Eberhard Werner Happel
Eberhard Werner Happel was a notable seventeenth-century German writer, born into a family with a reformist Lutheran background. He pursued studies in law, mathematics, and natural sciences at the University of Marburg from 1663 to 1688, but financial constraints led him to pause his education multiple times to work as a tutor for aristocratic families. In 1680, Happel shifted his focus entirely to writing, despite not having completed his degree. His literary contributions primarily consisted of historical fiction, where he crafted novels featuring heroic protagonists and rich historical detail set across various European locales. Among his notable works were historical and scientific almanacs, with "Historia moderna europae" being particularly significant for its comprehensive coverage of European political events and detailed visual elements. Happel's scientific writings included "Gröste Denkwürdigkeiten der Welt," recognized for being one of the earliest works to illustrate ocean currents and volcanic activity, marking an important moment in the early study of oceanography. He enjoyed a successful writing career until his death at the age of forty-two in Hamburg, leaving behind a legacy as a respected author and a family, including his wife Margarita and four children.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Eberhard Werner Happel
Writer
- Born: August 12, 1647
- Birthplace: Kirchain, Hesse, Germany
- Died: May 15, 1690
Biography
Eberhard Werner Happel, a seventeenth century writer, was born in Germany. He was the son of a reformist Lutheran minister. Happel sporadically studied law, mathematics, and natural sciences in Marburg, Germany from 1663 to 1688. However, due to insufficient finances, he took several hiatuses from his studies to work as a tutor for aristocratic families in the towns of Hessen and Hamburg, Germany. Eventually, in 1680, still without an academic degree, Happel abandoned his studies and turned his focus to a career in writing.
The majority of Happel’s works were historical fiction. He published several novels that featured traditional heroic protagonists and took the reader on adventures that included lots of historical details about various European locations. Happel also authored several historical and scientific almanacs. The most noted of these almanacs was titled Historia moderna europae. This work covered fifty years of European political events and included remarkably well-detailed maps, views, and engravings.
Happel’s most famous scientific work, Gröste Denkwürdigkeiten der Welt: Oder, So genannte “relationes curiosae,” was published in individual volumes between 1683 and 1691. This work was credited with being the first world map to demonstrate ocean currents and live volcanic activity, and it became one of the most important representations of early oceanographic phenomena. In his later years, Happel continued to write and enjoy the success of being a well-received and widely read author. He died at the age of forty-two in Hamburg, Germany, and he was survived by his wife Margarita, and their four children.