Ernst Ortlepp

Who was Ernst Ortlepp?

Ernst Ortlepp was a German poet.

Ortlepp was born in Droyßig near Zeitz as the son of a Lutheran priest. He went to school in Pforta until he was 19 years old and then studied theology and philosophy in Leipzig. He left the university in 1824 without taking a degree.

Ortlepp returned to Leipzig during the thirties of the 19th century and became famous for his political poems. Some of them were dedicated to Poland and its struggle for independence. Around this time he became an acquaintance of the young Richard Wagner. His critical statements in Fieschi alarmed the Austrian statesman Metternich, who used his power to forbid the further publishment of this poem. Ortlepp finally became Leipzig's persona non grata in 1836.

He went to Württemberg, where he lived since 1837. In this period he made a living by translating the works of other poets like Lord Byron. Ortlepp tried to create a national poem, which he called Germania, during the Revolution of 1848. His financial situation worsened and he was thrown out of Württemberg in 1853. He then returned to his homeland.

Ortlepp's life became even more unstable, after his failed attempt to become a college-teacher in 1856.