Johann Wilhelm Archenholz was born in Langfuhr ( Wrzeszcz) near Danzig (

Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...

) on 3 September 1741. He was a Prussian officer, Professor of History and a publicist. His book about the history of the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

(1756–63) was the basis for many reprints, as well as for school books.

Life

Archenholz passed from the Berlin Cadet school into the Prussian army at the age of sixteen, and took part in the last campaigns of the Seven Years' War. Retiring from military service, on account of his wounds, with the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in 1763, he travelled for sixteen years and visited nearly all the countries of Europe, and resided in England for ten years from 1769 to 1779. Returning to Germany in 1780, he obtained a lay

canonry Canon () is a Christian title usually used to refer to a member of certain bodies in subject to an canon law, ecclesiastical rule. Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a clergy house or, later, in one of the houses within the p ...

Magdeburg Cathedral Magdeburg Cathedral (), officially called the Cathedral of Saints Maurice and Catherine (), is a Protestant Church in Germany, Lutheran cathedral in Germany and the oldest Gothic architecture, Gothic cathedral in the country. It is the proto-cat ...

, and immediately entered upon a literary career by publishing the periodical ''Litteratur- und Völkerkunde'' (Leipzig, 1782–1791). This was followed in 1785 by ''England und Italien'' (Leipzig, 1787), in which he gives an appreciation of English political and social institutions. Between 1789 and 1798 he published his ''Annalen der britischen Geschichte'' (20 volumes). But the work by which he is best known to fame is his history of the Seven Years' War, ''Geschichte des siebenjährigen Krieges'' (first published in the ''Berliner historisches Taschenbuch'' of 1787, and later in 2 volumes. In 1791 Archenholz lived in France with his family, publishing German language reports about the French Revolution in his journal ''Minerva''. While at first he agreed with the ideas of the revolution, his view was changed by the ongoing violence. In 1792 he had to flee the country as he was threatened to be beheaded following some of his political papers. In 1792 he moved to Hamburg, and there, from 1792 to 1812, edited the ''Minerva'', which had a reputation for its literary, historical and political information. Archenholz commissioned a Berlin artist, , to produce a copper etching for Archenholz's History of Gustav Vasa of the famous Swedish Nobility. He died in Öjendorf (part of

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

today) on 28 February 1812, where the street Archenholzstraße ("Archenholz street") and a school called "Grundschule Archenholzstraße" is named after him today.

Assessment

Archenholz' understanding of his role as a publicist was very modern for his times. He strove not to deliver opinions to his readers but instead unbiased facts. His main interest was current politics in Europe as well as their historical development.

Publications

* ''Annalen der britischen Geschichte: d. Jahrs ...'' (1.1789 - 20.1800). Olms, Hildesheim 1997 (Reprint of the Tübingen edition from 1790 to 1800) * ''Die Engländer in Indien.'' Dyk, Leipzig 1.1786–3.1788 * ''England und Italien.'' Winter, Heidelberg 1993, (Volume 1–3, Reprint of the Leipzig edition from 1785) * ''Gemälde der preussischen Armee vor und in dem siebenjährigen Kriege.'' Saur, Munich 1990 (Reprint of the Berlin edition 1791) * ''Geschichte der Flibustier.'' Edition Fumfei, Berlin 1991, (Reprint of the Tübingen edition 1803) * ''Geschichte Gustavs Wasa, König von Schweden.'' Saur, Munich 1990/94 (Reprint of the Tübingen edition from 1801) * ''Geschichte der Verschwörung des Fiesco i.J. 1547.'' s. n., Berlin 1791 * ''Geschichte des Papstes Sixtus V.'' s. n., Berlin 1791 * ''Geschichte des siebenjährigen Krieges in Deutschland von 1756 bis 1763.'' Biblio-Verlag, Osnabrück 1982, (Reprint of the Karlsruhe edition from 1791) * ''Historische Bemerkungen über die große sittliche Revolution im 16. Jahrhundert.'' s. n., Berlin 1791 * ''Historisches Taschenbuch für Damen.'' Saur, München 1990/1994 (Reprint of the Berlin edition from 1791) * ''Kleine historische Schiften.'' Schmieder, Karlsruhe 1791 * ''Krieg in der Vendée.'' Dyk, Leipzig 1794 (Band 1–2) * ''Litteratur und Völkerkunde.'' Göschen, Leipzig 1.1782–5.1786 * ''Die Pariser Jacobiner in ihren Sitzungen.'' Saur, Munich 1991 (Reprint of the Hamburg edition from 1793) * '' Minerva - Ein Journal historischen und politischen Inhalts'', Berlin, Hamburg 1792 - 1856 * ''Miscellen zur Geschichte des Tages.'' Scriptor-Verlag, Kronberg im Taunus 1979 (Reprint of the Hamburg edition from 1795) * ''Neue Litteratur und Völkerkunde.'' Olms, Hildesheim 1997 (Reprint of the Leipzig edition from 1.1787 to 5.1791) * ''Rom und Neapel.'' Manutius-Verlag, Heidelberg 1990 (Reprint of the Leipzig edition from 1790)

Digitized works

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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Archenholz, Johann Wilhelm 1741 births 1812 deaths Writers from Gdańsk 18th-century German writers Prussian nobility 18th-century Prussian military personnel 18th-century German male writers