Georg Rudolf Weckherlin
Encyclopedia
Georg Rudolf Weckherlin (15 September 1584 – 13 February 1653) was a German
poet
. He was among the poets before Martin Opitz who tried to introduce Renaissance forms and feelings into German verse. For a short time, he worked with John Milton
in England
.
. After studying law in Tübingen he settled at Stuttgart, and, as secretary to Duke Johann Friedrich
of Württemberg
, was employed on diplomatic missions to France
and England
.
Between 1620 and 1624 he lived in England in the service of the Palatinate, and from this connection came to be employed in various positions in the English government. He was chief clerk to a succession of Secretaries of State and was especially skilled in foreign languages and cryptology
. He acted as a licenser of London foreign news publications for Charles I and in the mid 1630s he assisted with the negotiations for the development of an offensive and defensive treaty with France that would have brought Britain directly into the Thirty Years War. Although employed by the English crown, when civil war
came in 1642, Weckherlin chose to remain in London
and serve the bureaucracy that supported the Long Parliament
. In 1644 he was appointed "Secretary for Foreign Tongues" in England, a position in which, on the establishment of the Commonwealth
, he was followed by Milton
. His son had a position in the household of Charles I's
oldest son Prince Charles
and went into exile with the royalists
. He did not return to England until 1660 after the death of his father in 1653 in London.
Weckherlin was the most distinguished of the circle of South German poets who prepared the way for the Renaissance
movement associated in Germany with Martin Opitz. His models were the poets of the French Pleiade
, and with his psalms, ode
s and sonnet
s he broke new ground for the German lyric
. An epic poem on the death of Gustavus Adolphus, in alexandrine
s, seems to have won most favor with his contemporaries.
(1873).
His chief English poems were “Triumphal Shows Set Forth Lately at Stuttgart” (1616) and “Panegyricke to Lord Hay, Viscount of Doncaster” (1619).
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...
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...
. He was among the poets before Martin Opitz who tried to introduce Renaissance forms and feelings into German verse. For a short time, he worked with John Milton
John Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Biography
He was born at StuttgartStuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
. After studying law in Tübingen he settled at Stuttgart, and, as secretary to Duke Johann Friedrich
John Frederick
John Frederick may refer to:* John Frederick, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp, Lutheran administrator of the prince-bishoprics of Bremen, Lübeck and Verden * John Frederick, Elector of Saxony , known as "The Magnanimous"...
of Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
, was employed on diplomatic missions to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Between 1620 and 1624 he lived in England in the service of the Palatinate, and from this connection came to be employed in various positions in the English government. He was chief clerk to a succession of Secretaries of State and was especially skilled in foreign languages and cryptology
Cryptography
Cryptography is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of third parties...
. He acted as a licenser of London foreign news publications for Charles I and in the mid 1630s he assisted with the negotiations for the development of an offensive and defensive treaty with France that would have brought Britain directly into the Thirty Years War. Although employed by the English crown, when civil war
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
came in 1642, Weckherlin chose to remain in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and serve the bureaucracy that supported the Long Parliament
Long Parliament
The Long Parliament was made on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the English Civil War and...
. In 1644 he was appointed "Secretary for Foreign Tongues" in England, a position in which, on the establishment of the Commonwealth
Commonwealth of England
The Commonwealth of England was the republic which ruled first England, and then Ireland and Scotland from 1649 to 1660. Between 1653–1659 it was known as the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland...
, he was followed by Milton
John Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
. His son had a position in the household of Charles I's
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
oldest son Prince Charles
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
and went into exile with the royalists
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
. He did not return to England until 1660 after the death of his father in 1653 in London.
Weckherlin was the most distinguished of the circle of South German poets who prepared the way for the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
movement associated in Germany with Martin Opitz. His models were the poets of the French Pleiade
La Pléiade
The Pléiade is the name given to a group of 16th-century French Renaissance poets whose principal members were Pierre de Ronsard, Joachim du Bellay and Jean-Antoine de Baïf. The name was a reference to another literary group, the original Alexandrian Pleiad of seven Alexandrian poets and...
, and with his psalms, ode
Ode
Ode is a type of lyrical verse. A classic ode is structured in three major parts: the strophe, the antistrophe, and the epode. Different forms such as the homostrophic ode and the irregular ode also exist...
s and sonnet
Sonnet
A sonnet is one of several forms of poetry that originate in Europe, mainly Provence and Italy. A sonnet commonly has 14 lines. The term "sonnet" derives from the Occitan word sonet and the Italian word sonetto, both meaning "little song" or "little sound"...
s he broke new ground for the German lyric
Lyric poetry
Lyric poetry is a genre of poetry that expresses personal and emotional feelings. In the ancient world, lyric poems were those which were sung to the lyre. Lyric poems do not have to rhyme, and today do not need to be set to music or a beat...
. An epic poem on the death of Gustavus Adolphus, in alexandrine
Alexandrine
An alexandrine is a line of poetic meter comprising 12 syllables. Alexandrines are common in the German literature of the Baroque period and in French poetry of the early modern and modern periods. Drama in English often used alexandrines before Marlowe and Shakespeare, by whom it was supplanted...
s, seems to have won most favor with his contemporaries.
Works
Two volumes of his Oden und Gesänge appeared in 1618 and 1619; his collected Geistliche und weltliche Gedichte in 1641. Weckherlin's Gedichte (Poems) have been edited by Hermann Fischer for the Stuttgarter Literarischer Verein (vols. cxcix.-cc., 1894-1895). Selections were published by W. Müller (1823) and Karl GoedekeKarl Goedeke
Karl Friedrich Ludwig Goedeke was a German historian of literature, an author, and a professor. He was born at Celle and was educated at Göttingen, where he was professor from 1873 until his death...
(1873).
His chief English poems were “Triumphal Shows Set Forth Lately at Stuttgart” (1616) and “Panegyricke to Lord Hay, Viscount of Doncaster” (1619).