Early life Alexander von Humboldt

the tegel palace, berlin, alexander , brother wilhelm lived several years


early life , education

humboldt boy widowed mother, maria elisabeth (colomb) von humboldt

alexander von humboldt born in berlin in prussia on 14 september 1769. baptized baby in lutheran faith, duke of brunswick serving godfather.

humboldt s father, alexander georg von humboldt, belonged prominent pomeranian family, although not 1 of titled gentry; major in prussian army, had served duke of brunswick. @ age 42, alexander georg rewarded services in 7 years war post of royal chamberlain. profited contract lease state lotteries , tobacco sales. first married daughter of prussian general adjutant schweder. in 1766, alexander georg married maria elisabeth colomb, well-educated woman , widow of baron hollwede, whom had son. alexander georg , maria elisabeth had 3 children, daughter, died young, , 2 sons, wilhelm , alexander. first-born son, wilhelm s , alexander s half-brother, of ne er well, not mentioned in family history.

alexander georg died in 1779, leaving brothers humboldt in care of emotionally distant mother. did have high ambitions alexander , older brother wilhelm, hiring excellent tutors, enlightenment thinkers, including kantian physician marcus herz , botanist karl ludwig willdenow, became 1 of important botanists in germany. humboldt s mother expected them become civil servants of prussian state. money baron holwede left alexander s mother became, after death, instrumental in funding alexander s explorations, contributing more 70% of private income.

due youthful penchant collecting , labeling plants, shells , insects, alexander received playful title of little apothecary . marked political career, alexander studied finance 6 months in 1787 @ university of frankfurt (oder), mother might have chosen less academic excellence closeness home in berlin. on april 25, 1789, matriculated @ göttingen, known lectures of c. g. heyne , anatomist j. f. blumenbach. brother wilhelm student @ göttingen, did not interact since intellectual interests quite different. vast , varied interests time developed.

at göttingen met georg forster, naturalist had been captain james cook on second voyage. humboldt traveled forster in europe. 2 traveled england, humboldt s first sea voyage, netherlands, , france. in england, met sir joseph banks, president of royal society, had traveled captain cook; banks showed humboldt huge herbarium, specimens of south sea tropics. scientific friendship between banks , humboldt lasted until banks s death in 1820, , 2 shared botanical specimens study. banks mobilized scientific contacts in later years aid humboldt s work.

humboldt s scientific excursion rhine resulted in 1790 treatise mineralogische beobachtungen über einige basalte rhein (brunswick, 1790) (mineralogic observations on several basalts on river rhine).

portrait of alexander von humboldt friedrich georg weitsch, 1806

humboldt s passion travel of long standing. humboldt s talents devoted purpose of preparing himself scientific explorer. emphasis, studied commerce , foreign languages @ hamburg, geology @ technische universität bergakademie freiberg in 1791 under a.g. werner, leader of neptunist school of geology; anatomy @ jena under j.c. loder; , astronomy , use of scientific instruments under f.x. von zach , j.g. köhler. @ freiberg, met number of men prove important him in later career, including spaniard manuel del rio, became director of school of mines crown established in mexico; christian leopold von buch, became regional geologist; and, importantly, karl freiesleben, became humboldt s tutor , close friend. during period, brother wilhelm married, alexander did not attend nuptials.

travels , work in europe

humboldt graduated freiberg school of mines in 1792 , appointed prussian government position in department of mines inspector in bayreuth , fichtel mountains. humboldt excellent @ job, production of gold ore in first year outstripping previous 8 years. during period mine inspector, humboldt demonstrated deep concern men laboring in mines. opened free school miners, paid out of own pocket, became unchartered government training school labor. sought establish emergency relief fund miners, aiding them following accidents.

humboldt s researches vegetation of mines of freiberg led publication in latin (1793) of florae fribergensis, accedunt aphorismi ex doctrina, physiologiae chemicae plantarum, compendium of botantical researches. publication brought him attention of johann wolfgang von goethe, had met humboldt @ family home when alexander boy, goethe interested in meeting young scientist in order discuss metamorphism of plants. introduction arranged humboldt s brother lived in university town of jena, not far goethe. goethe had developed own extensive theories on comparative anatomy. working before darwin, believed animals had internal force, urform, gave them basic shape , further adapted environment external force. humboldt urged him publish theories. 2 discussed , expanded these ideas. goethe , humboldt became close friends.

humboldt return jena in years followed. goethe remarked humboldt friends had never met versatile. humboldt s drive served inspiration goethe. in 1797, humboldt returned jena 3 months. during time goethe moved residence in weimar reside in jena. humboldt , goethe attend university lectures on anatomy , conduct own experiments. 1 experiment involved hooking frog leg various metals. found no effect until moisture of humboldt s breath triggered reaction caused frog leg leap off table. humboldt describe 1 of favorite experiments because if breathing life leg.

during visit, thunderstorm killed farmer , wife. humboldt obtained corpses , analyzed them in anatomy tower of university.

schiller, wilhelm , alexander von humboldt goethe in jena

in 1794 humboldt admitted famous group of intellectuals , cultural leaders of weimar classicism. goethe , schiller key figures @ time. humboldt contributed (7 june 1795) schiller s new periodical, die horen, philosophical allegory entitled die lebenskraft, oder der rhodische genius.

in 1792 , 1797 humboldt in vienna; in 1795 made geological , botanical tour through switzerland , italy. although service state regarded him apprenticeship service of science, fulfilled duties such conspicuous ability not did rise rapidly highest post in department, entrusted several important diplomatic missions.

the death of stern mother, on 19 november 1796 after year s suffering cancer, set him free. neither brother attended funeral. humboldt had not hidden aversion mother, 1 correspondent writing him after death, death...must particularly welcomed you. after severing official connections, awaited opportunity fulfill long-cherished dream of travel.

humboldt able spend more time on writing research. had used own body experimentation on muscular irritability, discovered luigi galvani , published results, versuche über die gereizte muskel- und nervenfaser (berlin, 1797) (experiments on stimulated muscle , nerve fibres), enriched in french translation notes blumenbach.