Humboldt, Wilhelm von (1767-1835)
Wilhelm von Humboldt was a German writer, linguist, politician, philosopher and educational reformer. From 1811 Humboldt served as Prussian ambassador in Vienna. During this period, he played a key role in drawing Austria into the coalition against Napoleon. He also helped negotiate the First and Second Treaties of Paris (in 1814 and 1815) and took part in the Congress of Vienna. From 1815 to 1819 he represented Prussia in the newly constituted Bundestag in Frankfurt am Main, chaired a tax reform commission and was Prussian ambassador in London. After resisting the Karlsbad decrees and attempting to introduce a liberal constitution in Prussia, he was dismissed from all of his posts at the end of 1819.

Material:

• 1 copy of a handwritten letter (Wilhelm von Humboldt – concerning negotiations to buy works by Thorwaldsen, 1829, 3 sheets. The original is stored in the Prussian Privy State Archives – Geheimes Staatsarchiv.)

Key words: science history, Germany

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