Josef Anton Henne
Who was Josef Anton Henne?
Swiss historian (1798-1870)
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Josef Anton Henne (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Josef Anton Henne, known as Anton Henne, was born on 22 July 1798 in Sargans, Switzerland. His paternal grandparents had moved there from Allgäu, Bavaria. He joined Pfävers abbey at twelve and became a novice at seventeen. However, after a period of uncertainty, he left the monastery on his nineteenth birthday, 22 July 1817. He then pursued education in Lucerne and at the universities of Heidelberg and Freiburg, building the knowledge that would shape his career as a historian, educator, and public figure. In 1826, he became the curator of the St. Gallen Abbey Library, which gave him access to primary sources and put him at the heart of Catholic intellectual activity in the canton.
Henne became a well-known historian with the publication of the first volume of his popular "History of Switzerland" in 1828, covering up to the year 1400. He aimed to challenge the work of Heinrich Zschokke, who had written a notable liberal account of Swiss history. Their intellectual rivalry went public in 1830, when Zschokke published a critical review of "Der Freimüthige," a weekly journal that Henne edited from 1830 to 1838. This exchange highlighted the larger ideological clashes of the time between liberal Protestant and conservative Catholic views on Swiss identity and history. Henne completed his main work on Swiss history with the second and third volumes in 1834 and 1835.
Besides his writing, Henne played a role in shaping the political landscape of the canton of St. Gallen. He helped mediate between supporters of direct democracy and those favoring representational government, introducing the facultative referendum as a compromise. Starting in 1833, he served as president of the Catholic educational council and started the journal "Der Gärtner." In 1834, he became a professor of history and geography at a new Catholic high school in St. Gallen, which was organized according to his educational principles. He also published a speculative work on early Swiss history in 1837, showing his interest in pre-medieval origins.
In 1841, tensions with Catholic authorities led to his dismissal from the cantonal school. Henne then took a professorship in history at the newly established University of Berne, where he taught until 1855. During this time, he began a world history project, producing two volumes. After leaving Berne, he continued to write and stayed active in Swiss intellectual circles. He died on 22 November 1870 in Wolfhalden, Appenzell, at seventy-two.
Before Fame
Josef Anton Henne grew up in Sargans in the canton of St. Gallen during a time of major changes in Switzerland following the Napoleonic reorganization of the Swiss Confederation. He joined Pfävers Abbey at twelve, influenced by the Catholic tradition in the area and the limited educational options for talented boys from modest backgrounds. When he left the monastery in 1817, he aimed his intellectual energy toward formal studies, attending schools in Lucerne, Heidelberg, and Freiburg.
In 1826, he became the curator of the St. Gallen Abbey Library, marking his shift from student to professional scholar. This role gave him access to historical manuscripts and rare texts and connected him to networks of Catholic learning and cantonal politics. From this position, he began his career as a historian and public intellectual, publishing the first volume of his History of Switzerland just two years later.
Key Achievements
- Published a three-volume History of Switzerland (1828, 1834, 1835) as an alternative to the liberal historiography of Heinrich Zschokke
- Appointed curator of the St. Gallen Abbey Library in 1826, becoming a leading figure in Catholic intellectual life in the canton
- Introduced the facultative referendum as a political compromise during the formation of the modern canton of St. Gallen
- Served as professor of history at the University of Berne from the institution's founding until 1855
- Founded and edited the weekly journal Der Freimüthige from 1830 to 1838 and established the Catholic educational journal Der Gärtner
Did You Know?
- 01.Henne left Pfävers abbey on his nineteenth birthday, 22 July 1817, exactly coinciding with the date of his birth in 1798.
- 02.His paternal grandparents had migrated to Sargans from Allgäu in Bavaria, making him of German immigrant stock despite being a prominent Swiss patriot and historian.
- 03.He is credited with introducing the facultative referendum as a political compromise in St. Gallen, a mechanism that became a defining feature of Swiss democracy.
- 04.His public dispute with Heinrich Zschokke over the writing of Swiss history was conducted partly through Zschokke's own journal, the Schweizerboten, giving the debate wide public visibility.
- 05.He founded the journal Der Gärtner while serving as president of the Catholic educational council, using periodical publishing as a tool for educational and cultural influence.