HERWEGH, GEORG (1817-'875)

This article appears in Volume V13, Page 405 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

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HERWEGH, GEORG (1817-'875) , German political poet, was born at

Stuttgart

STUTTGART

on the 31st of May '817, the son of a restaurant keeper. He was educated at the gymnasium of his native city, and in 1835 proceeded to the university of Tubingen as a theological student, where, with a view to entering the ministry, he entered the

protestant

PROTESTANT

theological

seminary

SEMINARY (Lat. seminarium, from semen, seed)

. But the strict discipline was distasteful; he broke the rules and was expelled in '836. He next studied law, but having gained the

interest

INTEREST

of August Lewald (17931871) by his literary ability, he returned to

Stuttgart

STUTTGART

, where Lewald obtained for him a journalisitic post. Called out for military service, he had hardly joined his regiment when he committed an act of flagrant insubordination, and fled to Switzerland to avoid

punishment

PUNISHMENT (from Lat. punire, to punish, from poena, punishment, Gr. 7rocvil)

. Here he published his Gedichte eines Lebendigen (1841), a volume of political poems, which gave expression to the fervent aspirations of the German youth of the day. The

work

WORK

immediately rendered him famous, and although confiscated, it soon ran through several editions. The idea of the book was a refutation of the opinions of Prince Ptickler-Muskau (q.v.) in his Briefe eines Verstorbenen. He next proceeded to Paris and in 1842 returned to Germany, visiting Jena,

Leipzig

LEIPZIG

, Dresden and Berlina journey which was described as being a " veritable triumphal progress." His military insubordination appears to have been forgiven and forgotten, for in Berlin King Frederick William IV. had him introduced to him and used the memorable words: " ich liebe eine gesinnungsvolle Opposition" ("I admire an opposition, when dictated by principle.") Herwegh next returned tc Paris, where he published in 1844 the second volume of his Gedichte eines Lebendigen, which, like the first volume, was confiscated by the German police. At the head of a revolutionary column of German working men, recruited in Paris, Herwegh took an active part in the

South

SOUTH
SOUTH, ROBERT (1634–1716)

German rising in 1848; but his raw troops were defeated on the 27th of April at Schopfheim in Baden and, after a very feeble display of heroism, he just managed to escape to Switzerland, where he lived for many years on the proceeds of his literary productions. He was later (1866) permitted to return to Germany, and died at Lichtenthal near Baden-Baden on the 7th of April 1875. A

monument

MONUMENT (Lat. monumentum or monumentum; from monere, to advise, bring to mind, remind; the German equivalent is Denkmal)

was erected to his memory there in 1904. Besides the above-mentioned works, Herwegh published Einundzwanzig Bogen aus der Schweiz (1843), and translations into German of A. de Lamartine's works and of seven of Shakespeare's plays. Posthumously appeared New Gedichte
(1877).
Herwegh's correspondence was published by his son Marcel in '898. See also Johannes

Scherr

SCHERR, JOHANNES (1817—1886)

, Georg Herwegh; literarische and politische Bldtter (1843) ; and the article by Franz Muncker in the Allgemeine deutsche Biographie.

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