Frederik Christian von Haven

Frederik Christian von Haven (26 June 1728 – 25 May 1763) was a Danish philologist and theologian who took part in the Danish expedition to Yemen.

Frederik von Haven was born on 26 June 1728 in the rectory of Vester Skerninge on the Danish island of Funen, where his father Lambert von Haven was a priest, and christened on 3 July in the Church of Our Lady in Odense. His mother was Maren, née Wielandt. He had three sisters; he was especially close to Pernille Elisabeth von Haven, who never married.

The von Haven family probably came from North Germany. They were in Bergen in Norway in the 17th century, and later moved to Denmark. The earliest Danish-born von Havens were painters or architects, for example Lambert van Haven (1630–1695), who designed the Thott Mansion, the dome hall of Charlottenborg Palace and all but the tower of the Church of Our Saviour in Copenhagen. Towards the end of the 17th century, von Haven sons started to become priests.

Frederik von Haven's father died in 1738, leaving his family in financial difficulty. With the assistance of relatives, Frederik was able to study at the Cathedral School in Odense and then become a student in theology at the University of Copenhagen. He earned his Master's degree in 1750 and received a scholarship which enabled him to travel to Göttingen for further study, amongst other subjects in Asian languages under the famous professor Johann David Michaelis.

The expedition to Arabia was Michaelis' idea; he was studying the Bible from comparative historical and linguistic perspectives, so determining details of life in the Middle East was important to his work. He considered that Yemen, being isolated, had preserved many traditions and social patterns from the biblical period. He wrote to King Frederick V to obtain his support for the venture, and the king agreed.

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