Joseph Hormayr Freiherr zu Hortenburg
Encyclopedia
Joseph Hormayr, Baron zu Hortenburg (20 January 1781 or 1782 - 5 October 1848) was an Austrian
and German
statesman
and historian
.
He was born at Innsbruck
. After studying law in his native town, and attaining the rank of captain in the Tirolese Landwehr, the young man, who had the advantage of being the grandson of Joseph von Hormayr (1705-1778), chancellor of Tirol, obtained a post in the foreign office at Vienna
(1801), from which he rose in 1803 to be court secretary and, being a near friend of the Archduke Johann of Austria
, director of the secret archives of the state and court for thirteen months. In 1803 he married Therese Anderler von Hohenwald.
During the insurrection of 1809, by which the Tirolese sought to throw off the Bavaria
n supremacy confirmed by the treaty of Pressburg, Hormayr was the mainstay of the Austrian party, and assumed the administration of everything (especially the composition of proclamations and pamphlets); but, returning home without the prestige of success, he fell, in spite of the help of the Archduke John, into disfavour both with the emperor Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
and with Prince Metternich, and at length, when in 1813 he tried to stir up a new insurrection in Tirol, he was arrested and imprisoned at Munkatt.
In 1816 some amends were made to him by his appointment as imperial historiographer; but so little was he satisfied with the general policy and conduct of the Austrian court that in 1828 he accepted an invitation of King Louis I
to the Bavarian capital, where he became ministerial councillor in the department of foreign affairs.
In 1832 he was appointed Bavarian minister-resident at Hanover
, and from 1837 to 1846 he held the same position at Bremen
. Together with Count Johann Friedrich von der Decken
(1769-1840) he founded the Historical Society of Lower Saxony (Historischer Verein fur Niedersachsen). The last two years of his life were spent at Munich
as superintendent of the national archives.
He died in October 1848 of unknown causes, aged 66 or 67.
(d. 1811) was his teacher: while his access to original documents gave value to his treatment of the past, his record or criticism of contemporary events received authority and interest from his personal experience. But his history of the Tirolese rebellion is far from being impartial; for he always liked to put himself into the first place, and the merits of Andreas Hofer
and of other leaders are not sufficiently acknowledged. In his later writings he appears as a keen opponent of the policy of the court of Vienna.
The following are among Hormayr's more important works:
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
and German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
statesman
Statesman
A statesman is usually a politician or other notable public figure who has had a long and respected career in politics or government at the national and international level. As a term of respect, it is usually left to supporters or commentators to use the term...
and historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
.
He was born at Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
. After studying law in his native town, and attaining the rank of captain in the Tirolese Landwehr, the young man, who had the advantage of being the grandson of Joseph von Hormayr (1705-1778), chancellor of Tirol, obtained a post in the foreign office at Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
(1801), from which he rose in 1803 to be court secretary and, being a near friend of the Archduke Johann of Austria
Archduke Johann of Austria
Archduke John of Austria was a member of the Habsburg dynasty, an Austrian field marshal and German Imperial regent .-Biography:...
, director of the secret archives of the state and court for thirteen months. In 1803 he married Therese Anderler von Hohenwald.
During the insurrection of 1809, by which the Tirolese sought to throw off the Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n supremacy confirmed by the treaty of Pressburg, Hormayr was the mainstay of the Austrian party, and assumed the administration of everything (especially the composition of proclamations and pamphlets); but, returning home without the prestige of success, he fell, in spite of the help of the Archduke John, into disfavour both with the emperor Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis II was the last Holy Roman Emperor, ruling from 1792 until 6 August 1806, when he dissolved the Empire after the disastrous defeat of the Third Coalition by Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz...
and with Prince Metternich, and at length, when in 1813 he tried to stir up a new insurrection in Tirol, he was arrested and imprisoned at Munkatt.
In 1816 some amends were made to him by his appointment as imperial historiographer; but so little was he satisfied with the general policy and conduct of the Austrian court that in 1828 he accepted an invitation of King Louis I
Ludwig I of Bavaria
Ludwig I was a German king of Bavaria from 1825 until the 1848 revolutions in the German states.-Crown prince:...
to the Bavarian capital, where he became ministerial councillor in the department of foreign affairs.
In 1832 he was appointed Bavarian minister-resident at Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
, and from 1837 to 1846 he held the same position at Bremen
Bremen (state)
The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen is the smallest of Germany's 16 states. A more informal name, but used in some official contexts, is Land Bremen .-Geography:...
. Together with Count Johann Friedrich von der Decken
Johann Friedrich von der Decken
Johann Friedrich Graf von der Decken was a Hanoverian general and diplomat during the Napoleonic Wars.-Life:...
(1769-1840) he founded the Historical Society of Lower Saxony (Historischer Verein fur Niedersachsen). The last two years of his life were spent at Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
as superintendent of the national archives.
He died in October 1848 of unknown causes, aged 66 or 67.
Posthumous assessment
Hormayr's literary activity was closely conditioned by the circumstances of his political career and by the fact that Johannes von MüllerJohannes von Müller
Johannes von Müller was a Swiss historian.-Biography:He was born at Schaffhausen, where his father was a clergyman and rector of the gymnasium. In his youth, his maternal grandfather, Johannes Schoop , roused in him an interest in the history of his country...
(d. 1811) was his teacher: while his access to original documents gave value to his treatment of the past, his record or criticism of contemporary events received authority and interest from his personal experience. But his history of the Tirolese rebellion is far from being impartial; for he always liked to put himself into the first place, and the merits of Andreas Hofer
Andreas Hofer
Andreas Hofer was a Tirolean innkeeper and patriot. He was the leader of a rebellion against Napoleon's forces....
and of other leaders are not sufficiently acknowledged. In his later writings he appears as a keen opponent of the policy of the court of Vienna.
The following are among Hormayr's more important works:
- Geschichte des Grafen von Andechs (1796)
- Lexikon für Reisenden in Tirol (1796)
- Kritisch-diplomatische Beiträge zur Geschichte Tirols im Mittelalter (2 vols., Innsbruck, 1802-1803, newed., 1805)
- Geschichte der gefürsteten Grafschaft Tirol (2 vols., Tübingen, 1806-1808);
- Österreichischer Plutarch, 20 vols., collection of portraits and biographies of the most celebrated administrators, commanders and statesmen of Austria (Vienna. 1807)
- an edition of BeauchampBeauchamp- Surname :* Alphonse de Beauchamp, French historian* Anne de Beauchamp, 15th Countess of Warwick * Bianca Beauchamp, Canadian fetish model* Christine Beauchamp, case study patient...
's Histoire de la guerre en Vendee (1809) - Geschichte Hofers (1817, 2nd ed., 2 vols. 1845) and other pamphlets
- Archiv für Gesch., Stat., Lit. und Kunst (20 vols., 1809-1828)
- Allgemeine Geschichte der neuesten Zeit vom Tod Friedrichs des Grossen bis zum zweiten Pariser Frieden (' vols., Vienna, 1814-1819, 2nd ed., 1891)
- Wien, seine Gesch. und Denkwürdigkeiten (5 vols., Vienna, 1823-1824)
- together with Fragmente über Deutschland, in Sondertheil Bayerns Welthandel, Lebensbilder aus dem Befreiungskriege (3 vols., Jena, 1841-1844, 2nc cd., 1845); Die goldene Chronik von Hohenschinangau (Munich, 1842) Anemonen aus dem Tagebuch eines alten Pilgersmanns (4 vols., Jena 1845-1847). Together with Mednyanski (1784-1844) he founded the Taschenbuch für die vaterldnd. Gesch. (Vienna, 1811-1848).