August Michael von Bulmerincq (12 August [O.S. 31 July] 1822 – 18 August 1890)
Biography
editAugust von Bulmerincq came from a wealthy Baltic German family. The family traced its origins to Scotland but had settled first in Lübeck and in the 17th century moved to Riga, where August von Bulmerincq was born.[1] At the time of his birth, Riga was part of the Russian Empire, and the administrative centre of the Governorate of Livonia. His father was a succesful merchant and an alderman at the Great Guild in Riga.[2]
August von Bulmerincq moved to Tartu (at the time known mainly by its German name Dorpat) and began studying law in 1841. At the time, the language of instruction at the University of Tartu was German. He became a candidate of law in 1847 and then briefly attended Heidelberg University, before returning to his native land in 1848 on account of the Revolutions of 1848. He began practicing law in Riga, and at the same time continued his legal studies. In 1849 he attained his master's degree. He remained in Riga until 1853, when he moved permanently to Tartu to pursue his academic career. He attained the degree of Privatdozent in 1854. Two years later he produced his doctoral thesis, and from then on worked mainly in the field of international law. The subject had been only tentatively studied and taught in Tartu before.[3] From 1858 he was ordinary professor in public law, international law and politics. He stayed in Tartu until his retirement in 1874.[3] The year before his retirement, he was invited to participate at the founding of the Institut de Droit International in Ghent, but could not attend since the invitation did not reach him in time. He was later however counted among those who had been members since the foundation of the institute, and would become one of its most active members.[4] During his time as professor, a number of works focused on the theory and history of international law were produced under his supervision; among his students were statistician and economist Witold Załęski.[5]
Besides his academic career, Bulmerincq was also active in philanthropic societies and in public life. In 1863 he founded a journal dedicated to economy and agriculture, and he was also the organiser of the first agricultural congress in the present-day Baltic states.[6]
After his retirement, Bulmerincq moved to Wiesbaden in present-day Germany.[7] Following the death of Johann Kaspar Bluntschli, Bulmerincq was given the char of international law at Heidelberg University, which he maintained until his death.[8] He died in Stuttgart on 18 August 1890.[9]
Contributions to international law
editPolitical views
editReferences
edit- ^ Mälksoo 2005, pp. 12–13.
- ^ Mälksoo 2005, p. 13.
- ^ a b Mälksoo 2005, pp. 13–15.
- ^ Mälksoo 2005, pp. 15–17.
- ^ Mälksoo 2005, p. 14.
- ^ Mälksoo 2005, pp. 12–14.
- ^ Mälksoo 2005, p. 17.
- ^ Mälksoo 2005, p. 18.
- ^ Mälksoo 2005, p. 12.
Sources cited
edit- Erochin, Alexander (2019). "August Michael von Bulmerincq". In Winfried, Böttcher (ed.). Europas vergessene Visionäre: Rückbesinnung in Zeiten akuter Krisen (in German). Baden-Baden: Nomos. pp. 272–280. ISBN 978-3-8487-4583-8.
- Kleinschmidt, Harald (2016). "The Family of Nations as an Element of the Ideology of Colonialism". Journal of the History of International Law / Revue d'histoire du droit international. 18: 278–316. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- Mälksoo, Lauri (2005). "The Context of International Legal Arguments: 'Positivist' International Law Scholar August von Bulmerincq (1822-1890) and His Concept of Politics" (PDF). IILJ Working Paper (13). New York University School of Law. ISSN 1552-6275. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- Simon, Hendrik (2018). "The Myth of 'Liberum Ius ad Bellum': Justifying War in 19th-Century Legal Theory and Political Practice". The European Journal of International Law. 29 (1): 113–136. Retrieved 12 August 2024.