Emil Schlagintweit
Encyclopedia
Emil Schlagintweit was a German
scholar noted for his work on Buddhism
in Tibet
.
Schlagintweit was the youngest of the five Schlagintweit
brothers of Munich
. His father was a wealthy eye-surgeon, his mother died when he was quite young, and he was tutored by Franz Joseph Lauth
, later a noted Egyptologist. The brothers' interest in exploration was sparked by Alexander von Humboldt
's Cosmos, the first volume of which appeared in 1845, and which led to their explorations of the Alps
and in turn to Asia's mountains.
After his brother Hermann's death in 1882, he inherited Schloß Jägersburg, their large estate near Forchheim, and the brothers' collections and papers. Not an explorer himself, he sold 102 Tibetan manuscripts and block-books collected by his brothers to the Bodleian Library
at Oxford University where they remain.
His work was later used by Helena Blavatsky as evidence for her interpretations of "esoteric" Buddhism.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
scholar noted for his work on Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
in Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
.
Schlagintweit was the youngest of the five Schlagintweit
Schlagintweit
Five brothers of the Schlagintweit family were notable explorers and scholars:*Hermann Schlagintweit *Adolf Schlagintweit *Eduard Schlagintweit *Robert Schlagintweit *Emil Schlagintweit Also:...
brothers of Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. His father was a wealthy eye-surgeon, his mother died when he was quite young, and he was tutored by Franz Joseph Lauth
Franz Joseph Lauth
Franz Joseph Lauth , was a German Egyptologist.-History:...
, later a noted Egyptologist. The brothers' interest in exploration was sparked by Alexander von Humboldt
Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander Freiherr von Humboldt was a German naturalist and explorer, and the younger brother of the Prussian minister, philosopher and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt...
's Cosmos, the first volume of which appeared in 1845, and which led to their explorations of the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
and in turn to Asia's mountains.
After his brother Hermann's death in 1882, he inherited Schloß Jägersburg, their large estate near Forchheim, and the brothers' collections and papers. Not an explorer himself, he sold 102 Tibetan manuscripts and block-books collected by his brothers to the Bodleian Library
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library , the main research library of the University of Oxford, is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library...
at Oxford University where they remain.
His work was later used by Helena Blavatsky as evidence for her interpretations of "esoteric" Buddhism.
Selected works
- Buddhism In Tibet. With An Account Of The Buddhist Systems Preceding It In India, Leipzig, F.A. Brockhaus, 1863. Online version
- Die Könige von Tibet: von der Entstehung koniglicher Macht in Yárlung bis zum Erlöschen in Ladák : Mitte des I. Jahrh. vor Chr. Geb. bis 1834 nach Chr. Geb., Munchen : Verlag der k. Akademie, in Commission bei G. Franz, 1866.
- Die Gottesurtheile der Indier; Rede gehalten in der öffentlichen Sitzung der Köngl. Akademie der Wissenschaften am 28. März 1866 zur Erinnerung ihres einhundert und siebenten Stiftungstages, München, Im Verlage der Königl. Akademie, 1866.
- Kelat, the Brahui kingdom on the southern border of Iran, Simla, Govt. Central Branch Press, 1876.
- Indien in Wort und Bild (Leipzig, 1880–1881)