Johann Philipp Palm
Encyclopedia
Johann Philipp Palm or Johannes Philipp Palm (17 December 1768–26 August 1806) was a German bookseller executed during the Napoleonic Wars
.
He was born at Schorndorf
in Württemberg
. Having been apprenticed to his uncle, the publisher Johann Jakob Palm (1750–1826), in Erlangen
, he married the daughter of the bookseller Stein in Nuremberg
, and in the course of time became proprietor of his father-in-law's business.
In the spring of 1806, the Stein publishing house sent to the bookselling establishment of Stage in Augsburg
a pamphlet (presumably written by Philipp Christian Yelin in Ansbach
) entitled Deutschland in seiner tiefen Erniedrigung ("Germany in her deep humiliation"), which strongly attacked Napoleon
and the behaviour of the French
troops in Bavaria
. On learning of the violent rhetorical attack made upon his régime and failing to discover the actual author, Napoleon had Palm arrested in and handed over to a military commission at Braunau
on the Bavarian-Austrian
frontier, with peremptory instructions to try the prisoner and execute him within twenty-four hours. Palm was denied the right of defence, and after a mock trial
on 25 August 1806, he was shot the following day without having betrayed the pamphlet's author.
A life-size bronze statue was erected to his memory in Braunau am Inn of Austria in 1866, and on the centenary of his death, numerous patriotic meetings were held throughout Bavaria. Since 2002 a private foundation at Schorndorf awards a Johann Philipp Palm Prize for freedom of speech and the press.
It was to Palm that the poet Thomas Campbell was referring when he gave his famous (and possibly apocryphal) toast to Napoleon at a literary dinner. When this caused uproar, he admitted that Napoleon was a tyrant and an enemy of their country, "But gentlemen! He once shot a publisher."
Palm is briefly mentioned in Adolf Hitler's autobiography Mein Kampf
(My Struggle), indirectly in the first sentence of the book. Hitler writes, it's "an irony of fate that I was born just in the little village between The Austro-Hungarian and German nation." Later, (but still on the first page) Johann Philipp Palm is mentioned by name as a link to the first sentence.
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
.
He was born at Schorndorf
Schorndorf
Schorndorf is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located c. 26 km east of Stuttgart. Its station is a the terminus of line S2 of the Stuttgart S-Bahn....
in Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
. Having been apprenticed to his uncle, the publisher Johann Jakob Palm (1750–1826), in Erlangen
Erlangen
Erlangen is a Middle Franconian city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located at the confluence of the river Regnitz and its large tributary, the Untere Schwabach.Erlangen has more than 100,000 inhabitants....
, he married the daughter of the bookseller Stein in Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
, and in the course of time became proprietor of his father-in-law's business.
In the spring of 1806, the Stein publishing house sent to the bookselling establishment of Stage in Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
a pamphlet (presumably written by Philipp Christian Yelin in Ansbach
Ansbach
Ansbach, originally Onolzbach, is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital of the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Ansbach is situated southwest of Nuremberg and north of Munich, on the Fränkische Rezat, a tributary of the Main river. As of 2004, its population was 40,723.Ansbach...
) entitled Deutschland in seiner tiefen Erniedrigung ("Germany in her deep humiliation"), which strongly attacked Napoleon
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
and the behaviour of the French
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
troops in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
. On learning of the violent rhetorical attack made upon his régime and failing to discover the actual author, Napoleon had Palm arrested in and handed over to a military commission at Braunau
Braunau am Inn
Braunau am Inn is a town in the Innviertel region of Upper Austria , the north-western state of Austria. It lies about 90 km west of Linz and about 60 km north of Salzburg, on the border with the German state of Bavaria. The population in 2001 was 16,372...
on the Bavarian-Austrian
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
frontier, with peremptory instructions to try the prisoner and execute him within twenty-four hours. Palm was denied the right of defence, and after a mock trial
Mock trial
A Mock Trial is an act or imitation trial. It is similar to a moot court, but mock trials simulate lower-court trials, while moot court simulates appellate court hearings. Attorneys preparing for a real trial might use a mock trial consisting of volunteers as role players to test theories or...
on 25 August 1806, he was shot the following day without having betrayed the pamphlet's author.
A life-size bronze statue was erected to his memory in Braunau am Inn of Austria in 1866, and on the centenary of his death, numerous patriotic meetings were held throughout Bavaria. Since 2002 a private foundation at Schorndorf awards a Johann Philipp Palm Prize for freedom of speech and the press.
It was to Palm that the poet Thomas Campbell was referring when he gave his famous (and possibly apocryphal) toast to Napoleon at a literary dinner. When this caused uproar, he admitted that Napoleon was a tyrant and an enemy of their country, "But gentlemen! He once shot a publisher."
Palm is briefly mentioned in Adolf Hitler's autobiography Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf is a book written by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. It combines elements of autobiography with an exposition of Hitler's political ideology. Volume 1 of Mein Kampf was published in 1925 and Volume 2 in 1926...
(My Struggle), indirectly in the first sentence of the book. Hitler writes, it's "an irony of fate that I was born just in the little village between The Austro-Hungarian and German nation." Later, (but still on the first page) Johann Philipp Palm is mentioned by name as a link to the first sentence.
Johann Philipp Palm Prize laureates
- 2002: Sihem BensedrineSihem BensedrineSihem Bensedrine is a Tunisian journalist and human rights activist.-Biography:She was born in La Marsa, near Tunis and went to France to study at the university in Toulouse, where she earned a degree in philosophy....
(Tunisia) and Christian FührerChristian FührerChristian is a Protestant Pastor and one of the leading figures and organisers of the 1989 Monday demonstrations in East Germany which finally led to the German reunification and the end of the GDR in 1990.-Life:...
(Germany) - 2004: Sergei DuvanovSergei DuvanovSergei Duvanov is a prominent Kazakhstani journalist who, in 2002, wrote articles that claimed President Nursultan Nazarbayev and several other Kazakh politicians had illicit Swiss bank accounts containing millions of U.S.' dollars. The scandal was labeled "Kazakhgate".-Controversy:In 2001 the...
(Kazakhstan) and Jamila Mujahed (Afghanistan) - 2006: Pap Saine, The PointThe Point (Gambia)The Point is a daily newspaper published in Bakau, The Gambia. It was founded by Babucarr Gaye, Deyda Hydara, and Pap Saine on on 16 December 1991....
(Gambia) and Asya Tretyuk (Belarus) - 2008: Seyran AteşSeyran AtesSeyran Ateş is a German lawyer and Muslim feminist born in Istanbul, Turkey of Kurdish descent. Her family moved to Germany when she was six years old. She studied law at the Free University of Berlin and has practiced law since 1997, specializing in criminal law and family law...
(Germany) and Itai Mushekwe (Zimbabwe)