Ludwig Schmidt (historian)

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Ferdinand Ludwig Schmidt (born July 18, 1862 in Dresden ; † March 10, 1944 ibid) was a German historian and librarian whose works on the Migration Period , although outdated, made an important contribution to research during this period.

life and work

Ludwig Schmidt studied history in Leipzig from 1881 to 1884 , and his interest in late antiquity and the early Middle Ages was aroused during his studies . In 1884 his dissertation with the title Oldest History of the Lombards followed . After graduation he was employed at the Royal Public Library in Dresden , in 1919 he was appointed senior librarian and in 1921 deputy director of the library. During his time as a librarian, he published the original of Thietmar von Merseburg's chronicle in 1905 using a new type of printing process (which is important because the autograph was badly damaged in a bomb attack in 1945 and is now illegible). In 1907 he received the title of professor and soon afterwards he was appointed a corresponding member of the Prussian and full member of the Saxon Academy of Sciences . On December 31, 1925, he retired.

Although Schmidt wrote a large number of essays and monographs, the history of the German tribes up to the end of the Great Migration (in two volumes) is regarded as his main work . In 1934 the work was revised ( Die Ostgermanen , Die Westgermanen ); Schmidt could no longer complete a planned revision of the history of the Franks; Erich Zöllner took over this later . Schmidt's work was strongly tied to the research of the 19th century, whereby he simply equated the Teutons with the Germans. Even during his lifetime, Schmidt was criticized harshly - but more because he resisted "political science" (in the sense of National Socialism ) and, for example, paid no attention to racial studies at the time .

Although Schmidt's history of the German tribes fragmented the amount of material by looking at individual tribes, it no longer represents the modern state of research and is partly outdated, it also has undeniable advantages. Schmidt knew almost all of the literary tradition, and his work was developed directly from the sources, even though too little source criticism was occasionally exercised. Nevertheless, Schmidt's depiction is still important today, at least as a collection of material.

Publications (selection)

  • Oldest history of the Lombards. A contribution to the history of the Great Migration. sn, Leipzig 1884 (Leipzig, University, dissertation, 1884).
  • Andreas Darmarius . In: Zentralblatt für Bibliothekswesen, vol. 3., 1886, pp. 129–135 ( online ).
  • The history of the German tribes up to the end of the migration (= sources and research on ancient history and geography. Numbers 7, 10, 12, 22, 24, 27, 29/30, ISSN  0259-7055 ). 2 departments (Department 1: Book 1–8; Department 2: Book 1–3). Weidmann, Berlin 1904–1918.
  • as editor: The Dresden manuscript of the chronicle of Bishop Thietmar von Merseburg. In facsimile. Brockmann Art Institute, Dresden 1905.
  • General history of the Germanic peoples up to the middle of the sixth century (= Handbook of Medieval and Modern History. Dept. 2, Vol. 3). Oldenbourg, Munich et al. 1909.

literature

Web links

Wikisource: Ludwig Schmidt  - sources and full texts
personal data
SURNAME Schmidt, Ludwig
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German historian and librarian
DATE OF BIRTH July 18, 1862
PLACE OF BIRTH Dresden
DATE OF DEATH March 10, 1944
Place of death Dresden