...
, he collaborated especially in the high conservative ''Politisches Wochenblatt'', which first appeared in 1831, as well as in the ''Evangelische Kirchenzeitung'', the ''
Kreuzzeitung The ''Kreuzzeitung'' was a national daily newspaper published between 1848 and 1939 in the Kingdom of Prussia and then during the German Empire, the Weimar Republic and into the first part of the Nazi Germany, Third Reich. The paper was a voice of ...
'' and the ''Volksblatt für Stadt und Land''. In all this his critics scented an inclination towards
Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
; and Leo did actually glorify the counter-Reformation, e.g. in his ''History of the Netherlands'' (2 vols. 1832-1835). His other historical works also, notably his ''Universal Geschichte'' (6 vols., 1835-1844), display a very onesided point of view. When, however, in connection with the quarrel about the archbishopric of Cologne (1837), political Catholicism raised its head, Leo turned against it with extreme violence in his open letter (1838) to Goerres, its foremost champion. On the other hand, he took a lively part in the politico-religious controversies within the fold of Prussian Protestantism. Later in life he became much less extreme in his religious and political views and participated in the ''Ut Omnes Unum'' movement started by Julie von Massow, which aimed at the unification of Protestantism and Catholicism. During the last year of his life his mind suffered rapid decay, of which signs had been apparent so early as 1868. He died at Halle on 24 April 1878. In addition to the works already mentioned, he left behind an account of his early life; ''Meine Jugendzeit''.


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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leo, Heinrich 1799 births 1878 deaths 19th-century German historians People from Rudolstadt People from Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt Members of the Prussian House of Lords University of Breslau alumni University of Jena alumni University of Göttingen alumni University of Erlangen-Nuremberg Academic staff of the Humboldt University of Berlin Academic staff of the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg German male non-fiction writers