Georg Ludwig von Maurer
Encyclopedia
Georg Ludwig Maurer, since 1831 Georg Ludwig von Maurer (November 2, 1790 - May 9, 1872) was a German
statesman
and legal historian
.
, near Dürkheim as the son of a Protestant pastor.
Educated at Heidelberg, he went in 1812 to reside in Paris
, where he entered upon a systematic study of the ancient legal institutions of the Germans. Returning to Germany in 1814, he received an appointment under the Bavarian government, and afterwards filled several important official positions. In 1824 he published at Heidelberg his Geschichte des altgermanischen und namentlich altbairischen oeffentlich-muendlichen Gerichtsverfahrens, which obtained the first prize of the academy of Munich
, and in 1826 he became professor in the university of Munich.
In 1829 he returned to official life, and in 1831 he was appointed life-long Reichsrat of Bavaria and awarded the (non-hereditary) title "von Maurer". Soon after, he was offered an important post. In 1832, when Otto (Otho)
, son of Louis I, king of Bavaria
, was chosen to fill the throne of Greece
, a council of regency was nominated during his minority, and Maurer was appointed a member. He applied himself energetically to the task of creating institutions adapted to the requirements of a modern civilized community; but grave difficulties soon arose and Maurer was recalled in 1834, when he returned to Munich. This loss was a serious one for Greece. Maurer was the ablest, most energetic and most liberal-minded member of the council, and it was through his enlightened efforts that Greece obtained a revised penal code, regular tribunals and an improved system of civil procedure.
Soon after his recall he published Das griechische Volk in öffentlicher, kirchlicher, und privatrechtlicher Beziehung vor und nach dem Freiheitskampf bis zum 31. Juli 1834 (Heidelberg, 1835-1836), a useful source of information for the history of Greece before Otto ascended the throne, and also for the labours of the council of regency to the time of the authors recall. After the fall of the ministry of Karl von Abel
(1788-1859) in 1847, he became chief Bavarian minister and head of the departments of foreign affairs and of justice, but was overthrown in the same year. He died at Munich on the 9th of May 1872.
His only son, Konrad von Maurer
(1823-1902), was a Scandinavian scholar of some repute, and like his father was a professor at the university of Munich.
These works are still important authorities for the early history of the Germans. Among other works are:
See KT von Heigel, Denkwürdigkeiten des bayrischen Staatsrats G. L. von Maurer (Munich, 1903).
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...
statesman
Statesman
A statesman is usually a politician or other notable public figure who has had a long and respected career in politics or government at the national and international level. As a term of respect, it is usually left to supporters or commentators to use the term...
and legal historian
Legal history
Legal history or the history of law is the study of how law has evolved and why it changed. Legal history is closely connected to the development of civilizations and is set in the wider context of social history...
.
Biography
Maurer was born at ErpolzheimErpolzheim
Erpolzheim is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :...
, near Dürkheim as the son of a Protestant pastor.
Educated at Heidelberg, he went in 1812 to reside in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he entered upon a systematic study of the ancient legal institutions of the Germans. Returning to Germany in 1814, he received an appointment under the Bavarian government, and afterwards filled several important official positions. In 1824 he published at Heidelberg his Geschichte des altgermanischen und namentlich altbairischen oeffentlich-muendlichen Gerichtsverfahrens, which obtained the first prize of the academy of Munich
Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities
The Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities is an independent public institution, located in Munich. It appoints scholars whose research has contributed considerably to the increase of knowledge within their subject...
, and in 1826 he became professor in the university of Munich.
In 1829 he returned to official life, and in 1831 he was appointed life-long Reichsrat of Bavaria and awarded the (non-hereditary) title "von Maurer". Soon after, he was offered an important post. In 1832, when Otto (Otho)
Otto of Greece
Otto, Prince of Bavaria, then Othon, King of Greece was made the first modern King of Greece in 1832 under the Convention of London, whereby Greece became a new independent kingdom under the protection of the Great Powers .The second son of the philhellene King Ludwig I of Bavaria, Otto ascended...
, son of Louis I, king of Bavaria
Ludwig I of Bavaria
Ludwig I was a German king of Bavaria from 1825 until the 1848 revolutions in the German states.-Crown prince:...
, was chosen to fill the throne of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, a council of regency was nominated during his minority, and Maurer was appointed a member. He applied himself energetically to the task of creating institutions adapted to the requirements of a modern civilized community; but grave difficulties soon arose and Maurer was recalled in 1834, when he returned to Munich. This loss was a serious one for Greece. Maurer was the ablest, most energetic and most liberal-minded member of the council, and it was through his enlightened efforts that Greece obtained a revised penal code, regular tribunals and an improved system of civil procedure.
Soon after his recall he published Das griechische Volk in öffentlicher, kirchlicher, und privatrechtlicher Beziehung vor und nach dem Freiheitskampf bis zum 31. Juli 1834 (Heidelberg, 1835-1836), a useful source of information for the history of Greece before Otto ascended the throne, and also for the labours of the council of regency to the time of the authors recall. After the fall of the ministry of Karl von Abel
Karl von Abel
Karl von Abel was a Bavarian statesman.Born in Wetzlar, Abel was the son of a procurator at the superior Court of Justice...
(1788-1859) in 1847, he became chief Bavarian minister and head of the departments of foreign affairs and of justice, but was overthrown in the same year. He died at Munich on the 9th of May 1872.
His only son, Konrad von Maurer
Konrad von Maurer
Konrad Maurer, since 1876 Konrad von Maurer was a German legal historian. He was the son of legal historian and statesman Georg Ludwig von Maurer...
(1823-1902), was a Scandinavian scholar of some repute, and like his father was a professor at the university of Munich.
Works
Maurer's most important contribution to history is a series of books on the early institutions of the Germans. These are:- Einleitung zur Geschichte der Mark-, Hof-, Dorf-, und Stadtverfassung und der offentlichen Gewalt (Munich, 1854)
- Geschichte der Markenverfassung in Deutschland (Erlangen, 1856)
- Geschichte der Fronhöfe, der Bauernhöfe, und der Hofverfassung in Deutschland (Erlangen, 1862-1863)
- Geschichte der Dorfverfassung in Deutschland (Erlangen, 1865-1866)
- Geschichte der Städteverfassung in Deutschland (Erlangen, 1869-1875)
These works are still important authorities for the early history of the Germans. Among other works are:
- Stadt- und Landrechtsbuchs Ruprechts von Freysing, ein Beitrag zur Geschichte des Schwabenspiegels (Stuttgart, 1839)
- Über die Freipflige (plegium liberate), und die Entstehung der grossen und kleinen Jury in England (Munich, 1848)
- Uber die deutsche Reichsterritorial- und Rechtsgeschichte (1830)
See KT von Heigel, Denkwürdigkeiten des bayrischen Staatsrats G. L. von Maurer (Munich, 1903).