Carl von Gersdorff (Chamberlain)
Carl Freiherr von Gersdorff (* 1844 , † 1904 ) was majorate and Prussian chamberlain , heir to the Ostrichen estate (today: Ostróżno) near Seidenberg in Upper Lusatia and lifelong friend and correspondent of Friedrich Nietzsche .
Gersdorff attended school in Schulpforta , one of the central German princely schools, and passed the Abitur there in February 1865. The friendship with Nietzsche was established during his school days there. At first, the two of them parted ways to study. While Nietzsche had already gone to Bonn in 1864 and became a member of a fraternity that traditionally had many former students from Pforta in its ranks, Gersdorff began studying law in Göttingen and came into contact with the through one of his older brothers there Kösener Corps , a membership Corp von Gersdorff leaves today for this period in Göttingen not prove a more. The accusation of "beer materialism" clearly reflects the dissatisfaction of the two with the content of the union life of the time and anticipates Nietzsche's departure from his Frankonia fraternity in Bonn . Six months later, Nietzsche justified his decision to the fraternity convent at the beginning of the winter semester, and both friends moved to the University of Leipzig, where both turned to philology. The time together in Leipzig was short-lived, however. Gersdorff was drafted into military service as early as 1866. After the death of the two Gersdorff brothers, he turned away from philological interests and began studying agriculture at the Agricultural Academy in Stuttgart-Hohenheim in order to be able to take over the family's agricultural business in Upper Lusatia.
The dissolution of Gersdorff's engagement to the Florentine Comtesse Nerina Finocchietti leads to a four-year break in friendship between Carl von Gersdorff and Friedrich Nietzsche. The break between the two is fueled not least by the intrigues of Malwida von Meysenbug , who as a close friend of Richard Wagner was his maid of honor at the wedding with Cosima in 1870. Meysenbug met Nietzsche when the foundation stone of the Bayreuth Festival Hall was laid in 1872. She decided to become his patroness and friend. Nietzsche and Paul Rée frequented their salon in Sorrento in 1876/1877. Together with Rée, Meysenbug introduced Nietzsche to Lou von Salomé . The friends did not find each other again until 1881. Gersdorff followed Nietzsche's long illness in correspondence with the family and three days after Nietzsche's death he gave his friend the farewell speech in skirts .
Gersdorff died in 1904 as a result of a fall from a window.
Works
- Karl Schlechta (Ed.): Letters from Frh. Carl v. Gersdorff to Friedrich Nietzsche. 4 volumes, Weimar 1934–1937.
literature
- Ruth Stummann-Bowert (ed.): Malwida von Meysenbug - Paul Rée: Letters to a friend. 1998. ISBN 3-8260-1464-2
Individual evidence
- ^ Letter from Nietzsche with the notification of the accession to his mother and sister on 24/25. October 1864
- ^ Letter from Nietzsche to Gersdorff of May 25, 1865
- ^ Resignation from October 20, 1865
- ↑ Carl von Gersdorff ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Malwida von Meysenbug - Paul Rée: Letters to a friend
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Gersdorff, Carl von |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Gersdorff, Carl Freiherr von (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Majorate and Prussian Chamberlain |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1844 |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1904 |