Chronology of Hegel’s Life
STUTTGART (1770-1788)
1770 August 27 Hegel is born, in Stuttgart, a stronghold of Protestantism in a predominantly Catholic part of Germany Parents Württemberg civil servant, Georg Ludwig Hegel and the very cultured Maria Magdalena Louisa Hegel (née Fromm) 1773 April His sister, Christiane, is born (dies 1832). Hegel goes to the deutsche Schule. 1776 Probable entrance into Untergymnasium 1777 Enters Stuttgart Gymnasium and pursues classical studies 1776 May Birth of brother Georg Ludwig (dies 1812) 1780 Hegel takes the Landexamen for the first time 1781 Kant publishes first edition of The Critique of Pure Reason 1783 Sept. 20 Hegel’s mother dies of “Gallenfieber”; Hegel also is seriously ill with it 1784 autumn Hegel is a student at the Obergymnasium 1786 Centennial celebration of the Stuttgarter Gymnasium Writes “On Certain Differences between Ancient and Modern Poets” 1787 Herder publishes “God, some conversations,” in defence of neo-Spinozism 1788 September Hegel graduates from the Gymnasium; he gives the Abiturrede Events in France 1788-1804
TUBINGEN (1788-1793)1788 October Reception in the Stift at the same time as Hölderlin Hegel begins his study with the philosophical faculty 1789 July Storming of the Bastille in Paris 1790 September Magister-Exam Registration in the theological faculty He shares a room in the Stift with Hölderlin and later Schelling 1792 Fichte publishes An Attempt at a Critique of All Revelation 1793 Kant publishes first edition of Religion within the Limits of Reason Alone Hegel writes Tübingen essay, on “Folk Religion” 1793 June Theological disputation 1793 July- Hegel is on leave from the Seminary and stays in Stuttgart 1793 Sept. 19 Konsistorialexam
BERNE (1793-1796)1793 October Begins his activity as house tutor with K. F. son Steiger 1794 Fichte publishes the Wissenschaftslehre 1794 June Robespierre launches new Religion of the “Supreme Being” 1794 July Robespierre executed 1795 May Trip to Geneva. Writes “Life of Jesus” “The Positivity of the Christian Religion,” completed 1796 1795 Schelling publishes On the Ego 1796 July Hike through the Bernese Alps 1796 December Return from Berne to Frankfurt
FRANKFURT (1797-1800)1797 January Hegel begins the Hofmeister position that Hölderlin found for him with the wine merchant Gogel 1797 Schelling publishes Ideas for a Philosophy of Nature and Hölderlin publishes Hyperion 1798 Hegel publishes his translation of and commentary on Jean-Jacques Cart’s pamphlet defending the freedoms of the Vaud against the Bernese aristocracy 1798 Fichte is charged with Atheism 1798 Hegel begins writing “The German Constitution” completed 1802 Writes “The Spirit of Christianity and its Fate” and notes on economic history completed in 1799 1799 January Death of Hegel’s father in Stuttgart; father leaves him a small inheritance, allowing Hegel to consider an university career 1799 March Hegel makes the trip back to Stuttgart 1799 Fichte forced to leave Jena 1799 November Napoleon Bonaparte appointed First Consul of France 1800 September Hegel makes a trip to Mainz, which since 1798 has belonged to the French Republic
JENA (1801-1806)1801 January Hegel moves to Jena 1801 September First philosophical book published, “The Difference Between Fichte’s and Schelling’s Systems of Philosophy”. 1801 August 27 Hegel submits his Habilitation in Latin on the orbits of the planets
and becomes an unpaid Privatdozent.1802 Lectures for the first time on Natural Law 1802 Hegel completes The German Constitution, advocating the unity of Germany in a State under an Emperor Events in France 1802-1838
1803 Herder dies 1802/1803 Together with Schelling he edits the Critical Journal of Philosophy, including “Faith and Knowledge” and “On the Scientific Treatment of Natural Law” 1802/1803 Writes “System of Ethical Life” a.k.a. Realphilosophie I 1803/1804 Writes “The First Philosophy of Spirit” a.k.a. Realphilosophie II 1804 Kant dies 1804 December Napoleon consecrated as Emperor 1805 Appointed to a position as an unpaid “extraordinary professor” 1805/1806 Jena Lectures on the “Philosophy of the Human Spirit” 1806 October Completes the Phenomenology of Spirit Napoleon defeats Prussians at the Battle of Jena 1807 February Birth of his illegitimate son, Ludwig Fischer (dies 1831 in Jakarta)
BAMBERG (1807-1808)1807 March Moves to Bamberg to be editor of the Bamberger Zeitung 1807 April Publication of the “Phenomenology of Spirit” 1808 Writes “Who Thinks Abstractly?”
NUREMBERG (1809-1816)1808 November Rector of the Gymnasium in Nuremberg until 1815 1811 September Marries Marie von Tucher 1812 First volume of the “Science of Logic” published 1812 October Napoleon defeated and begins retreat from Moscow 1813 Named to Lokalschulrat Second volume of “Science of Logic” published Birth of son Karl (dies 1901) 1814 Fichte dies 1814 Birth of son Immanuel (dies 1891) 1815 June Napoleon defeated at Waterloo, Congress of Vienna redraws map of Europe 1816 Third volume of “Science of Logic” published
HEIDELBERG (1816-1818)1816 University Professor in Heidelberg 1817 Publication of the “Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences” Coeditor of the Heidelberger Jahrbücher Hegel publishes in the Heidelberger Jahrbücher, “Proceedings of the Estates Assembly in the Kingdom of Württemberg 1815-1816” and articles on Jacobi. First Lectures on Aesthetics
BERLIN (1818-1831)1818 October 5 Moves to Berlin 1818 October 22 Inaugural lecture 1818 Nov. 28 Hegel becomes a member of the Gesetzlose Gesellschaft 1818 June 17 Hegel turns over guardianship of his sister, Christiane, to his cousin 1818 July 27 Hegel writes to the authorities about Asversus 1820 October Publication of “Philosophy of Right” Hegel travels in the fall to Dresden 1821 Hegel travels again in the fall to Dresden Hegel becomes dean of the philosophical faculty for a one-year term First Lectures on Philosophy of Religion 1822 Hegel writes the preface to Hinrichs’s book on the philosophy of religion Hallesche A. L. Zeitung publishes an attack on Hegel, and Hegel fails in his attempt to get the government to intercede for him First Lectures on Philosophy of History First Lectures on History of Philosophy October Trip to the Netherlands Hegel writes a memorandum on the teaching of philosophy and other subjects in the Gymnasium 1823 Hegel redeems the bond he put up for Asversus 1824 Sept/October Trips to Prague and Vienna 1824 Sep 21-Oct 5 Hegel’s stay in Vienna 1824 Nov. 4 Hegel writes the Prussian police on behalf of Victor Cousin 1826 Hegel writes “On a Complaint on Account of a Public Slander of the Catholic Religion” Hegel writes “Über die Bekehrten” (“On the Converted”) for the Berliner Schnellpost 1826 July 23 Founding of the Jahrbücher für wissenschaftliche Kritik Ludwig Fisher Hegel leaves the family (probable date) 1827 Publication begins of the Jahrbücher für wissenschaftliche Kritik New edition of the Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences 1827 Aug.-Oct. Trip to Paris Returning through Brussells, Hegel visits van Ghert, discusses Ludwig Fisher 1827 Hegel stops off in Weimar, visits with Goethe Hegel publishes “On the Episode of the Mahabharata Known as the Bhagavad-Gita by Wilhelm von Humboldt” in the Jahrbücher für Wissenschaftliche Kritik 1828 “Hamann’s Writings” in the Jahrbücher für wissenschaftliche Kritik Review of Solger in the Jahrbücher für wissenschaftliche Kritik 1829 September Trip to Prague; visit to the spa in Karlsbad where he accidentally meets Schelling; on the return trip, he visits Goethe 1829 Hegel is elected rector of the university 1830 July “Three Glorious Days” Riots in Paris 1830 Revises the Logic for a second edition Hegel publishes his review of Goeschel’s “Aphorisms on Ignorance and Absolute Knowing” in the Jahrbücher für wissenschaftliche Kritik Hegel publishes his review of “On the Hegelian Doctrine or Absolute Knowing and Modern Pantheism – On Philosophy in General and Hegel’s Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences in Particular” in the Jahrbücher für wissenschaftliche Kritik 1830 Third edition of the Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences 1830 March 6 Lunch with the royal family during which there is a remembrance of Hölderlin 1830 June 25 Latin speech on the three hundredth anniversary of the Augsburg Confession 1831 New reworking of Science of Logic, Volume I (appears 1832) Hegel publishes his review of “Ideal-realism” in the Jahrbücher für wissenschaftliche Kritik Begins preparation for reprint of The Phenomenology of Spirit unchanged “On the English Reform Bill” 1831 Nov. 14 Hegel dies in Berlin. In midst of cholera epidemic, but not of cholera
Designed: by Andy Blunden, using Terry Pinkard's Biography of Hegel and other sources.