Johann Christoph Friedrich (Schiller) von Schiller (1759 - 1805)

Born 10 Nov 1759 in Marbach am Neckar, Herzogtum Württemberg, Heiliges Römisches Reich

Ancestors

Husband of Charlotte Luise Antoinette (von Lengefeld) von Schiller — married 22 Feb 1790 in Wenigenjena, Herzogtum Sachsen-Weimar und Eisenach, Heiliges Römisches Reich

Descendants

Died 9 May 1805 at age 45 in Weimar, Herzogtum Sachsen-Weimar und Eisenach, Heiliges Römisches Reich

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Biography

Friedrich (Schiller) von Schiller is Notable.

Friedrich Schiller was a German playwright, poet, essayist, historian, and philosopher. He was one of the leading representatives of the Sturm und Drang period. Later he developed a productive friendship with the already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. This relationship and their discussions led to a period now referred to as Weimar Classicism. Schiller is considered one of the most important German playwrights.^[1]

Friedrich was born in 1759 in Marbach. He was the son of lieutenant Johann Kaspar Schiller and Elisabetha Dorothea, née Kodweiß.^[2]

His father was a doctor ("Wundarzt"), a military officer, and since 1775 the director of the ducal gardens, in the service of the Duke of Württemberg. For this reason the family had to move many times. Friedrich attended the military academy Karlsschule (founded by Duke Karl Eugen) in Stuttgart 1773-1781. He began studying jurisprudence and switched to medicine after three years. At the Karlsschule, he also read works by Klopstock, Plutarch, Shakespeare, Voltaire, Rousseau, and Goethe, discussed "Sturm und Drang" as well as Classicism with his classmates, and wrote his first poems and plays. Among other things, he began working on his famous drama The Robbers (Die Räuber). In 1780 he finished his medical dissertation, received his doctorate, and became a regimental doctor ("Regimentsmedicus") in Stuttgart. During this period, he continued writing plays, including finishing The Robbers. In 1782 he fled from Württemberg, fearing punishment because of unauthorized absence from duty. His school friend Wilhelm von Wolzogen helped him find asylum on the estate of his mother, Henriette von Wolzogen in Bauerbach near Meiningen, Thüringen.^[3] Later Schiller lived in Mannheim, Leipzig, and then Dresden. He earned some money by publishing plays and other works, but was not in a financially stable situation and needed the support of his family and friends. In 1787 he settled in Weimar in order to be close to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Christoph Martin Wieland, and Johann Gottfried Herder. Supported by Duchess Anna Amalia, they would shape Weimar Classicism. In Weimar, Schiller was initially focusing on historical works. He was appointed professor extraordinarius of History at the University of Jena in 1789; later he also taught Philosophy.^[4][5]

In 1787 Friedrich's friend Wilhelm von Wolzogen introduced him to his cousins Charlotte von Lengefeld and her older sister Caroline in Rudolstadt. Friedrich befriended both, and in 1789 he and Charlotte became engaged in Erfurt. On 22 Feb 1790 they married in Wenigenjena. They had the following children:^[6]

• Karl Friedrich Ludwig (14 Sep 1793 - 21 Jun 1857), married Friederike Luise Locher,
• Ernst Friedrich Wilhelm (11 Jul 1796 - 19 May 1841), married Maria Magdalena Josefa Walburgis, née Pfingsten,
• Karoline Luise Friederike (11 Oct 1799 - 19 Dec 1850), married Franz Karl Emmanuel Junot,^[7][8]
• Emilie Friederike Henriette Luise (25 Jul 1804 - 25 Nov 1872), married Heinrich Adalbert Freiherr von Gleichen-Rußwurm.

After a period of illness and historical, philosophical, as well as esthetic works, Schiller turned back to poetry in 1795. Also in 1795, his literary magazine Die Horen appeared for the first time. His friendship with Goethe deepened, and in 1799, Schiller moved back to Weimar to be closer to Goethe. In the last decade of his life, Schiller was very productive and created many plays, ballads, and other poetry.^[4]

He passed away on 9 May 1805 in Weimar and was buried in the Kassengewölbe at Jakobskirchhof the night of 11 to 12 May 1805. In 1827 his presumed body was transferred to the Fürstengruft of the Historical Cemetery in Weimar.^[9] However, genetic research has shown that the bones originate from other people. Nowadays, his tomb in the Fürstengruft is empty.^{[10][11][12][13]}

Sources

1. ↑ English Wikipedia article on Friedrich Schiller
2. ↑ Church book Marbach, Württemberg: Landeskirchliches Archiv Stuttgart > Dekanat Marbach am Neckar > Marbach am Neckar > Taufregister 1732-1762 Band 2 Archion image 177
3. ↑ LiteraturLand Thüringen: Henriette von Wolzogen
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} German Wikipedia article on Friedrich Schiller
5. ↑ idw - Informationsdienst Wissenschaft: Friedrich Schiller, Professor in Jena
6. ↑ German Wikipedia article on Charlotte von Schiller
7. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #18048572
8. ↑ Porträt Caroline Junot, geb. von Schiller (1799-1850)
9. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #1186
10. ↑ Kassengewölbe auf dem Jakobskirchhof, Klassik Stiftung Weimar
11. ↑ Jahn, Ralf G.: Schillers Genealogie: Der Friedrich-Schiller-Code. 2014
12. ↑ Parson, W. Der Friedrich-Schiller-Code, Institut für Gerichtliche Medizin, Medizinische Universität Innsbruck, 2008
13. ↑ German Wikipedia article on Ralf G. Jahn

See also:

• Wikidata: Item Q22670
• Oellers, Norbert. Schiller, Friedrich von. In: Neue Deutsche Biographie 22 (2005), S. 759-763
• Dinkel, Thilo and Schweizer, Günter, Vorfahren und Familie des Dichters Friedrich Schiller. Stuttgart: Verein für Familien- und Wappenkunde in Württemberg und Baden e.V., 2005
• Geben Sie Gedankenfreiheit! Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805), Schillerverein Marbach
• Xlibris: Biographie Friedrich Schiller
• https://gedbas.genealogy.net/person/show/1233170680
• https://gedbas.genealogy.net/person/show/1122020664
• http://www.adel-genealogie.de/Schiller/is01/is01_001.htm
• https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/M94R-99C