Uhland, Ludwig (1787-1862)

Uhland, Ludwig

POET, LAWYER (GERMANY)

BORN 26 Apr 1787, Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg - DIED 13 Nov 1862, Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg
GRAVE LOCATION Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg: Stadtfriedhof, Gmelinstrasse 20 (K VII 19)

Ludwig Uhland studied law in Göttingen, where he was born. He was also interested in medieval literature. In 1807 and 1808 his first poems were published. After his graduation in 1810 he went to Paris where he studied poetry for ten months. Between 1812 and 1814 he worked as a lawyer in Stuttgart.

As a romantic poet he often took his subjects from the middle ages. His poems favoured liberty and they were in demand when a new constitution was introduced in Württenberg in 1815. He was a member of the legislature for the opposition between 1819 and 1826. In 1820 he married Emilie Vischer (1799-1881). She came from Calw and was a heiress from a family of merchants. Uhland was financially independent now.

In 1829 he became honourary professor of German Literature at the University of Tübingen but in 1833 he resigned after he was elected into the Landtag (the parliament) as a representative of the liberals. In 1838 he withdrew from politics and concentrated on his poetry. In 1848 he was elected into the new parliament in Frankfurt am Main, receiving 90% of the votes in Tübingen. After its failure he returned to Tübingen where he worked as a private teacher and conducted his studies. In 1853 he refused the Prussian order Pour-le-mérite that was offered to him by Alexander Humboldt and he also refused the Maximiliansorde of Bavaria.

Early in 1862 he was present at the funeral of his old friend Justinus Kerner. During that day he caught a cold from which he never really recovered. In April his 75th birthday was celebrated in all of Germany but his health detoriated and he died in November of that year. Emilie lived until 1881 and was buried next to him at the Stadtfriedhof in Tübingen.

Related persons
• corresponded with Hebbel, Friedrich
• was painted by Kügelgen, Gerhard von
• knew Mörike, Eduard
• influenced Schwab, Gustav
• knew Varnhagen von Ense, Karl-August

Images
Statue of Ludwig Uhland in Tübingen. Picture by Androom (30 Jan 2010)	The grave of Ludwig Uhland at the Stadtfriedhof, Tübingen. Picture by Androom (30 Jan 2010)