View source for Adolph Freiherr Knigge

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Short description|German writer and leading Illuminati member (1752–1796)}}
{{more footnotes|date=February 2013}}
{{Infobox person
|image= Knigge Freiherr.jpg
|image_size= 250px
|image_caption= Freiherr Adolph Knigge
|birth_name= Adolph Franz Friedrich Ludwig Knigge
|birth_date= 16 October 1752
|birth_place= [[Wennigsen]], [[Electorate of Hanover]], [[Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation]]
|death_date= 6 May 1796 (aged 43)
|death_place= [[Free imperial city]] of [[Bremen]], [[Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation]]
|education= [[University of Göttingen]]
|nationality= [[German people|German]]
|occupation= Writer/Speaker
|children= Franz Ludwig Knigge, Philippine Auguste Amalie von Reben, Wilhelm Baron von Knigge
|parents= Carl Philipp Freiherr Knigge (father)<br />Louise Wilhelmine Knigge (mother)
|signature= Signatur Adolph Knigge.PNG
}}

'''Adolph Franz Friedrich Ludwig [[Freiherr]] Knigge''' (16 October 1752{{snd}}6 May 1796) was a [[Germans|German]] writer, [[Freemasonry|Freemason]], and a leading member of the Order of the [[Illuminati]].

[[Image:Umgang-menschen.jpg|thumb|''Über den Umgang mit Menschen'' (''On Human Relations'')]]

== Biography ==
Adolph Freiherr von Knigge was born in Bredenbeck (now a part of [[Wennigsen]], [[Lower Saxony]]) in the [[Electorate of Hanover]] as a member of the Knigge family, an old [[German nobility]] dating back to 13th century. He was the only son of Carl Philipp [[Freiherr]] Knigge (1723–1766) and his wife, Louise Wilhelmine [[Baron|Baroness]] Knigge (1730–1763), member of the same family from [[Weimar]]. When he was barely eleven, his mother died, and when his father died three years later the teenager inherited a large debt. His creditors took possession of the family property and assigned the boy a meagre pension of 500 thalers.<ref name="RLF3.2">René le Forestier, ''Les Illuminés de Bavière et la franc-maçonnerie allemande'', Paris, 1914, Book 3 Chapter 2, pp202-226</ref>

He studied law from 1769 to 1772 in [[Göttingen]] where he became a member of Corps Hannovera. He was allegedly [[initiation|initiated]] into Freemasonry in 1772 in [[Kassel]], where he held a position as Court Squire (''[[hofjunker]]'') and Assessor of the War and Domains Exchequer.  In 1777 he became Chamberlain at the [[Weimar]] court.

In 1780 Knigge joined [[Adam Weishaupt]]'s [[Bavaria]]n [[Illuminati]] and his work with the Illuminati gave the group a great deal of publicity and influence of Masonic [[chapter (religion)|chapters]].<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/d-50h9nDugk Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20191106080619/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-50h9nDugk Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite video|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-50h9nDugk&feature=youtu.be&t=105|title=Are the illuminati real?|author=Chip Berlet|author-link=Chip Berlet|date=31 October 2019|publisher=[[TED-Ed]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> But in 1783 dissensions arose between Knigge and Weishaupt, which resulted in Knigge's final withdrawal from the group on 1 July 1784. Knigge stated that he could no longer endure Weishaupt's pedantic domineering, which frequently assumed offensive forms. He accused Weishaupt of "Jesuitism", and suspected him of being "a [[Jesuit]] in disguise" (Nachtr., I, 129). "And was I", he adds, "to labour under his banner for mankind, to lead men under the yoke of so stiff-necked a fellow?—Never!"

Knigge's involvement with the Illuminati, support of the advancement of [[human rights]], and a period of serious illness led to the loss of support of his aristocratic sponsors and finally his fortune. Knigge found a measure of financial stability again with a position in [[Bremen (city)|Bremen]] in 1790. He died in Bremen in 1796.

In [[Germany]], Knigge is best remembered for his book ''Über den Umgang mit Menschen'' (''{{vanchor|On Human Relations}}''), a treatise on the fundamental principles of human relations that has the reputation of being the authoritative guide to behaviour, politeness, and etiquette. The work is more of a sociological and philosophical treatise on the basis of human relations than a how-to guide on etiquette, but the German word “Knigge” has come to mean “good manners” or books on etiquette.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Works ==
* ''Allgemeines System für das Volk zur Grundlage aller Erkenntnisse für Menschen aus allen Nationen, Ständen und Religionen'' (''General System for the Public, Towards a Foundation of all Knowledge of People of all Nations, Conditions, and Religions''), 1778
* ''Der Roman meines Lebens'' (''The Story of my Life''), 1781
* ''On the Jesuits, Freemasons, and Rosicrucians'', 1781
* ''Sechs Predigten gegen Despotismus, Dummheit, Aberglauben, Ungerechtigkeit, Untreue und Müßiggang'' (''Six Sermons against Despotism, Stupidity, Superstition, Injustice, Mistruth, and Idleness''), 1783
* ''Geschichte Peter Clausens'' (''The History of Peter Clausen''), 1783–85
* ''Gesammelte politische und prosaische kleinere Schriften'' (''Collected Political and Prosaic Lesser Writings''), 1784
* ''Essay on Freemasonry'', 1784
* ''Contribution towards the latest history of the Order of Freemasons'', 1786
* ''Bekenntnisse (Übersetzung des [[Jean-Jacques Rousseau|Rousseau]]schen Werks aus dem Französischen)'' (''Confessions–Translation of the Works of Rousseau from the French''), 1786–90
* ''Die Verirrungen des Philosophen oder Geschichte Ludwigs von Seelbergs'' (''The Errors of the Philosopher, or Story of Ludwig von Seelberg''), 1787
* ''Philo's endliche Antwort auf verschiedene Anforderungen und Fragen, meine Verbindung mit dem Orden der Illuminaten betreffend'' (''Philo’s Reply To Questions Concerning His Association With the Illuminati''), 1788, 2012 {{ISBN|978-1-105-60407-2}}
* ''Über den Umgang mit Menschen'' (''On Human Relations''), 1788
* ''Geschichte des armen Herrn von Mildenberg'' (''The Story of the Poor Herr von Mildenberg''), 1789
* ''Benjamin Noldmanns Geschichte der Aufklärung in Abyssinien'' (''Benjamin Noldmann's History of the Enlightenment in [[Ethiopia|Abyssinia]]''), novel, 1790
* ''Über den Zustand des geselligen Lebens in den vereinigten Niederlanden'' (''On the Conditions of Social Life in the United Netherlands''), 1790
* ''Das Zauberschloß oder Geschichte des Grafen Tunger'' (''The Enchanted Castle, or the History of Count Tunger''), novel, 1791
* ''Politisches Glaubensbekenntnis von Joseph Wurmbrand'' (''The Political Credo of Joseph Wurmbrand''), Essay, 1792
* ''Die Reise nach Braunschweig'' (''The Journey to [[Braunschweig|Brunswick]]''), novel, 1792
* ''Erläuterungen über die Rechte des Menschen. Für die Deutschen'' (''Elucidations on the Rights of Men. For the Germans''), 1792
* ''Über Schriftsteller und Schriftstellerey'' (''Of Writers and Writing''), essay, 1793
* ''Geschichte des Amtsraths Guthmann'' (''The Story of Amtsrath Guthmann''), 1794
* ''Reise nach Fritzlar im Sommer 1794'' (''Journey to [[Fritzlar]] in Summer 1794''), satire, 1795
* ''The Secret School of Wisdom: The Authentic Rituals and Doctrines of the Illuminati,'' edited by Josef Wäges and Reinhard Markner, London: Lewis Masonic, 2015 (contains contributions by Knigge)

== External links ==
{{wikiquote}}
{{EB1911 poster|Knigge, Adolf Franz Friedrich}}
{{Americana Poster|Knigge, Adolphus Francis Frederic Louis, Baron de|Adolph Freiherr Knigge}}
* [https://www.projekt-gutenberg.org/autoren/namen/knigge.html Biography of Knigge and links to several of Knigge's works online at Project Gutenberg-DE] (in [[German language]])
* Full text of the first American edition (in English) by Peter Will (1805) of: "Über den Umgang mit Menschen" entitled: "''[https://books.google.com/books?id=PtQGAAAAcAAJ&q=%22Practical+Philosophy+of+Social+Life Practical philosophy of social life or, The art of conversing with men]''", downloadable (open access) from Google books.
* [https://www.projekt-gutenberg.org/knigge/umgang/ Full text of Knigge's "Über den Umgang mit Menschen"] (in [[German language]]) from Project Gutenberg-DE
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071121103101/http://www.zeno.org/Kulturgeschichte/M/Knigge%2C%20Adolph%20Freiherr%20von Some of Knigge's major works, original German texts based on late 18th century editions]
{{See also|Knigge}}

{{Illuminati}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knigge, Adolph}}
[[Category:1752 births]]
[[Category:1796 deaths]]
[[Category:18th-century German people]]
[[Category:18th-century German writers]]
[[Category:German non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:Lower Saxon nobility]]
[[Category:People from the Electorate of Hanover]]
[[Category:People from Hanover Region]]
[[Category:German barons]]
[[Category:German Freemasons]]
[[Category:German male non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:18th-century German male writers]]