Biography.guide
Home › People › Politician › Eberhard Gothein
Portrait of Eberhard Gothein

Eberhard Gothein

1853 – 1923

German politician and economist

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Eberhard Gothein

Lived 1853 – 1923 (aged 70). Eberhard Gothein was a German politician, economist, university teacher, historian and jurist.

Eberhard H. Gothein (29 October 1853 in Neumarkt – 13 November 1923 in Berlin) was a German economist and historian. Gothein was a professor at University of Karlsruhe, University of Bonn (1890), and Heidelberg University (1904). He was a representative of the liberal-positivist opposition against the Prussian historical school of Heinrich von Treitschke and Heinrich von Sybel, which was prevalent in Germany. Gothein was the author of valuable works on cultural and economic history, primarily of the 15th to 17th centuries. Furthermore, he was one of the founding fathers of the University of Mannheim's predecessor, the Handelshochschule Mannheim.

Early life On 29 October 1853, Gothein was born in Neumarkt, Silesia, Prussia.

Education Gothein studied history, arts and economics at the University of Wrocław and the Heidelberg University until 1877, when he obtained his Ph.D. Gothein finished his habilitation in 1878 in Wrocław.

Life

Later, Gothein, together with Mannheim's senior mayor Otto Beck, initiated the foundation of the Handelshochschule Mannheim to revive academic education in Mannheim.

Publications Der gemeine Pfennig auf dem Reichstage von Worms. Dissertation. Breslau 1877. Politische und religiöse Volksbewegungen vor der Reformation. Breslau 1878 Die Aufgaben der Kulturgeschichte. Veit & Comp, Leipzig 1889. Wirtschaftsgeschichte des Schwarzwaldes und der angrenzenden Landschaften. Trübner, Strasbourg 1892. Die badischen Markgrafschaften im 16. Jahrhundert. Winter, Heidelberg 1910. Die Renaissance in Süditalien. Duncker & Humblot, Munich 1924.

Literature

Andreas Cser: Eberhard Gothein (1853-1923). Max Webers Nachfolger auf dem Heidelberger Lehrstuhl [für Nationalökonomie]. Aspekte seiner Wissenschaftsbiographie. In: Heidelberg. Jahrbuch zur Geschichte der Stadt 11, 2006/07, S. 57–82. Marie Luise Gothein: Eberhard Gothein. Ein Lebensbild. Seinen Briefen nacherzählt. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1931. Michael Maurer: Eberhard Gothein (1853-1923). Leben und Werk zwischen Kulturgeschichte und Nationalökonomie. Böhlau, Köln u.a. 2007, Michael Maurer, Johanna Sänger und Editha Ulrich (Hrsg.): „Im Schaffen geniessen.“ Der Briefwechsel der Kulturwissenschaftler Eberhard und Maria Luise Gothein (1883-1923). Böhlau, Köln u.a. 2006, Dagmar Drüll: Heidelberger Gelehrtenlexikon 1803-1932. ( Hrsg.): Rektorat der Ruprecht-Karls-Universität-Heidelberg. Springer Berlin Heidelberg Tokio. 2012. 324 S.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
Heidelberg University, University of Wrocław
Employers
University of Bonn, Heidelberg University, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Family & relationships

Spouse
Marie-Luise Gothein

People in Eberhard Gothein's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Eberhard Gothein's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Eberhard Gothein?

German politician and economist (1853-1923)

When was Eberhard Gothein born?

Eberhard Gothein was born on 29 October 1853 in Środa Śląska.

When did Eberhard Gothein die?

Eberhard Gothein died on 13 November 1923 in Berlin.

What was Eberhard Gothein's occupation?

Eberhard Gothein was a politician, economist, university teacher, historian and jurist.

What nationality was Eberhard Gothein?

Eberhard Gothein was German.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Eberhard Gothein

· Wikidata: Q100765

· DBpedia: Eberhard Gothein

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Eberhard Gothein. https://biography.guide/eberhard-gothein/

MLA: "Eberhard Gothein." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/eberhard-gothein/.

Chicago: "Eberhard Gothein." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/eberhard-gothein/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence

Page generated 2026-09-27 04:57 UTC