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Barthold Georg Niebuhr
Barthold Georg Niebuhr (27 August 1776 – 31 January 1831) was a Danish-German statesman and historian who started a new era in historical studies by his method of source criticism. An admirer of tbe Roman Republic, he favored agrarianism as tbe basis of a well-balanced state. He regarded Prussia (where he had various official positions) as a modern parallel of tbe Roman state and advocated Prussian leadership in tbe unification of Germany.
Life
Barthold, son of Karsten Niebuhr, was born at Copenhagen on tbe 27th of August 1776. From tbe earliest age young Niebuhr manifested extraordinary precocity, and from 1794 to 1796, being already a finished classical scholar and acquainted with several modern languages, he studied at tbe university of Kiel. After quitting tbe university he became private secretary to Count Schimmelmann, Danish minister of finance. But in 1798 he gave up this appointment and travelled in Great Britain, spending a year at Edinburgh studying agriculture and physical science. In 1799 he returned to Denmark, where he entered tbe state service; in 1800 he married and settled at Copenhagen. In 1804 he became chief director of tbe National Bank, but in September 1806 quitted this for a similar appointment in Prussia. He arrived in Prussia on tbe eve of tbe catastrophe of Jena. He accompanied tbe fugitive government to Konigsberg, where he rendered considerable service in tbe commissariat, and was afterwards still more useful as commissioner of tbe national debt and by his opposition to illconsidered schemes of taxation. He was also for a short time Prussian minister in Holland, where he endeavoured without success to contract a loan. The extreme sensitiveness of his temperament, however, disqualified him for politics; he proved impracticable in his relations with Hardenberg and other ministers, and in 18ro retired for a time from public life, accepting tbe more congenial appointment of royal historiographer and professor at tbe university of Berlin.
He commenced his lectures with a course on tbe history of Rome, which formed tbe basis of his great work Romische Geschichte. The first two volumes, based upon his lectures, were published in 1812, but attracted little attention at tbe time owing to tbe absorbing interest of political events. In 1813 Niebuhr's own attention was diverted from history by tbe uprising of tbe German people against Napoleon; he entered tbe Landwehr and ineffectually sought admission into tbe regular army. He edited for a short time a patriotic journal, tbe Prussian Correspondent, joined tbe headquarters of tbe allied sovereigns, and witnessed tbe battle of Bautzen, and was subsequently employed in some minor negotiations. In 1815 he lost both his father and his wife. He next accepted (1816) tbe post of ambassador at Rome, and on his way thither he discovered in tbe cathedral library of Verona tbe long-lost Institutes of Gaius, afterwards edited by Savigny, to whom he communicated tbe discovery under tbe impression that he had found a portion of Ulpian.
During his residence in Rome Niebuhr discovered and published fragments of Cicero and Livy, aided Cardinal Mai in his edition of Cicero De Republica, and shared in framing tbe plan of tbe great work on tbe topography of ancient Rome by Christian C. J. von Bunsen and Ernst Platner (1773-1855), to which he contributed several chapters. He also, on a journey home from Italy, deciphered in a palimpsest at St Gall tbe fragments of Flavius Merobaudes, a Roman poet of tbe 5th century. In 1823 he resigned tbe embassy and established himself at Bonn, where tbe remainder of his life was spent, with tbe exception of some visits to Berlin as councillor of state. He here rewrote and republished (1827-1828) tbe first two volumes of his Roman History, and composed a third volume, bringing tbe narrative down to tbe end of tbe First Punic War, which, with tbe help of a fragment written in 1811, was edited after his death (1832) by Johannes Classen (1805-1891). He also assisted in August Bekker's edition of tbe Byzantine historians, and delivered courses of lectures on ancient history, ethnography, geography, and on tbe French Revolution. In February 1830 his house was burned down, but tbe greater part of his books and manuscripts were saved. The revolution of July in tbe same year was a terrible blow to him, and filled him with tbe most dismal anticipations of tbe future of Europe. He died on tbe 2nd of January 1831.
Niebuhr's Roman History counts among epoch-making histories both as marking an era in tbe study of its special subject and for its momentous influence on tbe general conception of history. "The main results," says Leonhard Schmitz, "arrived at by tbe inquiries of Niebuhr, such as his views of tbe ancient population of Rome, tbe origin of tbe plebs, tbe relation between tbe patricians and plebeians, tbe real nature of tbe ager publicus, and many other points of interest, have been acknowledged by all his successors." Other alleged discoveries, such as' tbe construction of early Roman history out of still earlier ballads, have not been equally fortunate; but if every positive conclusion of Niebuhr's had been refuted, his claim to be considered tbe first who dealt with tbe ancient history of Rome in a scientific spirit would remain unimpaired, and tbe new principles introduced by him into historical research would lose nothing of their importance.
He suggested, though he did not elaborate, tbe theory of tbe myth, so potent an instrument for good and ill in modern historical criticism. He brought in inference to supply tbe place of discredited tradition, and showed tbe possibility of writing history in tbe absence of original records. By his theory of tbe disputes between tbe patricians and plebeians arising from original differences of race he drew attention to tbe immense importance of ethnological distinctions, and contributed to tbe revival of these divergences as factors in modern history. More than all, perhaps, since his conception of ancient Roman story made laws and manners of more account than shadowy lawgivers, he undesignedly influenced history by popularizing that conception of it which lays stress on institutions, tendencies and social traits to tbe neglect of individuals.
Niebuhr's personal character was in most respects exceedingly attractive. His heart was kind and his affections were strong; he was magnanimous and disinterested, simple and honest. He had a kindling sympathy with everything lofty and generous, and framed his own conduct upon tbe highest principles. His chief defect was an over-sensitiveness, leading to peevish and unreasonable behaviour in his private and official relations, to hasty and unbalanced judgments of persons and things that had given him annoyance, and to a despondency and discouragement which frustrated tbe great good he might have effected as a philosophic critic of public affairs.
External links
Encyclopedias
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Barthold Georg Niebuhr
- Encyclopedia Britannica 1911 Edition: Barthold Georg Niebuhr
- Encyclopedia.com: Barthold Georg Niebuhr