Lorenz von Westenrieder
Encyclopedia
Lorenz von Westenrieder (1 August 1748 – 15 March 1829) was a well known author and historian in Bavaria
and a critic of the Elector
Karl Theordor
and supporter of Maximilian IV Joseph. There are several memorials to him in Munich
.
in Landshut
. There he taught both rhetoric and poetry until 1774 when he transferred to Munich. In 1776 he was the secretary for history at the Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften. Westenrieder was, for a short time, a member of the Bavarian Order of Illuminati
. Later, in 1799, under the rule of Maximilian IV Joseph he would work for the new revised College for Book Censorship that Maximilian von Montgelas
had founded. Westenrieder's membership in the Illuminati may have helped his selection by Von Montgelas, a fellow Illuminatus. Westenrieder was one of the voices in the intellectual movement known as the Bavarian Enlightenment. This occurred much later that the Enlightenment
that had already reached its zenith in much of Europe and would occur in a syncopated
form. First under Maximilian III Joseph in the middle of the eighteenth century and then this enlightenment would come full circle during the reign of Maximilian IV Joseph 1799-1806 ending in 1817 with Von Montgelas's dismissal from King Maximilian I (previously Maximilian IV Joseph).
Lorenz von Westenrieder is better known as an author of German literature than a political figure. During his life he wrote extensively writing over thirty separate works.
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
and a critic of the Elector
Prince-elector
The Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...
Karl Theordor
Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria
Charles Theodore, Prince-Elector, Count Palatine and Duke of Bavaria reigned as Prince-Elector and Count palatine from 1742, as Duke of Jülich and Berg from 1742 and also as Prince-Elector and Duke of Bavaria from 1777, until his death...
and supporter of Maximilian IV Joseph. There are several memorials to him in 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...
.
Biography and politics
Lorenz von Westenrieder was a prominent figure in Bavarian intellectual life, as small as that life was, and a professor at the GymnasiumGymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
in Landshut
Landshut
Landshut is a city in Bavaria in the south-east of Germany, belonging to both Eastern and Southern Bavaria. Situated on the banks of the River Isar, Landshut is the capital of Lower Bavaria, one of the seven administrative regions of the Free State of Bavaria. It is also the seat of the...
. There he taught both rhetoric and poetry until 1774 when he transferred to Munich. In 1776 he was the secretary for history at the Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften. Westenrieder was, for a short time, a member of the Bavarian Order of Illuminati
Illuminati
The Illuminati is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically the name refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on May 1, 1776...
. Later, in 1799, under the rule of Maximilian IV Joseph he would work for the new revised College for Book Censorship that Maximilian von Montgelas
Maximilian von Montgelas
Maximilian Josef Garnerin, Count von Montgelas was a Bavarian statesman, from a noble family in Savoy. His father John Sigmund Garnerin, Baron Montgelas, entered the military service of Maximilian III, Elector of Bavaria, and married the Countess Ursula von Trauner...
had founded. Westenrieder's membership in the Illuminati may have helped his selection by Von Montgelas, a fellow Illuminatus. Westenrieder was one of the voices in the intellectual movement known as the Bavarian Enlightenment. This occurred much later that the Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
that had already reached its zenith in much of Europe and would occur in a syncopated
Syncopation
In music, syncopation includes a variety of rhythms which are in some way unexpected in that they deviate from the strict succession of regularly spaced strong and weak but also powerful beats in a meter . These include a stress on a normally unstressed beat or a rest where one would normally be...
form. First under Maximilian III Joseph in the middle of the eighteenth century and then this enlightenment would come full circle during the reign of Maximilian IV Joseph 1799-1806 ending in 1817 with Von Montgelas's dismissal from King Maximilian I (previously Maximilian IV Joseph).
Lorenz von Westenrieder is better known as an author of German literature than a political figure. During his life he wrote extensively writing over thirty separate works.
Works
- Wesentliche Begriffe des praktischen Christenthums. (1774, anonym)
- Rede von den Ursachen, warum die Früchte der Schulverbesserungen nicht plötzlich sichtbar und allgemein werden. (1774)
- Die zween Candidaten. (1774, Lustspiel)
- Marc Aurel. (1776)
- Einleitung in die schönen Wissenschaften. (1777)
- Briefe bairischer Denkungsart und Sitten. (1778)
- Rede zum Andenken des Peters von Osterwald Sr. churfürstl. Durchleucht in Baiern, geheimen Rath, ersten Direktors des churfürstl. geistlichen Raths, dann akademischen Direktors der philosophischen Classe. (1778)
- Baierische Beyträge zur schönen und nützlichen Litteratur. (1779–1781)
- Reden und Abhandlungen. (1780)
- Zum Andenken des Andreas Felix von Oefele. (1780)
- Rede zum Andenken des churfl. Geistl. Raths Sekretärs Anton Johann Lipowsky etc. (1781)
- Leben des guten Jünglings Engelhof. (1781, Roman)
- Der Traum in dreyen Nächten. (1782)
- Von dem Verfall der Weltpriester. (1782)
- Von den Baiern in Holland. (1782)
- Beschreibung der Haupt- und Residenzstadt München. (1782)
- Jahrbuch der Menschengeschichte in Bayern. (1782)
- Beschreibung der Haupt- und Residenzstadt München im gegenwärtigen Zustande. (1783)
- Daß es nicht vernünftig sey, unsere Prediger auf eine Art, wie es in den Paragraphen geschah öffentlich herabzusetzen. (1783)
- Vom Verfall des Loden- und Tuchhandels in Bayern, und von den Mitteln ihn wieder aufzuhelfen. (1783, Verfasser vermutlich Westenrieder)
- Leben des Johann Franz Seraph edlen von Kohlbrenner, kurfürstl. wirkl. Hofkammer- Mauth- & Commercienraths in Baiern. (1783)
- Beschreibung des Wurm- oder Starenbergersees und der umherliegenden Schlößer [e]tc. samt einer Landkarte. (1784)
- Erdbeschreibung der baierisch-pfälzischen Staaten. (1784)
- Die Geschichte der Baierischen Akademie der Wissenschaften. (1784/1807)
- Geschichte von Baiern für die Jugend und das Volk .(1785)
- Beiträge zur vaterländischen Historie, Geographie, Statistik und Landwirtschaft. (1785 bis 1817)
- Bayrischer historischer Kalender. (1786–1818)
- Von den Nomalisten. (1786)
- Geschichte von Baiern. (1786)
- Ueber die Frage: Welche waren die Grundursachen der zahlreichen, vom 11ten bis ins 15te Jahrhundert in Baiern gestifteten Abteyen? Und wurde von denselben den landesherrlichen Absichten wirklich entsprochen? hat am höchsterfreulichen Geburtsfest Sr. Churfl. Durchlaucht Carl Theodor in einer öffentlichen akademischen Versammlung auf dem Churfl. Bibliotheksaale gelesen Lorenz Westenrieder. (1787)
- Briefe eines Baiern. (1787)
- Ueber die Verheimligung alter Handschriften, und Urkunden. (1788)
- Kaiser Ludwig der Baier. (1792)
- Staatistische Beschreibung des churfürstl. Landgerichts Dachau. (1792)
- Ueber Berichtigungen der Regierungsgeschichte des Herzog Mainhard 1361 - 1363. (1792)
- Betrachtungen über Ludwig, den Brandenburger. (1793)
- Abriß der baierischen Geschichte. (1798)
- Abriß der deutschen Geschichte. (1798)
- Akademische Rede über das Rechtbuch des Ruperts von Freysing. (1802)
- Geschichte meines Backenschmerzens genannt Taismus. (1802)
- Denkrede auf Ildephons Kennedy. (1804)
- Denkrede auf Carl Albert von Vacchiery, königl. wirkl. geheimen Rath und Hofgerichtskanzler. (1808)
- Der Würm- oder Starenbergersee und die umliegende Gegend. (1811)
- Briefe über und aus Gastein. (1817)
- Theses centum, circa materias gravissimas. (1817)
- Über die Wiederherstellung des Jesuitenordens. (1818)
- Handbuch der baierischen Geschichte. (1820)
- Hundert Erinnerungen. (1821)
- Hundert Sonderbarkeiten, oder das neue München im Jahre 1850. (1824)
- Das neue München und Bayern im Jahre 1850. (1828)
- Sämmtliche Werke. (1831–1838, 29 Bände)
- Aus dem handschriftlichen Nachlaß L. v. Westenrieders. (1882, 2 Bde., Hrsg. Kluckhohn)