Maximilian Bayer
Encyclopedia
Maximilian Bayer was the founder of Scouting in Germany
, along with Alexander Lion
. During World War I
, he built the 27th Royal Prussian Jäger Battalion, later the core of the Finnish army
.
, Florence
, Bagni di Lucca
, Viareggio
, Baden-Baden
and Gotha
. While living in Baden-Baden, the nine year old Bayer suffered from a severe case of diphtheria
of the eye. The family moved to Italy again between 1883 and 1886, and it was during this time living in Capri
and Venice
that he became familiar with Italian language and culture.
In 1887, at the age of 14, he continued his family's military tradition by enrolling as a cadet in a Berlin military academy. His mother died the next year. Bayer graduated from the school - the main military academy for the Prussian army - as a second lieutenant in 1891.
Bayer continued his career in the Prussian army and volunteered during the Herero and Namaqua Genocide
in German South West Africa in 1904. He returned to Germany in 1905 after contracting typhoid fever
and experiencing heart troubles. Upon his recovery, he embarked on a popular lecture tour in Germany on the topic of the colonial war in Africa. He also published several books about his experiences under the pseudonym "Jonk Steffen."
Bayer was killed by a sniper during World War I on Germany's Western Front. His remains were not identified until 6 months later and he was originally buried in the soldier's cemetery in Metz
. In 1926, Bayer's remains were moved to his family's burial place in the main cemetery in Mannheim
.
." The book was first published as "Das Pfadfinderbuch" (The Scout Book) in May 1909.
On January 20, 1909, the first German scout troop, "Jugendsport in Wald und Feld" (Youth Sport in Woods and Fields) was formed in Berlin. Its first chairman was the well respected General Counsel Georg Baschwitz. Bayer was elected to the board. There was much opposition to the organization, however. Lion, Bayer, and their colleagues were faced with opposition from military, civilian, and church leaders, who objected to scouting on the grounds that it was anti-patriotic. Opponents observed that scouting originated in England, which was one of Germany's greatest political rivals at the time. A wave of attacks in the press followed shortly thereafter, in March 1909, and the founders of the organization faced social exclusion over their participation in scouting. As a result of these pressures, Bayer resigned from the organization in May of that same year and his name was removed from the title page of later editions of "Das Pfadfinderbuch". However, Bayer had contributed much essential material to the book, including the sections on nature, scouting techniques, and patriotism.
When the German Scout Association (DPB) was founded in 1911, Bayer was elected "First Reich Field Master," a post which he would hold until his death. He also took an unpaid leave that year due to ongoing heart problems and to devote himself to the design of the German scouting movement. In May, the second edition of the Scout Book was published. This version, which again featured Bayer's name on the title page, was a completely revised edition. In an attempt to find compromise with scouting's many critics, it distanced itself from much of Baden-Powell's original thought. The book was to become the model for the first German scouts.
In the spring of 1912 Emmerich Teuber, founder of the Vienna Boy Scouts Corps, visited Bayer in Berlin. Teuber was disappointed, however, that Bayer's efforts to establish scouting in Germany had been met by such massive resistance. It appeared that the only viable compromise would be a unilateral pre-military youth training.
Between October and November 1912, Bayer, Lion and Carl Freiherr von Seckendorff were subject to attack from General von Jacobi, who accused them of, amongst other things, lacking in support for their country, King and religion. Jacobi created an anti-Semitic cartoon lampooning Lion, playing on Lion's Jewish birth, changing "Jungensport in Feld und Wald" (youth sports in field and forest) to "Judensport in Wald und Feld" (Jews' sports in forest and field), and calling Scouting supporter General Baschwitz a "vain Jewish man".
In February 1912, Bayer, Lion, and von Seckendorff assisted Elise von Hopffgarten in authoring "Pfadfinderbuch für junge Mädchen" (A Scout Book for Girls). In its effort to make young women more independent, it was free from patriotic or religious sentiment, and contained references to the women's movement.
Scouting in Germany
The Scout movement in Germany consists of about 150 different associations and federations with about 260,000 Scouts and Guides.Scouting in Germany started in 1909. German Scouting later became involved with the German Youth Movement, of which the Wandervogel was a part...
, along with Alexander Lion
Alexander Lion
Alexander Franz Anton Lion was the co-founder of the German Scout Movement.-Early life:Lion was born in Berlin, the second son of six children in a Jewish banker's family. His parents were the merchant and banker Max Lion and Cäcilia Loeser. Between 1876 and 1880 he was privately tutored at home,...
. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he built the 27th Royal Prussian Jäger Battalion, later the core of the Finnish army
Finnish Defence Forces
The Finnish Defence Forces are responsible for the defence of Finland. It is a cadre army of 15,000, of which 8,900 are professional soldiers , extended with conscripts and reservists such that the standard readiness strength is 34,700 people in uniform...
.
Life
Bayer was the first of two children born to Major General Stephan Bayer (1816–1893) and his second wife, Julie Henoch (1839–1888). During his early life the family moved often between Italy and Germany, living in PisaPisa
Pisa is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa...
, Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Bagni di Lucca
Bagni di Lucca
Bagni di Lucca is a comune of Tuscany, Italy, in the Province of Lucca with a population of c. 6,500.-History:Bagni di Lucca was known for its thermal springs since the Etruscan and Roman Ages....
, Viareggio
Viareggio
Viareggio is a city and comune located in northern Tuscany, Italy, on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea. With a population of over 64,000 it is the main centre of the northern Tuscan Riviera known as Versilia, and the second largest city within the Province of Lucca.It is known as a seaside resort...
, Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden is a spa town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the western foothills of the Black Forest, on the banks of the Oos River, in the region of Karlsruhe...
and Gotha
Gotha (town)
Gotha is a town in Thuringia, within the central core of Germany. It is the capital of the district of Gotha.- History :The town has existed at least since the 8th century, when it was mentioned in a document signed by Charlemagne as Villa Gotaha . Its importance derives from having been chosen in...
. While living in Baden-Baden, the nine year old Bayer suffered from a severe case of diphtheria
Diphtheria
Diphtheria is an upper respiratory tract illness caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, a facultative anaerobic, Gram-positive bacterium. It is characterized by sore throat, low fever, and an adherent membrane on the tonsils, pharynx, and/or nasal cavity...
of the eye. The family moved to Italy again between 1883 and 1886, and it was during this time living in Capri
Capri
Capri is an Italian island in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrentine Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples, in the Campania region of Southern Italy...
and Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
that he became familiar with Italian language and culture.
In 1887, at the age of 14, he continued his family's military tradition by enrolling as a cadet in a Berlin military academy. His mother died the next year. Bayer graduated from the school - the main military academy for the Prussian army - as a second lieutenant in 1891.
Bayer continued his career in the Prussian army and volunteered during the Herero and Namaqua Genocide
Herero and Namaqua Genocide
The Herero and Namaqua Genocide is considered to have been the first genocide of the 20th century. It took place between 1904 and 1907 in German South-West Africa , during the scramble for Africa...
in German South West Africa in 1904. He returned to Germany in 1905 after contracting typhoid fever
Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...
and experiencing heart troubles. Upon his recovery, he embarked on a popular lecture tour in Germany on the topic of the colonial war in Africa. He also published several books about his experiences under the pseudonym "Jonk Steffen."
Bayer was killed by a sniper during World War I on Germany's Western Front. His remains were not identified until 6 months later and he was originally buried in the soldier's cemetery in Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
. In 1926, Bayer's remains were moved to his family's burial place in the main cemetery in Mannheim
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
.
Founding of the German scouting movement
In late 1908, Bayer met Alexander Lion at a meeting of the German Colonial Society. Lion had served as a medical officer during the war in German South West Africa. At the time, Lion had been in correspondence with Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of the worldwide scouting movement, and was devoting much of his free time to the establishment of scouting in Germany. Bayer agreed to work with Lion to edit and publish a German translation of Baden-Powell's "Scouting for BoysScouting for Boys
Scouting for Boys: A Handbook for Instruction in Good Citizenship is the first book on the Scout Movement, published in 1908. It was written and illustrated by Robert Baden-Powell, its founder...
." The book was first published as "Das Pfadfinderbuch" (The Scout Book) in May 1909.
On January 20, 1909, the first German scout troop, "Jugendsport in Wald und Feld" (Youth Sport in Woods and Fields) was formed in Berlin. Its first chairman was the well respected General Counsel Georg Baschwitz. Bayer was elected to the board. There was much opposition to the organization, however. Lion, Bayer, and their colleagues were faced with opposition from military, civilian, and church leaders, who objected to scouting on the grounds that it was anti-patriotic. Opponents observed that scouting originated in England, which was one of Germany's greatest political rivals at the time. A wave of attacks in the press followed shortly thereafter, in March 1909, and the founders of the organization faced social exclusion over their participation in scouting. As a result of these pressures, Bayer resigned from the organization in May of that same year and his name was removed from the title page of later editions of "Das Pfadfinderbuch". However, Bayer had contributed much essential material to the book, including the sections on nature, scouting techniques, and patriotism.
When the German Scout Association (DPB) was founded in 1911, Bayer was elected "First Reich Field Master," a post which he would hold until his death. He also took an unpaid leave that year due to ongoing heart problems and to devote himself to the design of the German scouting movement. In May, the second edition of the Scout Book was published. This version, which again featured Bayer's name on the title page, was a completely revised edition. In an attempt to find compromise with scouting's many critics, it distanced itself from much of Baden-Powell's original thought. The book was to become the model for the first German scouts.
In the spring of 1912 Emmerich Teuber, founder of the Vienna Boy Scouts Corps, visited Bayer in Berlin. Teuber was disappointed, however, that Bayer's efforts to establish scouting in Germany had been met by such massive resistance. It appeared that the only viable compromise would be a unilateral pre-military youth training.
Between October and November 1912, Bayer, Lion and Carl Freiherr von Seckendorff were subject to attack from General von Jacobi, who accused them of, amongst other things, lacking in support for their country, King and religion. Jacobi created an anti-Semitic cartoon lampooning Lion, playing on Lion's Jewish birth, changing "Jungensport in Feld und Wald" (youth sports in field and forest) to "Judensport in Wald und Feld" (Jews' sports in forest and field), and calling Scouting supporter General Baschwitz a "vain Jewish man".
In February 1912, Bayer, Lion, and von Seckendorff assisted Elise von Hopffgarten in authoring "Pfadfinderbuch für junge Mädchen" (A Scout Book for Girls). In its effort to make young women more independent, it was free from patriotic or religious sentiment, and contained references to the women's movement.