Johann Wilhelm Hoffmann (* 19 November 1710 in

Zittau Zittau (; ; ; ; ; Lusatian dialects, Upper Lusatian dialect: ''Sitte''; ) is the southeasternmost city in the Germany, German state of Saxony, and belongs to the Görlitz (district), district of Görlitz, Germany's easternmost Districts of Germ ...

; † 12 November 1739 in

Wittenberg Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is the fourth-largest town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, in the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. It is situated on the River Elbe, north of Leipzig and south-west of the reunified German ...

) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

historian, jurist and writer.

Life

Johann Wilhelm Hoffmann was born in 1710 in

Electorate of Saxony The Electorate of Saxony, also known as Electoral Saxony ( or ), was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire from 1356 to 1806 initially centred on Wittenberg that came to include areas around the cities of Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz. It was a ...

, the son of school rector Gottfried Hoffmann. After the early death of his father in 1712, his mother (born Schoenfelder) and later his brother, Christian Gottfried Hoffmann, took over his upbringing. After he completed his education in 1728, he moved on to the University of Frankfurt (Oder) to pursue studies in law. He quickly got to academic studies. He earned a

Magister degree A magister degree (also magistar, female form: magistra; from , "teacher") is an academic degree used in various systems of higher education. The magister degree arose in medieval universities in Europe and was originally equal to the doctorate; ...

in 1731 and on 8 December 1731 joined the philosophical faculty. After earning a legal doctorate on November 15, 1732, he became Professor of the

Faculty of Law A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject areas, possibly also delimited by level (e.g. undergraduate). In North America, academic divisions are sometimes titled colleges, sc ...

at the

University of Greifswald The University of Greifswald (; ), formerly known as Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald, is a public research university located in Greifswald, Germany, in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Founded in 1456, it is one of th ...

. According to his inclinations, he then followed a call to the

University of Wittenberg Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (), also referred to as MLU, is a public research university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg. It is the largest and oldest university in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. MLU offers German and i ...

in 1737 as a professor of history. Johann arrived in Wittenberg on 7 May 1737, along with the famous library of his brother. There he lectured on Roman literature as well as church and legal history. Offers from the

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen (, commonly referred to as Georgia Augusta), is a Public university, public research university in the city of Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1734 ...

, the

University of Uppsala Uppsala University (UU) () is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. Initially founded in the 15th century, the university rose to s ...

and the University of Frankfurt (Oder) were received and declined. By 1739 he had assumed an additional Chair in Law at Wittenberg, as well as an appointment to the Royal Court and Judicial Council of

Augustus the Strong Augustus II the Strong (12 May 1670 – 1 February 1733), was Elector of Saxony from 1694 as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1697 to 1706 and from 1709 until his death in 1733. He belonged to the Albertine branch of the ...

. But nothing came from this title, as the constant overexertion cut Hoffmann's life short.

Selected works

* Publicae laetitiae monumentum quod... Francisci Stephani regiae Celsitudini consecravit J. G. Hoffmannnus * Diss. De juribus emigrantium propter religionem, 1732 * de observantia gentium circa praeliminaria pacis, 1736 * dissertatio de jure publico, quod in rom. Imperio interregni magni tempore obtinuit, 1736, 1740

References

* * Walter Friedensburg: ''Geschichte der Universität Wittenberg''. Verlag Max Niemeyer, Halle (Saale) 1917 * Heinz Kathe: ''Die Wittenberger Philosophische Fakultät 1502–1817''. Böhlau Verlag, 2002, * Christian Gottlieb Jöcher: ''Allgemeines Gelehrtenlexikon'' 1750/51

External links

* * Ersch / Gruber: Allgemeine Encyclopädie der Wissenschaften und Künstebr>VOLUME Sect 2 Th 9 S. 271
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoffmann, Johann 1710 births 1739 deaths 18th-century German historians Jurists from Saxony German male writers People from Zittau 18th-century German jurists