Henry Simonsfeld

Henry Simonsfeld (born October 15, 1852 in Mexico City , † April 5, 1913 in Munich ) was a German historian whose focus was on German and Italian sources and the historiography of the Middle Ages, Venice and the Staufer period .

Born as the son of a wholesale merchant who died early, Henry Simonsfeld spent his childhood with his mother in his parents' hometown, in Ottensoos in Central Franconia . From the age of 6 to 17 he attended the royal humanistic grammar school in Nuremberg . He studied from November 1870 in Munich with Wilhelm von Giesebrecht and from the winter semester 1872/73 with Georg Waitz in Göttingen . In December 1873 he passed the main examination from the philological and historical subjects in Munich with good success, and in 1876 the special examination from history with very good success. From 1873 to 1876 he worked as a "class administrator" at various schools. In 1898 he became an associate professor for history and historical auxiliary sciences .

Simonsfeld taught at the University of Munich . In 1908 he published the yearbooks of the German Empire under Emperor Friedrich I , a publication that earned him sharp criticism. His main work is considered to be his work on the Fondaco dei Tedeschi and the German merchants in Venice from 1887. In 1889 a work on the German colony in Treviso followed . In addition to the history of Veneto , the epoch of Frederick Barbarossa, the history of the Pope and the Council , but also the history of Bavaria formed further focal points of his work. There were also source editions such as the Chronicon Altinate . He was not appointed full professor until February 29, 1912 , after having worked at the university for 35 years, two decades of which as a private lecturer . He earned his living until 1898 by working at the State Library . In 1902 he became a full member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences .

Simonsfeld did not correspond to the professor's image, because he liked to teach among equals in the Café de l'Opera on Maximilianstrasse , his lectures were brittle, his range of topics too wide at a time when specialists were in demand. He also tried to pursue his calling himself , which earned him the distrust of important decision-makers. His Jewish origins are also seen as inhibiting. On the other hand, he enjoyed a high reputation in Italy and received several awards. Simonsfeld succumbed to his stomach ailment after an operation, he died in the deaconess institution in Munich.

Works (selection)

• Andreas Dandolo and his historical works , Theodor Ackermann, Munich 1876. ( digitized version )
• Venetian studies , Theodor Ackermann, Munich 1878 ( digitized version, Chronicon Altinate with supplement Chronicon Marci ), reprint, Forgotten Books, 2017.
• (Ed.): Chronicon Venetum quod vulgo dicunt Altinate , Monumenta Germaniae Historica , Scriptores XIV, Hannover 1883, pp. 1-69. ( Digitized version )
• The Fondaco dei Tedeschi in Venice and the German-Venetian trade relations , 2 vol., Cotta, Stuttgart 1887. archive.org archive.org
• Contributions to the papal chancellery in the Middle Ages and to German history in the 14th century , in: Session reports of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, Phil.-hist. Class 2 (1890) 218-285.
• Analects on the history of the Pope and Council in the 14th and 15th centuries , in: Treatises of the historical class of the Royal Bavarian Academy of Sciences 20 (1893) 1-56.
• Contributions to Bavarian and Munich history , in: Session reports of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences Phil.-hist. Class (1896) 257-326.

literature

• Wolf Weigand: Henry Simonsfeld (1852–1913), historian in Munich , in: Manfred Treml , Wolf Weigand, Evamaria Brockhoff (ed.): History and culture of the Jews in Bavaria. CVs (= publications on Bavarian history and culture. Vol. 18), Saur, Munich 1988, pp. 189–194. ISBN 3-598-07544-8
• Entry under necrologist in the yearbook of the Royal Bavarian Academy of Sciences 1914, Munich 1914, p. 109 f. ( Text archive - Internet Archive )

Web links

Wikisource: Henry Simonsfeld  - Sources and full texts

• Simonsfeld, Henry .  Publications in the bibliographic database of the Regesta Imperii .
• Works by and about Henry Simonsfeld  in the German Digital Library