Christian Thomasius

Christian Thomasius (1 January 1655 – 23 September 1728) was a German jurist and philosopher. The German Enlightenment "supposedly" began with him. He was born in Leipzig and educated by his father, Jakob Thomasius, a lecturer at Leipzig University. He studied law at the University of Frankfurt (Oder), completing his doctorate in 1679. In 1680, he married Anna Christine Heyland and started a legal practice in Leipzig, also beginning to teach at the university’s law school the following year. In 1684 he became professor of natural law. In 1687, he made the innovation of lecturing in German instead of Latin, marking a significant moment for the German Enlightenment. He also published a monthly periodical where he ridiculed pedantic weaknesses and supported the Pietists. In consequence of his views, he was denounced and ordered arrested in 1690, escaping to Berlin. Elector Frederick III offered him refuge in Halle, where he helped found the University of Halle in 1694, becoming a professor of law and eventually rector. Thomasius prepared the way for major reforms in philosophy, law, literature, social life, and theology, aiming to introduce a rational, common-sense viewpoint and apply divine and human sciences to everyday life. He sought to free politics and jurisprudence from theological control, advocating for freedom of thought and speech, and opposing the prosecution of witches and the use of torture. He died in Halle in 1728.