János Majláth
Encyclopedia
János Majláth, or Count John (October 5, 1786 - January 3, 1855), Hungarian
historian
and poet
, was born at Pest.
First educated at home, he subsequently studied philosophy at Eger (Erlau) and law at Gyor (Raab), his father, Count Joseph Majlath, an Austrian minister of state, eventually obtaining for him an appointment in the public service. Majláth devoted himself to historical research and the translation into German
of Magyar
folk-tales, and of selections from the works of the best of his country's native poets. Moreover, as an original lyrical writer, and as an editor and adapter of old German poems, Majlath showed considerable talent.
During the greater part of his life he resided either at Pest or Vienna
, but a few years before his death he removed to Munich
, where he fell into a state of destitution and extreme despondency. Seized at last by a terrible infatuation, he and his daughter Henriette, who had long been his constant companion and amanuensis
, drowned themselves in the Lake of Starnberg, a few miles south-west of Munich, on the 3rd of January 1855.
Of his historical works the most important are the Geschichte der Magyaren (Vienna, 1828–1831, 5 vols; 2nd ed., Ratisbon, 1852–1853) and his Geschichte des Österreichischen Kaiserstaats (Hamburg, 1834 1850, 5 vols).
Specially noteworthy among his metrical translations from the Hungarian
are the Magyarische Gedichte (Stuttgart and Tübingen, 1825); and Himfys auserlesene Liebeslieder (Pest, 1829; 2nd ed., 1831). A valuable contribution to folk-lore appeared in the Magyarische Sagen, Marchen und Erzahlungen (Brünn, 1825; 2nd ed., Stuttgart and Tübingen, 1837, 2, vols).
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Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
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...
and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, was born at Pest.
First educated at home, he subsequently studied philosophy at Eger (Erlau) and law at Gyor (Raab), his father, Count Joseph Majlath, an Austrian minister of state, eventually obtaining for him an appointment in the public service. Majláth devoted himself to historical research and the translation into German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
of Magyar
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
folk-tales, and of selections from the works of the best of his country's native poets. Moreover, as an original lyrical writer, and as an editor and adapter of old German poems, Majlath showed considerable talent.
During the greater part of his life he resided either at Pest or 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...
, but a few years before his death he removed to 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...
, where he fell into a state of destitution and extreme despondency. Seized at last by a terrible infatuation, he and his daughter Henriette, who had long been his constant companion and amanuensis
Amanuensis
Amanuensis is a Latin word adopted in various languages, including English, for certain persons performing a function by hand, either writing down the words of another or performing manual labour...
, drowned themselves in the Lake of Starnberg, a few miles south-west of Munich, on the 3rd of January 1855.
Of his historical works the most important are the Geschichte der Magyaren (Vienna, 1828–1831, 5 vols; 2nd ed., Ratisbon, 1852–1853) and his Geschichte des Österreichischen Kaiserstaats (Hamburg, 1834 1850, 5 vols).
Specially noteworthy among his metrical translations from the Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
are the Magyarische Gedichte (Stuttgart and Tübingen, 1825); and Himfys auserlesene Liebeslieder (Pest, 1829; 2nd ed., 1831). A valuable contribution to folk-lore appeared in the Magyarische Sagen, Marchen und Erzahlungen (Brünn, 1825; 2nd ed., Stuttgart and Tübingen, 1837, 2, vols).
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