Peter Frederik Suhm

Peter Frederik Suhm

Peter Frederik Suhm (born October 18, 1728 in Copenhagen ; † September 7, 1798 in Øverød Sjælland ) was the most important Danish-Norwegian historian of the 18th century.

family

Peter Frederik Suhm came from the Danish noble family Suhm and was the son of the royal Danish admiral , deputy and knight of Dannebrog Ulrik Frederik von Suhm (1686-1758) and his wife Hilleborg Cathrine Lerche (1701-1767).

He married first in Trondheim on April 19, 1752 Karen Angell (1732–1788), daughter and heir of the merchant and budget councilor Lorentz Angell (1692–1751) and his wife Sara Collett (1702–1756). With her he had a son, Ulrik Frederik Suhm (1761–1778), who died young.

His second marriage was on October 18, 1788, Christiane Becker (1764–1799), daughter of the court pharmacist Johann Gottfried Becker (1723–1790) and his wife Anna Christina Torm (1738–1809). With her he had a daughter, Petra Friderica Christiane Suhm (1799–1823). She was the last of her sex and, after marriage on November 18, 1815, carried the name and coat of arms to her husband Morten Willemoes (1787–1865), who named himself Willemoes-Suhm with a patent dated November 21, 1821. One son of this marriage was Peter Friedrich von Willemoes-Suhm . However, this family also died out in 1947.

The beginnings

As a child he was very eager to read and his favorite author was Ludvig Holberg , who also critically accompanied him on his first work. From 1746 he studied law and also received training in mathematics, dance, horse riding, drawing and music. On February 23, 1748 he became an associate judge at the Court Court and then got an internship at the Supreme Court. In 1749 he became a member of the "Danske Selskab til den nordiske Histories og Sprogs Forbedring". He translated Plautus' comedies and French plays.

Suhm in Trondheim

Angell family

He got in touch with his first wife, Karen Angell, through his grandfather's half-sister, General Frølich. The marriage gave him access to one of Norway's greatest fortunes. He had pledged to live in Trondheim as long as his mother-in-law Sara Collett was alive. He also hoped for the inheritance from the late Lorentz Angell's childless brother Thomas Angell, who had been a partner in his business. But this hope was dashed when he broke with his uncle in 1761, possibly because Suhm cared too much about the French company lady of the house, or perhaps only because Thomas Angell managed his brother's entire fortune and the Suhm couple theirs Had to receive maintenance from his hands. Thomas Angell paid out 300,000 Reichsthaler as Karen Angell's inheritance and bequeathed his own part to charitable causes.

The scientific work

He had been acquainted with the city's educated people since 1751. His economic position enabled him to have a select collection of books. In the end, the library comprised over 100,000 volumes. Suhm and the principal of the Latin School Gerhard Schøning studied languages ​​and devoted themselves to historical interests. They shared their research area, with Suhm dealing with Danish history and Schøning with Norwegian history. This collaboration culminated in the publication Forsøg til Forbedringer i den gamle Danske og Norske Historie (attempt to improve old Danish and Norwegian history) in 1757 , which attracted a great deal of attention, so that the two authors became members of the Science Society in Copenhagen in 1758.

The scientific milieu in Trondheim was further strengthened by the fact that Johan Ernst Gunnerus became bishop there in 1758. Suhm became an avid collector and commentator of the historical sources. According to Leibniz, he divided these into "languages", "monuments" and "writings". He reintroduced the treatment of language as a historical source, and wrote a number of historical treatises on it. 1761–1765 he published the magazine Trondhiemske Samlinger under the pseudonym Philalethus , in which he published book reviews, economic and scholarly treatises, prose pieces and translations of Latin classics, as well as articles on agriculture. His activity is considered to be the forerunner of the later patriotic "Selskabet for Norges Vel" (Society for the Welfare of Norway).

Together with Schøning and Bishop Gunnerus he founded “ Det Kongelige Norske Videnskabers Selskab ” on the initiative of the bishop in 1760 . Suhm made a generous contribution to this society and also promoted its series of publications. The society collected books, antiques and natural objects that became the basis for Trondheim's university library and science museum. The connection between intellectuals and the wealthy created a good scientific environment.

Suhm in Copenhagen

After breaking up with his wife's uncle, he moved back to Copenhagen in 1765. There he bought a large house and worked as a patron. So he helped many colleagues. He also opened his library to researchers and students. Before his death, he sold the library to the king with the proviso that he could use it throughout his life. The consideration consisted of a lifelong pension for his widow. The books later came to the Royal Library, some of them to Christiania University in 1811.

In 1771 he became a member of the commission that should publish the manuscripts of "Den Arnamagnæanske Samling", and in 1785 he became a member of a commission for the improvement of teaching. In 1787 he received the title of "Royal Historiographer". He also took an active part in the political debate. He was in favor of a free constitution, an elected parliament and limited suffrage. He drafted a corresponding draft constitution, which was only published posthumously. He also advocated Danish as the official language instead of German. He often complained that many educated Danes and civil servants who lived in Denmark all their lives could not speak Danish.

But Suhm concentrated on historical research. His first powerful work came out in 1776: Danmarks, Norges og Holstens Historie i Udtog, til den student Ungdoms Tjeneste . It was the first school book that was supposed to convey history and patriotic thinking to the students. This was followed in 1769 Forsøg til et Udkast af en Historie om Folkenes Oprindelse i Almindelighed (attempt of a design for a history of the origin of peoples in general), 1770 Om de nordiske Folks ældste Oprindelse (On the oldest origins of the Scandinavian people), 1772 Om Odin og den hedniske Gudelære og Gudstjeneste udi Norden (About Odin and the pagan doctrine of gods and worship in the north), 1772–1773 Historie om de fra Norden udvandrede Folk in two volumes (history of the population who emigrated from the north), 1774–1781 Kritisk Historie af Danmark in four volumes, plus Genealogiske Tabeller (1779). These writings are of no significance today, but at that time they greatly moved contemporaries, especially the doctrine of gods and the critical history of Denmark.

In 1782 he published the first volume of a total of 14 volumes by En Historie af Danmark . The particular value of this work lies in the publication of the sources. His plan was to write the story until Christoph von Baiern's death in 1448. But he only came until 1400. When he died, only the first six volumes had appeared. The rest were taken care of posthumously, which in view of the almost illegible handwriting can be regarded as a great editorial achievement. In addition, he wrote many other historical works, but also fiction. He also published a textbook Tids-Regning til Ungdommens nytte , and together with Rasmus Nyerup he also edited Nye Samlinger til den danske historie . Nyerup also became his biographer and summarized Suhm's smaller writings in the work Suhmiana , including his draft constitution, which gave him difficulties, since this publication was seen as directed against the passed " royal law ". Suhm's writings appeared in many editions long after his death. His work enabled 19th century historians in Scandinavia to orientate themselves in the source material.

His career at court

Suhm became court junker in 1747, chamberlain in 1749 and chamberlain in 1783. In 1751 he became a budget councilor and in 1769 a conference councilor.

Commemoration

Suhmsgade in Copenhagen and Suhms gate in Oslo are named after Peter Frederik Suhm .

Remarks

1. ↑ Danmarks Adels Aarbog 45 (1928), Afsnit 2, pp. 119–128
2. ↑ Danmarks Adels Aarbog (1938), p. 125f
3. ↑ Rørdam p. 559.
4. ↑ Rørdam p. 560.
5. ^ Rørdam p. 561.
6. ↑ Rørdam p. 562.
7. ↑ Rørdam p. 564.
8. ↑ Rørdam p. 565.
9. ↑ Rørdam p. 566.
10. ↑ Rørdam p. 564.
11. ↑ Hofjunker was the lowest rank at court, mostly sons of nobles at the beginning of their court careers.
12. ↑ "Chamberlain" was one step on the career ladder at court. He stood above the chamberlain (who had not existed for a long time) and below the chamberlain. It hasn't existed since 1947.
13. ↑ "Chamberlain" was a senior official with the right to access the royal apartments.
14. ↑ "Etatsrat" is a purely honorary title of rank 3. The rank decides where the person concerned has their place on official occasions or at the table. The only right that was connected with this was that the budget council was allowed to place his daughters in the noble women's monastery "Vemmetofte Adelige Jomfrukloster".
15. ^ Conference councilor, originally advisor to the king, had become a purely honorary title of rank 2. The ranking class decides where the person concerned has his or her seat on official occasions or at the table.

literature

The article essentially follows the Norsk biografisk leksikon . Additional information is shown separately.

• Terje Bratberg: Peter Frederik Suhm . In: Norsk biografisk leksikon .
• HF Rørdam: Suhm, Peter Frederik . In: Carl Frederik Bricka (Ed.): Dansk biografisk Lexikon. Tillige omfattende Norge for Tidsrummet 1537-1814. 1st edition. tape 16 : Skarpenberg – Sveistrup . Gyldendalske Boghandels Forlag, Copenhagen 1902, p. 558-570 (Danish, runeberg.org ).

Web links

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