Education
From 1832 he studied theology in Berlin, but his interest changed to history under the influence of Leopold von Ranke (1795-1886).
historian university professor
From 1832 he studied theology in Berlin, but his interest changed to history under the influence of Leopold von Ranke (1795-1886).
From 1838 to 1842, he taught classes at the Joachimsthal gymnasium in Berlin, subsequently becoming associated with the Monumenta Germaniae Historica. From 1850 to 1867, he taught history classes at the Kriegsakademie (War Academy of Berlin). He received the title of associate professor in 1856.
During the March Revolution of 1848, he was an advocate for German unity, publishing a series of articles calling for the end of German Kleinstaaterei.
With Georg Waitz (1813-1886), Wilhelm von Giesebrecht (1814-1889) and Siegfried Hirsch (1816-1860), he was an early member of the so-called "Ranke school" of historians.