Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

Achim von Arnim

Role / Field:

German Romantic poet and novelist, key figure in German literature.

Born:

1781-01-26

Died:

1831-01-21

Century / Era:

1781s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

Carl Joachim Friedrich Ludwig von Arnim (26 January 1781 – 21 January 1831), better known as Achim von Arnim, was a German poet, novelist, and together with Clemens Brentano and Joseph von Eichendorff, a leading figure of German Romanticism. Arnim was born in Berlin, descending from a Brandenburgian Uradel noble family first mentioned in 1204. His father was the Prussian chamberlain (Kammerherr) Joachim Erdmann von Arnim (1741–1804), royal envoy in Copenhagen and Dresden, later active as the director of the Berlin Court Opera. His mother, Amalia Caroline von Labes (1761–1781), died three weeks after Arnim's birth.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Arnim and his elder brother Carl Otto spent their childhood with their maternal grandmother Marie Elisabeth von Labes, the widow of Michael Gabriel Fredersdorf from her first marriage, in Zernikow and in Berlin, where he attended the Joachimsthal Gymnasium. In 1798 he went on to study law, natural science and mathematics at the University of Halle. His early writings included numerous articles for scientific magazines. His first major work, Theorie der elektrischen Erscheinungen (Theory of electrical phenomena) showed a leaning to the supernatural, common among...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

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• 1781 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1781
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Frequently Asked Questions about Achim von Arnim