Max von Brandt
Encyclopedia
Maximilian August Scipio von Brandt (born 8 October 1835 in Berlin
; died 24 August 1920 in Weimar
) was a German
diplomat
, East Asia
expert and publicist
.
. He was baptized as protestant and attended the French College
in Berlin. At first he became a Prussian officer before taking part in the Eulenburg Expedition
of 1860/61 to East Asia leading to the signage of a Japanese-Prussian trade-treaty on January, 24th. Afterwards, Max von Brandt was consul and later general consul of the North German Confederation
, and from 1872, German "Ministerresident" in Japan
. From 1875 to 1893 he then was imperial envoy in China
and, in 1882/1883, concluded a trade- and amicability-treaty with Korea
, where he intensely studied the culture and history of East Asia. Due to his detailed knowledge of Asia, his impressing personality as well as his pleasantness, von Brandt was highly esteemed in Beijing
, where he became doyen
of the diplomatic corps
for many years.
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
; died 24 August 1920 in Weimar
Weimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
) was a German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
, East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
expert and publicist
Publicist
A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a public figure, especially a celebrity, a business, or for a work such as a book, film or album...
.
Biography
Max von Brandt was the son of Prussian general and military author Heinrich von BrandtHeinrich von Brandt
Heinrich von Brandt was a Prussian general and military author.-Military career:...
. He was baptized as protestant and attended the French College
Französisches Gymnasium Berlin
The Französisches Gymnasium — Collège Français Berlin is a long-existing francophone gymnasium in Berlin, Germany.-History:It was founded in 1689 by Elector Frederick III of Brandenburg for the children of the Huguenot families who had settled in Brandenburg-Prussia by his invitation, being...
in Berlin. At first he became a Prussian officer before taking part in the Eulenburg Expedition
Eulenburg Expedition
The Eulenburg Expedition was a diplomatic mission conducted by Friedrich Albrecht zu Eulenburg on behalf of Prussia and the German Customs Union in 1859-62...
of 1860/61 to East Asia leading to the signage of a Japanese-Prussian trade-treaty on January, 24th. Afterwards, Max von Brandt was consul and later general consul of the North German Confederation
North German Confederation
The North German Confederation 1866–71, was a federation of 22 independent states of northern Germany. It was formed by a constitution accepted by the member states in 1867 and controlled military and foreign policy. It included the new Reichstag, a parliament elected by universal manhood...
, and from 1872, German "Ministerresident" in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. From 1875 to 1893 he then was imperial envoy in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and, in 1882/1883, concluded a trade- and amicability-treaty with Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, where he intensely studied the culture and history of East Asia. Due to his detailed knowledge of Asia, his impressing personality as well as his pleasantness, von Brandt was highly esteemed in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, where he became doyen
Doyen
Doyen is a surname. The word doyen is derived from the French term for dean, e.g. Dean and Dean ....
of the diplomatic corps
Diplomatic corps
The diplomatic corps or corps diplomatique is the collective body of foreign diplomats accredited to a particular country or body.The diplomatic corps may, in certain contexts, refer to the collection of accredited heads of mission who represent their countries in another state or country...
for many years.
Works
- Sprache und Schrift der Chinesen, Breslau, o.J. (ca. 1883) (41 Seiten).
- Aus dem Land des Zopfes - Plaudereien eines alten Chinesen, Leipzig 1884 (132 Seiten), 2. Aufl. 1898 (195 Seiten).
- Sittenbilder aus China - Mädchen und Frauen - Ein Beitrag zur Kenntnis des chinesischen Volkes, Stuttgart 1895 (87 Seiten), 2. Aufl. 1900.
- Die Zukunft Ostasiens - Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte und zum Verständnis der ostasiatischen Frage, Stuttgart 1895 (80 Seiten), 2. Aufl. 1903.
- Drei Jahre ostasiatische Politik 1894-97, Stuttgart 1897 (263 Seiten).
- Ostasiatische Fragen - China, Japan, Korea - Altes und Neues, Berlin 1897 (359 Seiten).
- Colonien- und Flottenfrage (Vortrag), Berlin 1897 (23 Seiten).
- Die politische und commerzielle Entwicklung Ostasiens während der jüngsten Zeit (Vortrag), Leipzig 1898 (24 Seiten).
- Die chinesische Philosophie und der Staats-Confucianismus, Stuttgart 1898 (121 Seiten).
- China und seine Handelsbeziehungen zum Ausland mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der deutschen (= Schriften der Centralstelle zur Vorbereitung von Handelsverträgen 5), Berlin 1899.
- Industrielle und Eisenbahn-Unternehmungen in China (= Verhandlungen der Deutschen Kolonialgesellschaft 3/4), Berlin 1899.
- Zeitfragen - die Krisis in Südafrika - China - Commerzielles und Politisches - Colonialfragen, Berlin 1900 (394 Seiten).
- 39 Jahre in Ostasien - Erinnerungen eines deutschen Diplomaten, Leipzig 1901 (319 Seiten).
- Fremde Früchte - Sienkiewicz/Hearn/Kipling/Gorki, Stuttgart 1904.
- Die englische Kolonialpolitik und Kolonialverwaltung, Halle a. S. 1906.
- George Bogle und Thomas Manning: Aus dem Lande der lebenden Buddhas. Die Erzählungen von der Mission George Bogle's nach Tibet und Thomas Manning's Reise nach Lhasa (1774 und 1812). Aus dem Englischen des Mr. Clements R. Markham. Übersetzt und bearbeitet von Wirkl. Geh. Rat Max von Brandt. Hamburg 1909.
- Der Chinese in der Öffentlichkeit und der Familie - Wie er sich selbst sieht und schildert - In 82 Zeichnungen nach chinesischen Originalen, Berlin, ca. 1910.
- China, Japan und Korea in: Weltgeschichte (Hans Ferdinand Helmolt, Hrsg.), Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig/Wien 1913, Band I.
- China und Japan jetzt und später, Leipzig 1914.
- Japan, Braunschweig 1920.
Literature
- George Alexander Lensen: Balance of Intrigue: International Rivalry in Korea and Manchuria 1884 - 1899, Florida University Press, Tallahassee 1982, Vol. I & II, ISBN 0813007224.
- Rolf-Harald Wippich: „Max von Brandt und die Gründung der OAG (Gesellschaft für Natur- und Völkerkunde Ostasiens) - Die erste deutsche wissenschaftliche Vereinigung in Ostasien", in: Studien des Instituts für Kultur der deutschsprachigen Länder, 1993, Nr. 11, S. 64-77
- Rolf-Harald Wippich: „Strich und Mütze" - Max von Brandt und Japan - Diplomat, Publizist, Propagandist, Tokyo 1995, ISBN 4-87238-006-1.
- Rolf-Harald Wippich: Japan als Kolonie? Max von Brandts Hokkaido-Projekt 1865/67, Hamburg 1997, ISBN 3-934376-53-3.
- Richard Szippel: Max v. Brandt and German Imperialism in East Asia in the Late Nineteenth Century (Doktorarbeit, Universität Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA), August 1989, 332 Seiten (University Microfilm International, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, Bestell-Nr. 8923270).
- Richard Szippel, „End of the Century: Japan through German Eyes - Max von Brandt and Japan, 1894 - 1914", German History 9, 309 - 326, October 1991.
- Richard von Szippel, „Japanese and American Expansion in the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century: German Perspective from Writings of Max von Brandt", Nanzan Review of American Studies 15, 33 - 53 (1993).
- Richard Szippel: „A German View of the Boxer Rebellion in China at the Turn of the Century: Max von Brandt and German Interests in China at the Turn of the Century", Academia - Humanities and Social Studies (Nanzan University) 58, 47 - 76, September 1993.
- Richard Szippel: „Max von Brandt's View of America at the Turn of the Century", Nanzan Review of American Studies 17, 59 - 80 (1995).
- Hans-Alexander Kneider: „Deutsch-koreanische Beziehungen - Von den Anfängen bis zum Jahre 1910", in: Korea 1996 - Politik, Wirtschaft, Gesellschaft (Patrick Köllner, Hrsg.), Hamburg 1996, S. 19 - 49. Auszug
- Richaed Szippel: „The Cross and the Flag - Christian Missions in Late Nineteenth-Century China from the Perspectiv of the German Diplomat Max von Brandt", Mission Studies (International Association for Mission Studies) XIV, 175 - 202, October 1997.
- Aya Puster, „Max von Brandt no hajimeteno Nippon taizai" (Der erste Japan-Aufenthalt von Max von Brandt), in: Ronja Nihon no yogaku (Studien über die europäische Wissenschaft in Japan), Osaka 1998.
- Masako Hiyama: „Max von Brandt (1835-1920)". In: Brückenbauer. Pioniere des japanisch-deutschen Kulturaustausches. iudicium, Berlin 2005. ISBN 3-89129-539-1