Schuster:Karl Theodor von Heigel (1842-

The name Karl Theodor von Heigel (1842-1915) is now only known to specialists. This is surprising, as Heigel was not only a respected scientist in his time, but also served as the president of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, leading the scientific community in Bavaria for over a decade. As a sought-after publicist and speaker, he exerted considerable influence on public opinion. The story of his professional rise is closely linked to the political, cultural, and social conditions in Bavaria after the founding of the German Empire. His impressive career was largely due to an influential network that reached as far as King Ludwig II. Heigel's biography not only recounts a tumultuous era in Bavarian and German history but also traces the trends and developments in Bavarian historiography and historical politics.