Johan Nicolai Madvig

Who was Johan Nicolai Madvig?

Johan Nicolai Madvig, was a Danish philologist and Kultus Minister.

He was born on the island of Bornholm. He was educated at the classical school of Frederiksborg and the University of Copenhagen. In 1828 he became reader, and in 1829 professor of Latin language and literature at Copenhagen, and in 1832 was appointed university librarian. In 1848 Madvig entered parliament as a member of the "Eider-Danish" part—those who desired the Eider to be the boundary of the country. When this party came into power Madvig became Kultus Minister in the Cabinet of Moltke II and III, but left the cabinet on 7 December 1851 as a protest against the government's unity state program. In 1852 be became director of public instruction.

Some years later, from 1856 to 1863, Madvig was president of the Danish parliament and leader of the National Liberal Party. With these brief interruptions the greater part of his life was devoted to the study and teaching of Latin and the improvement of the classical schools, of which he was chief inspector. As a critic he was distinguished for learning and acumen.