Christoph Gottlieb von Murr (6 August 1733 – 8 April 1811) was a

polymath A polymath or polyhistor is an individual whose knowledge spans many different subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems. Polymaths often prefer a specific context in which to explain their knowledge, ...

ic German scholar, based in

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

. He was a historian and magistrate. He edited and contributed to significant cultural and scientific journals. A notable

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

von Murr was a Member of the Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin (Berlin Society of Friends of Natural Science) and the

Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften The Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities () is an independent public institution, located in Munich. It appoints scholars whose research has contributed considerably to the increase of knowledge within their subject. The general goal of th ...

(Bavarian Academy of Sciences). He was also an art historian, the author of the first bibliography of books on painting, sculpture, and engraving. He published extensively on illuminated manuscripts, early printed books, the history of libraries, the history of the Jesuit missions, the history of the Jews in China, Arabic and Chinese literature. Familiar with most of the European languages, he was an active correspondent with many of the most distinguished scholars of the period. He had a vast library.

Life

Christoph Gottlieb von Murr studied at the

University of Altdorf The University of Altdorf () was a university in Altdorf bei Nürnberg, a small town outside the Free Imperial City of Nuremberg. It was founded in 1578 and received university privileges in 1622 and was closed in 1809 by Maximilian I Joseph of Ba ...

and received his doctorate in law in 1754. In addition to law, Murr was interested in

natural history Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

, philosophy, mathematics, archaeology and history. After completing his doctorate, he first devoted himself to a history of the Hohenstaufen emperors, especially Friedrich II. On his study trips made from 1756–61 through the Netherlands, England, Austria and Italy, he established relationships with numerous scholars with whom he was in active correspondence throughout his life, and he acquired an extensive collection of art and autographs. After returning from his trips, Murr became a customs and toll official in Nuremberg. In addition, he published numerous literary, art and general historical works, especially on the history of art, craft and culture in Nuremberg. He was also the editor of the Journals ''zur Kunstgeschichte und zur allgemeinen Literatur'' ( Journal of Art History and General Literature) and des ''Neuen Journals zur Litteratur'') and des ''Neuen Journals zur Litteratur und Kunstgeschichtethe'' ( New Journal of Literature and Art History).

Friedrich Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, philosopher and historian. Schiller is considered by most Germans to be Germany's most important classical playwright. He was born i ...

used Murr's monograph (based on archives in Vienna) on the history of the Thirty Years War as a basis when he wrote ''

Wallenstein Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein, Duke of Friedland (; 24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein (), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the Thirty Years' War (1618–16 ...

''. Von Murr was a regular contributor to ''

Der Naturforscher ''Der Naturforscher'' ( "The Naturalist") was a German scientific publication of the Enlightenment devoted to natural history. It was published yearly from 1774 to 1804, by J. J. Gebauers Witwe and Joh. Jac. Gebauer at Halle and edited first ...

'' ( "The Naturalist") as C. G. von M.

Defence of The Jesuit order

During a stay in Strasbourg, the Protestant Murr also came into contact with the

Jesuit order The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 by ...

and became a journalist writing about Jesuit issues and the suppression of 1773. He was one of the few German Protestants during the

Enlightenment Enlightenment or enlighten may refer to: Age of Enlightenment * Age of Enlightenment, period in Western intellectual history from the late 17th to late 18th century, centered in France but also encompassing (alphabetically by country or culture): ...

to defend the order and the Jesuit China mission. Von Murr reproduced in 1790 the book published in 1553 by

Michael Servetus Michael Servetus (; ; ; also known as ''Michel Servetus'', ''Miguel de Villanueva'', ''Revés'', or ''Michel de Villeneuve''; 29 September 1509 or 1511 – 27 October 1553) was a Spanish theologian, physician, cartographer, and Renaissance ...

entitled ''Christianismi restitutio''. The original books were burned when Servetus himself was burned at the stake in Geneva. Von Murr used as model the exemplar in the National Library in Vienna, one of the three surviving exemplars.

Selected works

*''Anmerkungen über Herrn Lessings Laokoon''. 1769. *''Bibliothèque de peinture, de sculpture et de gravure.'' 1770. *''Briefe eines Protestanten über die Aufhebung des Jesuitenordens''. 1773/74. *''Beschreibung der vornehmsten Merkwürdigkeiten in der Reichsstadt Nürnberg, in deren Bezirke und auf der Universität Altdorf''. 1778/1802. *''Premier voyage autour du monde par le chevr. Pigafetta : sur l'escadre de Magellan, pendant les annees 1519, 20, 21 et 22 : suivi de l'extrait du Traite de Navigation du meme auteur : et d'une notice sur le chevalier Martin Behaim, avec la description de son globe terrestre'' Jansen, l'an IX,

801 __NOTOC__ Year 801 ( DCCCI) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar, the 801st year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 801st year of the 1st millennium, the 1st year of the 9th century, and the 2nd ...

Works on Natural History

*Murr, C. G. von 1759: Abhandlung von Naturalienkabinetten etc. ''Hannoverisches Magazin'', Hannover (St. 15; 22; 42; 43) 225-240; 337-352; 657-672; 673-680 *Murr, C. G. von 1761: Abhandlung von Naturalienkabinetten etc. ''Stuttg. oekon.-physik''. Auszüge, Stuttgart - 3 73-87 *Murr, C. G. von 1772: ''Abhandlung von Naturalienkabinetten etc''. Leipzig, Krause * urr, C. G. von 1774: Herrn Peter Collinsons gesammelte Nachrichten von den Graspferden in Nordamerica. ''Der Naturforscher'', Halle/Saale - 2 197-201 * urr, C. G. von 774: Samuel Feltons, Esq. Nachricht von einer sonderbaren noch nie beschriebenen Gattung einer Wespe und eines Graspferdes (Cicada) in Jamaica. ''Der Naturforscher'', Halle/Saale - 2 194-196 *Murr, C. G. von 1775: Beytraege zur Naturgeschichte von Japon und Sina. Nebst drey Tafeln chinesischer Figuren.''Der Naturforscher'', Halle/Saale - 7 1-51, Taf.

Correspondents

* Leonard Euler *

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

The Linnaean Correspondence Collection
/ref> * Sigmund von Haimhausen *

Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling (; 27 January 1775 – 20 August 1854), later (after 1812) von Schelling, was a German philosopher. Standard histories of philosophy make him the midpoint in the development of German idealism, situating him be ...

Axel Fredrik Cronstedt Baron Axel Fredrik Cronstedt (''/kroonstet/'' 23 December 1722 – 19 August 1765) was a Sweden, Swedish Mineralogy, mineralogist and chemist who discovered the Chemical element, element nickel in 1751 as a mining expert with the Bureau of Mines. ...

* Friedrich Heinrich Wilhelm Martini *

Johann Gottlieb Gleditsch Johann Gottlieb Gleditsch (5 February 1714, in Leipzig – 5 October 1786, in Berlin) was a German physician and botanist known for pioneer investigations of plant sexuality and plant reproduction, reproduction. Biography He studied medicine an ...

Martin Heinrich Klaproth Martin Heinrich Klaproth (1 December 1743 – 1 January 1817) was a German chemist. He trained and worked for much of his life as an apothecary, moving in later life to the university. His shop became the second-largest apothecary in Berlin, and ...

Dietrich Ludwig Gustav Karsten Dietrich Ludwig Gustav Karsten (5 April 1768 – 20 May 1810) was a German mineralogist. Among the most notable of Karsten's writings is a mineralogy book published in 1789 when he was only 21 years old. In later years Karsten held senior governme ...

Adelbert von Chamisso Adelbert von Chamisso (; 30 January 1781 – 21 August 1838) was a German poet, writer and botanist. He was commonly known in French as Adelbert de Chamisso (or Chamissot) de Boncourt, a name referring to the family estate at Boncourt. Life ...

Alexander von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 1769 – 6 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, natural history, naturalist, List of explorers, explorer, and proponent of Romanticism, Romantic philosophy and Romanticism ...

Otto Friedrich Müller Otto Friedrich Müller, also known as Otto Friedrich Mueller (2 November 1730 – 26 December 1784) was a Denmark, Danish natural history, naturalist and scientific illustrator. Biography Müller was born in Copenhagen. He was educated for the ch ...

* Johann Hieronymus Chemnitz

References

Bibliography

Peter Wolf, « Protestantischer ‘Jesuitismus’ im Zeitalter der Aufklärung : Christoph Gottlieb Murr (1733–1811) und die Jesuiten », ''Zeitschrift für bayerische Landesgeschichte'', LXII, 1999, p. 99-137. {{DEFAULTSORT:Murr, Christoph Gottlieb von 1733 births 1811 deaths Writers from Nuremberg 18th-century German historians German male non-fiction writers