Carl Robert Jakobson ( – ) was an Estonian writer, politician and teacher active in the

Governorate of Livonia The Governorate of Livonia, also known as the Livonia Governorate, was a province (''guberniya'') and one of the Baltic governorates of the Russian Empire, Baltic Governorate-General until 1876. Governorate of Livonia bordered Governorate of E ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. He was one of the most important persons of the Estonian national awakening in the second half of the 19th century.

Political activity

Between 1860 and 1880, the Governorate of Livonia was led by a moderate nobility-dominated government. Jakobson became the leader of the radical wing, advocating widespread reforms in Livonia. He was responsible for the economic-political program of the Estonian national movement. Jakobson urged

Estonians Estonians or Estonian people () are a Finnic ethnic group native to the Baltic Sea region in Northern Europe, primarily their nation state of Estonia. Estonians primarily speak the Estonian language, a language closely related to other Finni ...

to demand equal political rights with the region's

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

and an end to privileged position of the

Baltic-German nobility Baltic Germans ( or , later ) are Germans, ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since Flight and expulsion of Germans (1944–1950), their resettlement in 1945 after the end ...

. In 1878, Jakobson established the first Estonian-language political newspaper '' Sakala''. The paper quickly became a vital promoter of the cultural awakening. He also had a central role in the establishment of the

Society of Estonian Literati The Society of Estonian Literati ( – EKmS) was an influential association of Estonian intellectuals based in Tartu between the years 1871 and 1893.Toivo U. Raun, ''Estonia and the Estonians'', Hoover Press, 2001, , p75 History The articles of ...

, which was an influential Estonian association in the second half of the 19th century. Jakobson died on 19 March 1882, at the age of 40 in the village of Kurgja, where he lived in the Kurgja Manor.

Legacy

Museum

In 1948, the Museum of Carl Robert Jakobson was established by Jakobson's oldest daughter, Linda, in their family estate in Kurgja. The main house of the museum includes an exhibition which introduces the life and activities Jakobson. The museum is designed to illustrate elements of rural life in Estonia during Jakobson's lifetime and remains an active farm with cattle-breeding and land cultivation. Carl Robert Jakobson was depicted on the 500 kroon banknote.

References

External links

Estonian banknotes – 500 kroons

Ingrid Rüütel's 6 July 2003 speech
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jakobson, Carl Robert 1841 births 1882 deaths Writers from Tartu Politicians from Tartu People from Kreis Dorpat Estonian politicians Estonian journalists 19th-century Estonian writers 19th-century journalists Male journalists Estonian male writers 19th-century male writers 19th-century Estonian educators 19th-century journalists from the Russian Empire Politicians from the Russian Empire 19th-century educators from the Russian Empire