Novalis
| Novalis | |
|---|---|
Novalis (1799), portrait by Franz Gareis
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| Born | Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg 2 May 1772 Oberwiederstedt, Electorate of Saxony |
| Died | 25 March 1801 (aged 28) Weißenfels, Electorate of Saxony |
| Pen name | Novalis |
| Occupation | Prose writer, poet, mystic, philosopher, civil engineer, mineralogist |
| Nationality | German |
| Alma mater |
University of Jena Leipzig University University of Wittenberg |
| Literary movement | Jena Romanticism |
Novalis (German: [noˈvaːlɪs]) was the pseudonym and pen name of Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg (2 May 1772 – 25 March 1801), a poet, author, mystic, and philosopher of Early German Romanticism. Hardenberg's professional work and university background, namely his study of mineralogy and management of salt mines in Saxony, was often ignored by his contemporary readers. The first studies showing important relations between his literary and professional works started in the 1960s.
Georg Philipp Friedrich von Hardenberg was born in 1772 at Oberwiederstedt manor (now part of Arnstein, Saxony-Anhalt), in the Harz mountains. In the church in Wiederstedt, he was christened Georg Philipp Friedrich. An oil painting and a christening cap commonly assigned to him are Hardenberg's only possessions now extant.
The family seat was a manorial estate, not simply a stately home. Hardenberg descended from ancient, Low German nobility. Different lines of the family include such important, influential magistrates and ministry officials as the Prussian chancellor Karl August von Hardenberg (1750–1822).He spent his childhood on the family estate and used it as the starting point for his travels into the Harz mountains.
His father, the estate owner and salt-mine manager Heinrich Ulrich Erasmus Freiherr von Hardenberg (1738–1814), was a strictly pietistic man, member of the Moravian (Herrnhuter) Church. Heinrich Ulrich Erasmus' second marriage was to Auguste Bernhardine von Böltzig (1749–1818), who gave birth to eleven children: their second child was Georg Philipp Friedrich. The Hardenbergs were a noble family but not rich. Young Georg Philipp was often short of cash, rode a small horse, and sometimes had to simply walk.
At first, young Hardenberg was taught by private tutors. He attended the Lutheran grammar school in Eisleben, where he acquired skills in rhetoric and ancient literature, common parts of the education of his time. From his twelfth year, he was in the charge of his uncle Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Hardenberg at his stately home in Lucklum.
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