- Friedrich Christoph Förster
Friedrich Christoph Förster (1791-1868), German historian and
poet , was the second son of Karl Christoph Förster (1751-1811), and consequently a brother of the painter,Ernst Joachim Förster (1800-1885). Born at Münchengosserstadt on theSaale on the 24th of September 1791, he received his early education atAltenburg , and after a course oftheology atJena , devoted some time toarchaeology and the history of art.At the outbreak of the War of Liberation against
Napoleon in 1813, he joined the army, quickly attaining the rank of captain; and by his war-songs added to the national enthusiasm. On the conclusion of the war he was appointed professor at the school ofengineering andartillery inBerlin , but on account of some democratic writings he was dismissed from this office in 1817. He then became connected with various journals until about 1829, when he received an appointment at the royal museum in Berlin, with the title of court councillor (Hofrat). He was the founder and secretary of the "Wissenschaftlicher Kunstverein" in Berlin, and died in Berlin on the 8th of November 1868.Förster's principal works are: "Beitrage zur neueren Kriegsgeschichte" (Berlin, 1816); "Grundzuge der Geschichte des preussischen Staates" (Berlin, 1818); "Der Feldmarschall Blücher und seine Umgebungen" (Leipzig, 1820); "Friedrich der Grosse, Jugendjahre, Bildung und Geist" (Berlin, 1822); "Albrecht von Wallenstein" (Potsdam, 1834); "Friedrick Wilhelm I, König von Preussen" (Potsdam, 1834-1835); "Die Hübfe und Kabinette Europas im 18. Jahrhundert" (Potsdam, 1836-1839); "Leben und Taten Friedrichs des Grossen" (Meissen, 1840-1841); "Wallensteins Prozess" (Leipzig, 1844); and "Preussens Helden in Krieg und Frieden, neuere und neueste preussische Geschichte", 7 volumes (Berlin, 1849-1860). The three concluding volumes of this work contain the history of the war of liberation of 1813-1415. He brought out an edition of
Hegel 's works, adapted several ofShakespeare 's plays for the theatre, wrote a number of poems and an historical drama, "Gustav Adolf" (Berlin, 1832).Many of his lesser writings were collected and published as "Kriegslieder, Romanzen, Erzahlungen und Legenden" (Berlin, 1838). The beginning of an autobiography of Förster, edited by H. Kletke, has been published under the title, "Kunst und Leben" ("Art and Life", Berlin, 1873).
References
*1911
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