The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Knigge, Adolphus Francis Frederic Louis, Baron de

KNIGGE, Adolphus Francis Frederic Louis,, German author: b. Brendenbeck, near Hanover, 16 Oct 1752; d. Bremen, 6 May 1796. In 1769 he went to the University of Göttingen, where he studied law, later became assessor at Cassel, in 1777 was made a chamberlain at Weimar, and finally in 1791,

after leading a very unsettled life, became a resident of Bremen. Here he joined the Illuminati and later became implicated in the disputes relating to that secret order. Of his writings by far the most important is his &lsquo;Ueber den Umgang mit Menschen&rsquo; (&lsquo;On Intercourse with Men &rsquo; ), which contains much good advice and a collection of upright methods of living so as to get the greatest joy and happiness at the same time being useful. Of his other works those most read were &lsquo;Die Roman meines Lebens&rsquo; (1781-87); and &lsquo;Die Reise nach Braunschweig&rsquo; (1792), a humorous romance; and &lsquo;Des seligen Etatsrates von Schafskoff hinterlassene Papiere&rsquo; (1792). Consult Goedeke, &lsquo;Adolf Freiherr Knigge&rsquo; (1844).