author

Heinrich Moritz Gottlieb Grellmann

1756–1804

A German scholar of the late Enlightenment, he became known for early work in cultural history and statistics, and for one of the first widely read studies of Roma people in Europe. His career took him from Jena and Göttingen to Moscow, where it ended suddenly in 1804.

1 Audiobook

Dissertation on the Gipseys

Dissertation on the Gipseys

by Heinrich Moritz Gottlieb Grellmann

About the author

Born in Jena on December 7, 1756, Heinrich Moritz Gottlieb Grellmann was a German cultural historian and statistician. He studied at the University of Jena and later built his academic career at Göttingen, becoming a professor there before accepting a post at Moscow University.

He is best remembered for his research on Roma communities, work that made him an early and influential figure in what was then called "Gypsy studies." Modern readers should know that this field was shaped by the assumptions of its time, but Grellmann's writing was widely noticed and helped fix his reputation as a scholar of cultural history.

In 1804 he moved to Moscow to serve as professor of statistics, but died there on October 13, 1804, not long after taking up the position. The main confirmed outlines of his life are clear, though readily available sources offer little vivid personal detail beyond his academic path and publications.