Ernst Moritz Arndt
Ernst Moritz Arndt was a notable German historian, writer, and political figure born on the island of Rügen in 1769. Coming from a well-off farming family, he pursued theology and history at the University of Greifswald, where he later became an assistant lecturer. Arndt's travels across Europe, particularly his experiences with the devastation caused by the French, fueled his strong nationalist sentiments and criticism of French aggression. He gained prominence through his writings, including a significant essay on serfdom that influenced Swedish reforms. His work "Spirit of the Times" served as a rallying cry for German resistance against Napoleon, leading to his exile in Sweden. After a brief return to Germany, he continued his academic career and became involved in revolutionary activities. Despite facing arrest for advocating government reforms, he eventually regained his position and contributed to the political discourse of his time, including his role in the Frankfurt National Assembly. Arndt's legacy includes his political writings, religious poetry, and autobiography, reflecting his commitment to German nationalism and social reform until his death in 1860.
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Subject Terms
Ernst Moritz Arndt
Writer
- Born: December 26, 1769
- Birthplace: Schoritz bei Gartz, Rügen, Sweden (now in Germany)
- Died: January 29, 1860
- Place of death: Bonn, Germany
Biography
Ernst Moritz Arndt was born at Schoritz bei Gartz on the island of Rugen, then a part of Sweden. He was the son of a well- to-do farmer, and his mother came from a wealthy German family. The family moved to Straslund in 1787, where Arndt attended a local academy. In 1791 he entered the University of Greifswald as a theology and history student. After completing his university studies, he returned home and became a private tutor for the family of Ludwig Koscgarten, the pastor of Wittow.
Arndt qualified for the Lutheran ministry and often assisted with religious services at the church, but at the age of twenty- eight he renounced his ministry. For eighteen months he traveled throughout Europe, visiting Austria, Hungary, Italy, Belgium, and France. On his return to Germany, the ruined castles along the Rhine inspired in him an intense bitterness toward the French, who had destroyed the castles. He described his impressions in A Journey Through Parts of Germany, Hungary, Italy, and France in 1798-1799, published in six volumes from 1801 through 1804. Arndt returned to the University at Greifswald in 1800, where he became an assistant lecturer in history. He continued to express his views on French aggression and published a history of serfdom in Pomerania and Rugen in 1803. His essay on serfdom had a powerful effect on Swedish King Gustav IV, who abolished the practice three years later.
Arndt was appointed the chair of history at the University of Greifswald in 1806, and in 1808 he published the first part of Spirit of the Times, in which he continued to exhort his countrymen to rebel against the French. This publication incensed Napoleon, and Arndt was forced to flee to Sweden to escape Napoleon’s vengeance. Arndt later returned to Germany in 1809, but in 1812 he moved to St. Petersburg, Russia, where he helped organize a final revolt against the French.
In 1818 he was appointed the chair of modern history at the newly founded University of Bonn, and he published the fourth part of Spirit of the Times, in which he criticized the Prussian government. His demands for government reform resulted in his arrest in 1819 and the confiscation of his papers. Although he was freed after a short time, Arndt was not allowed to continue teaching. He was reinstated to his chair at the university in 1840 and a year later was appointed to the post of rector.
After the outbreak of a revolution against the Prussian government, he was assigned a seat as a deputy to the National Assembly at Frankfurt. He was one of the deputies who offered the imperial crown to Frederick William IV, who declined to accept the throne. Indignant at Frederick’s refusal, Arndt retired from public life but continued to write throughout the remainder of his life. He died in Bonn, Germany, in 1860. In addition to his political writings, he published numerous religious poems and his autobiography.