Maximilian Bayer

Maximilian Bayer
Maximilian Bayer in 1916
Born	(1872-05-11)May 11, 1872 Karlsruhe
Died	October 25, 1917(1917-10-25) (aged 45) Nomeny

Maximilian Bayer (11 May 1872 in Karlsruhe – 25 October 1917 in Nomeny) 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.

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 Pisa, 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."