Leonhard Fronsperger (c. 1520–1575) was a Bavarian German soldier and author. He received the citizenship of

Ulm Ulm () is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Danube on the border with Bavaria. The city, which has an estimated population of more than 126,000 (2018), forms an urban district of its own (german: link=no, ...

in 1548 and served in the imperial army during 1553–1573, under

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infa ...

, Ferdinand I and Maximilian II. He retired and received a pension from Maximilian in 1566. He became a military expert in the service of the city of Ulm, and died in an accident while on an inspection in 1575. His major work is the ''Kriegsbuch'', published in three parts in 1573, a sweeping overview over the military theory and technology of his time. He also wrote an early treatise on the economic theory of

self-interest Self-interest generally refers to a focus on the needs or desires (''interests'') of one's self. Most times, actions that display self-interest are often performed without conscious knowing. A number of philosophical, psychological, and econo ...

(''Von dem Lob deß Eigen Nutzen'', 1564), anticipating the gist of the

Mandeville's paradox Mandeville's paradox is named after Bernard Mandeville (1670–1733), who posits that actions which may be qualified as vicious with regard to individuals have benefits for society as a whole. This is alluded to in the subtitle of his most famous ...

References

*Carl von Landmann: Fronsperger, Leonhart. In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Band 8, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1878, 145. *Max Huber: Fronsperger, Leonhardt. In: Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB). Band 5, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1961, , 662. {{Authority control 1575 deaths People from the Duchy of Bavaria Military theorists German military writers Year of birth uncertain Military personnel from Ulm