Christian Molbech

Christian Molbech, drawing by J.V. Gertner.

Christian Molbech (8 October 1783 – 23 June 1857) was a Danish historian, literary critic, writer, and editor of historical sources.

Early life and education

Christian Molbech was born and raised in Sorø, the son of professor at Sorø Academy Johan Christian Molbech (1744-1824) and Louise Philippine Friederike Tübell (1760-1829). He graduated from Sorø Academy in 1802.

Career

Molbech was employed at the Royal Danish Library in 1804. He was thus never formally trained as a historian. In 1829 he succeeded Knud Lyne Rahbek as professor of literature at the University of Copenhagen. He also functioned as the director of the Royal Danish Theatre from 1830 to 1842.

In 1839 he participated in the founding of the Danish Historical Society, and he was a founder of the Historisk Tidsskrift, which is the oldest still published scientific historical journal in the world.

Molbech also wrote various philological works, including The Danish Dictionary ("Dansk Ordbog" 1828–1833) and the "Danish Dialect Dictionary" ("Dansk Dialektleksikon 1833-1841).

Furthermore he wrote the "Historical Annals for Enlightenment and Education in the History of the North, specifically the History of Denmark" (3 volumes, 1845–1851), which was meant as a reference work for historians and which was groundbreaking in the establishment of the chronology of Danish history.

As a literary critic, he was infamous for his devastating reviews of the works of Hans Christian Andersen and Bernhard Severin Ingemann.

Personal life

Molbech met Johanne Christine Langberg (0 April 1793 - 24 July 1879) at Bakkehuset6 and they married on 23 October 1820. She was the daughter of dispachør and later justitsråd Knud Engelbreth Langberg (1760-1833) and Birgitte Marie Jacobsen (c. 1769-1829).^[1] They were the parents of Chr. K. F. Molbech.

Sources

• Danish Biographical Encyclopedia, volume XI, 1. edition 1887-1905.

References