Im Dienst der Geschichtsschreibung, Literatur- und Wissenschaftsgeschichte an deutschen Universitäten. Die Rolle Martin Schmeizels in der ungarländisc
IN THE SERVICE OF HISTORY AND HISTORY OF CULTURE AT GERMAN UNIVERSITIES. THE ROLE PLAYED BY MARTIN SCHMEIZEL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF HISTORIA LITTERARI

Summary/Abstract: The present study tackles the activity carried out by a significant personality of the Transylvanian historiography who dedicated his life to the European and Magyar (Transylvanian) historical research, and especially to the research of history and its auxiliary sciences (numismatics, statistics, geography). His activity was devoted especially to the history of Magyar culture and the history of literature, therefore to the trend entitled historia litteraria. Martin Schmeizel (1679-1747) was born in a family of Saxons of Transylvania in Braşov. David Czvittinger – through Specimen Hungariae literatae (Frankfurt – Leipzig 1711) - was influenced by his activity. He worked in Altdorf (German Principalities) and Banská Štiavnica (Selmecbánya, SK) and decided to write a bio-bibliography, i.e. a real lexicon of the Magyar scholars. He therefore succeeded to outrun his contemporary fellows Matthias Bél and Bod Péter. His activity as collector and systematizer for the cultural activity resulted in a significant book collection – as a matter of fact, library – through which the first old Magyar and Transylvanian book collection in the world emerged. After the holder’s death, it arrived Transylvania after a lot of happenings. It therefore became part of the property of the Saxon community of Transylvania. Most of the volumes of the Library still can be found in ˝Samuel von Bruckenthal” National Library of the Saxons of Transylvania, in Sibiu. Schmeizel’s old scientific library can be reconstructed having this support. The study tackles the above mentioned points of view and Schmeizel’s activity in the field of science of culture, as well as the quality of being a teacher through which he influenced his students on a large scale. Briefly speaking, the present study attempts to offer an in-depth analysis of his synthesis of the history of culture, Versuch zu einer Historie der Gelehrheit. The study is completed by the attempt of defining the place and role played by Schmeizel for historia litteraria in Hungary, respectively Transylvania. It is a desideratum that had not been achieved yet in the specialty literature.

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