Karl von Hegel facts for kids

Friedrich Wilhelm Karl, Ritter von Hegel (born June 7, 1813 – died December 5, 1901) was a German historian. He was the son of the famous philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. Karl Hegel was well-known during his time. He received many awards for his work. He was one of the most important historians who studied cities in the late 1800s.

Life and Work

Karl Hegel was born in Nuremberg, Germany. His father, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, was a very famous philosopher. Sadly, his father died when Karl was just 18 years old. Karl's own career was sometimes overshadowed by his father's fame. His mother, Marie Helena Susanna von Tucher, came from a noble family in Nuremberg.

The family moved a few times when Karl was young. They lived in Heidelberg in 1816 and then in Berlin in 1818. Karl studied in both Berlin and Heidelberg. One of his teachers was a famous historian named Leopold von Ranke. In 1837, Karl earned his PhD in Berlin. His special paper was about Alexander the Great.

From 1838 to 1839, Karl traveled to Italy. There, he did a lot of research on history. When he returned to Berlin, he worked briefly as a high school teacher. Later, from 1841 to 1856, he became a professor. He taught history and politics at the University of Rostock.

In 1847, Karl Hegel published an important book. It was called History of Urban Constitution of Italy. This book covered the history of Italian cities from Roman times until the 12th century. After this, he became a very well-known historian. Many universities wanted him to teach for them. These included Leipzig, Kiel, Munich, Greifswald, and Erlangen.

In 1850, he was chosen to represent the Erfurt Parliament. In the same year, he married his cousin, Susanna Tucher. In 1856, the University of Erlangen offered him a new history professorship. He also served as a vice-rector at FAU in 1870.

From 1862 to 1899, Karl Hegel worked on a huge project. He published 27 volumes of "Die Chroniken der deutschen Städte" (The Chronicles of German Cities). This was for the Historical Commission in Munich. Hegel himself edited six of these volumes. These included chronicles from Nuremberg, Strasbourg, and Mainz. This project was very successful. Many other historians and experts worked with him.

In the 1870s, Karl Hegel was part of a big debate. It was about whether a Florentine chronicle by Dino Compagni was real. Another historian, Paul Scheffer-Boichorst, disagreed with him. Hegel argued that the chronicle was real, and he turned out to be right!

Karl Hegel continued to publish books even when he was very old. In 1891, he released Cities and Guilds of the Germanic peoples in the Middle Ages. This book became a standard work. It received excellent reviews from around the world. His last major book, The Origin of the German town life, came out in 1898. He received many awards for all his research.

In 1875, he joined the Monumenta Germaniae Historica. This group works to publish important historical texts. He was also a member of important academies in Munich, Göttingen, Berlin, and Vienna. The University of Halle-Wittenberg gave him an honorary doctorate. He received several medals and honors for his work. In 1891, he was added to the official list of the Kingdom of Bavaria. In 1893, he was named Royal Privy Council.

In 1900, Karl Hegel published his memories. He passed away on December 5, 1901, in Erlangen. At his funeral, he was called "Städtehegel," which means "City Hegel." This showed how important his work on cities was. His writings and notes are kept at the University Library of Erlangen-Nuremberg. Even though he was famous, he is not as well-remembered today as his father.

To honor him, an exhibition was held in 2001. It was called Karl Hegel - historian in the 19th century. Since 2007, special lectures called Karl Hegel Memorial Lectures have taken place. This helps keep his memory alive at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg.

See also

In Spanish: Karl von Hegel para niños