Ernst Elsenhans

Ernst Elsenhans (* 26. September 1815 in Feuerbach ; † 7. August 1849 in Rastatt ) was a German revolutionary of the March revolution in the states of the German Confederation , specifically the Baden revolution of 1848 / 1849 .

Life

Elsenhans was the son of Feuerbach mayor Johannes Elsenhans (1777–1841). After graduating from high school and dropping out of theology studies, he became a journalist in Mannheim (" Mannheimer Abendzeitung ") and met Friedrich Hecker here, among others . In addition to the overthrow of the monarchy, Elsenhans called for a restructuring of the social order for the purpose of social equilibrium, the later welfare state requirement . In 1833 he became a member of the Germania Tübingen fraternity .

On 5th / 8th In July 1848, Elsenhans called on soldiers to refuse to obey in the Heidelberg newspaper "Die Republik" if they were ordered to take action against their fellow citizens or the "cause of freedom". Thereupon he was sentenced by the Mannheim Higher Court for inciting high treason to five months at a workhouse and three months in prison in Kißlau . Because prisoners had to pay for their own food, Elsenhans was already 53 guilders in debt in November. He now received his food "on the poor way" and fell ill, whereupon on January 23, 1849 his sentence was changed to "fortress punishment of a lighter degree".

During the May Revolution in 1849 Elsenhans was liberated and, at his own request, was appointed 2nd Secretary in the War Ministry of the Revolutionary Government by Gustav Struve . After the minister's escape, he remained as secretary to the deputy war minister, Enno Sander, and was editor of the newspaper Der Festungs-Bote , which was held in the federal fortress of Rastatt , which was demolished by the 2nd Prussian army corps , from July 7, 1849 to July 22, 1849, the day before the handover of the fortress Rastatt to the Prussians , appeared in 14 issues. He performed this task in agreement with the deputy war minister of the Baden revolutionary government Enno Sander and the governor of the fortress Gustav Tiedemann . At the same time he was a board member of the " Club for Resolute Progress ".

On July 30, 1849, Elsenhans was questioned by the 'Investigation Commission for Conciliation Proceedings'. The articles in his newspaper were used by the prosecution as evidence of "high treason and incitement to continued resistance against the authorities" . Elsenhans, on the other hand, was convinced that he had only made use of the right to freedom of the press . The trial took place on August 6, 1849. The court ruled "death by shooting" and he was fusilated by Prussian troops the following morning . Hit by eight bullets, however, only one bayonet hit killed him .

Commemoration

Ernst-Elsenhans-Straße in Rastatt is named after him. The naming of a school at the request of the SPD failed in the 1990s because of the CDU faction of the city parliament. On the 150th anniversary of his death, a memorial was unveiled in Rastatt honoring him as a freedom fighter with a pen.

Web links

Wikiquote: Ernst Elsenhans  - Quotes

• Entry on www.feuerbach.de; Retrieved November 30, 2013
• to the Ernst Elsenhans monument in front of the Badner Halle in Rastatt; Retrieved November 30, 2013

literature

• Heinz Bischof: Ernst Elsenhans - writer and revolutionary 1815-1849 . In: Badische Heimat Heft 59, G. Braun Buchverlag, Karlsruhe 1979.
• Bernd Braun: A rose for a revolutionary - for the 200th birthday of Ernst Elsenhans . In: Yearbook of the Hambach Society 2016, pp. 189–209.
• Helge Dvorak: Biographical Lexicon of the German Burschenschaft. Volume I Politicians, Part 1: A – E. Heidelberg 1996, pp. 250-251.
• Ernst Elsenhans: Der Festungs-Bote , Rastatt 1849 online at the Bavarian State Library

Individual evidence

1. ^ Helge Dvorak: Biographical Lexicon of the German Burschenschaft. Volume I Politicians, Part 1: AE. Heidelberg 1996, p. 250.
2. ^ The newspaper appeared from April 1, 1848 to June 21, 1849