Julius Wilhelm Zincgref
Julius Wilhelm Zincgref was a 17th-century German poet, essayist, and satirist, born in Heidelberg in 1591. He was the only surviving child of a lawyer serving the Elector Palatine, and he embarked on a diverse educational journey, studying law at the University of Heidelberg and traveling through various European countries, including England, Italy, and France. Influenced by literary circles associated with Renaissance humanism, Zincgref's poetic development was nurtured by prominent figures of the time, such as Martin Opitz. Early in his career, he published several works, including political satires and collections that addressed themes of independence and linguistic purity in Germany.
Zincgref's notable works included *Facetiae Pennalium* and *Der Teutschen Scharpfsinnige kluge Sprüch*, the latter of which became his most successful publication, reflecting his commitment to preserving German cultural heritage amidst the backdrop of war. His life took a tumultuous turn during the early 1620s due to the conflict in the Palatinate, leading him to serve as an interpreter and later as a magistrate's clerk. Unfortunately, his later years were marked by hardship, culminating in his untimely death from the plague in 1635, leaving behind his wife and two sons. Zincgref's legacy lies in his contribution to German literature during a period of significant cultural and political upheaval.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Julius Wilhelm Zincgref
Poet
- Born: June 3, 1591
- Birthplace: Heidelberg, Germany
- Died: November 12, 1635
- Place of death: St. Goar, Germany
Biography
Seventeenth century poet, essayist, and satirist Julius Wilhelm Zincgref was born in Heidelberg, Germany, in 1591. His father was a lawyer in the service of the Elector Palatine. Zincgref was one of six children, but he was the only child to survive his mother’s death.
In 1607, he matriculated at the University of Heidelberg to study law, completing the humanities core curriculum in 1612. He traveled to universities in Switzerland, England, Italy, the Netherlands, and two institutions in France: Marseilles and Orléans. He returned to Heidelberg in 1617 and received his doctorate in law.
Zincgref was accompanied on his travels through Europe by his friend, the influential literary patron Friedrich Lingelsheim, whose father, Georg Michael Lingelsheim, had established in 1600 a literary circle influenced by Renaissance humanism and including the poet laureate of the ducal court Paul Melissus Schede, who was also court librarian. The circle also included Peter Denaisium, who had lived in Zincgref’s father’s house while Zincgref was a child. The circle later spawned a second group which Zincgref himself joined. Built around the poet Martin Optiz and including Jacob Creutz, Janus Gebhardt, Heinrich Albert Hamilton, and Balthasar Venator, this circle was extremely influential on Zincgref’s poetic development.
In 1619, Zincgref’s friend Johann Leonhard Weidner published a collection of poetry, titled Lingelsheim, which included work by himself and Zincgref. Most of the work had been written several years earlier for private audiences. Around the same time, Zincgref published three volumes intended for a broader audience: 1618’s Facetiae Pennalium (facetiousness of feathery things), and two from 1619, Emblematum Ethico Politicorum Centuria, and a flyer called Newe Zeitungen. These works address Palatinate independence and German linguistic purity. Facetiae Pennalium went into a second edition in 1627, with a preface criticizing the educational system.
In the early 1620’s, the Palatinate was embroiled in war and Zincgref was stationed at the Heidelberg garrison. He fled in 1622 to Strasbourg, becoming an interpreter for the French envoy to the German princes. The position did not last long, as he fell ill in Stuttgart and had to return to Strasbourg. He continued writing political satire, and he married the widow Agnete Nordeck Patrick in 1626. Also in 1626, Zincgref published Der Teutschen Scharpfsinnige kluge Sprüch, a collection of witticisms and anecdotes that would become his most successful work. The themes from his earlier political works are still present: Zincgref’s purpose in collecting these pieces was to emphasize the intellectual sophistication of the Palatinate and preserve its linguistic heritage in case the war eradicated them from popular culture. The work’s popularity and critical acclaim is likely due to its timeliness, praising and protecting German culture at a time of foreign invasion.
Shortly after his marriage, Zincgref and his family relocated to St. Goar. In the early 1630’s, Zincgref left his family to become a magistrate’s clerk in Kreuznach, an appointment he received from Duke Philipp Ludwig but that eventually expanded to include responsibilities for the electoral Prince Karl. In 1634, after the defeat of the Protestants at the Battle of Nördlingen, Zincgref tried to return home, but was attacked and mugged by Weimar soldiers. He never recovered from his injuries and died of the plague in 1635, survived by his wife and two of three sons.