Theodor Mommsen
(1817 - 1903)

 
Curriculum Vitae

 
30. 11. 1817
Birth of Christian Matthias Theodor Mommsen at Garding / Schleswig. 

His father was a priest from Friesland. 

His mother came from Lower-Saxonia. 

Youth His father educated Theodor in a humanistic spirit. 

Theodor´s appreciation of freedom is based on his roots of the rural friesland culture. 

The family moves to Bad Oldeslohe. 

School in Altona. 

Nickname "Kraftgenie" (not very well translated: powergenius) . 

Springtime 1838
School of law at the University of Kiel. 

The liberal Droysen sat an example to Theodor. 

He became a member of the students corps Albertina.

1843
Publication of  "Liederbuch dreier Freunde" (Songbook of three friends) with Tycho Mommsen and Theodor Storm  in Kiel. 

Doctoral degree.

1844
Paris.
December 1844
Theodor workes on behalf of the Academy of Berlin in Rome on the interpretation of historic scripts. He also investigates antique italian languages and dialects, inventing new methods of detecting and interpreting ancient inscriptions. 
1848
Return to germany. 

Revolution. 

He intensively cares about the wishes and needs of the german population and studies the politics of the ancient romans. 

The danish occupy Schleswig-Holstein (northern germany). 

Theodor accepts a post as a professor at the university of Leipzig.

1850
He is being expelled from the saxonian bureaucratic service because of his democratic attitudes.
1852
He becomes a professor for roman law at the university of Zürich.
1854
He becomes a professor at the university of Breslau. His working field extends from law to general history. He slowly becomes an historian.
10. Sept. 1954
Marriage with Maria Auguste Reimer
1854 - 1856
Publication of  "Die Römische Geschichte" (The Roman History), Volumes I - III
1858
He becomes a member of the Academy of Berlin. 

He works on the "Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum". 

Theodor's reputation grows. His detection and analysis of new historic sources revolute the work of historians at that time. His way of presenting history poeticly and easy understandable was completely new. His intention was to explain historic facts according to their meaning at their time without judging them morally. He sees history as a counselor and teacher .

1860
"History of roman financial system"
1861
He becomes a professor for ancient history at the university of Berlin.
1863 - 1867
He becomes a member of the Liberal party. 

Opponent to Bismarck. 

His ethical attitude is based on the kategoric imperative of Kant. 

"The morally noble will always overcome the less noble and will persist longer than the mean"
1871 - 1888
Publication of  "Römisches Staatsrecht" (Roman Law of States), 3 Volumes
1873
He becomes a member of the prussian house of parliament.
1874 - 1899
He becomes the secretary of the prussian Academy of science.
1881
He is being voted into the Reichstag. 

Bismarck sues Theodor for insultation.

1885
Publication of  "Die Römische Geschichte" (The Roman History), Volumes V. 
He never writes Volume IV, "The History of Roman Emperors", as he cannot feel any respect for them apart from Julius Caesar and Augustus.
1899
Publication of  "Römisches Strafrecht" (Roman Penal Law).
1902
Nobelprize of Literature.
November 1.  1903
Death in Berlin.
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