Ritter von Anselm Feuerbach

Born on November 14, 1775, in Hainichen near Jena, Paul Johann Anselm Ritter von Feuerbach became one of the most important German legal scholars of his time. He studied at the University of Jena and built his reputation through major work in criminal law, eventually serving in Bavaria, where his ideas had wide practical impact.

Feuerbach is best known for his role in reforming the Bavarian penal code. He argued that criminal law should be clearly written and consistently applied, and his reforms helped abolish torture in Bavaria. His legal thinking influenced later developments well beyond his own state and helped shape modern German criminal law.

He also became widely associated with the mysterious case of Kaspar Hauser, which he investigated and wrote about near the end of his life. Feuerbach died in Frankfurt am Main on May 29, 1833. He was also the father of philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach, linking him to another major intellectual tradition of the 19th century.