Arnim

ARNIM, ELISABETH (BETTINA) VON (1785-1859), German authoress, sister of Klemens Brentano, was born at Frankforton-Main on the 4th of April 1785. After being educated at a convent school in Fritzlar, she lived for a while with her grandmother, the novelist, Sophie Laroche (1731-1807), at Offenbach, and from 1803 to 1806 with her brother-in-law, Friedrich von Savigny, the famous jurist, at Marburg. In 1807 she made at Weimar the acquaintance of Goethe, for whom she entertained a violent passion, which the poet, although entering into correspondence with her, did not requite, but only regarded as a harmless fancy. Their friendship came to an abrupt end in 1811, owing to " Bettina's " insolent behaviour to Goethe's wife. In this year she married Ludwig Achim von Arnim (?.».), by whom she had seven children. After her husband's death in 1831, her passion for Goethe revived, and in 1835 she published her remarkable book, Goethes Briefwechsel mil einem Kinde, which purported to be a correspondence between herself and the poet.

Regarded at first as genuine, it was afterwards for many years looked upon as wholly fictitious, until the publication in 1879 of G. von Loeper's Briefe Goethes an Sophie Laroche und Bettina Brentano, nebst dichterischen Bettagen, which proved it to be based on authentic material, though treated with the greatest poetical licence. Equally fantastic is her correspondence Die Gunderode (1840), with her unhappy friend, the poet, Karoline von Gtinderode (1780-1806), who committed suicide, and that with her brother Klemens Brentano, under the title Klemens Brentanos Fruhlingskranz (1844). She also published Dies Buck gehort dent Kdnig (1843), in which she advocated the emancipation of the Jews, and the abolition of capital punishment. Among her other works may be mentioned Ilius Pamphilius und die Ambrosia (1848), also a supposititious correspondence. In all her writings she showed real poetical genius, combined with evidence of an unbalanced mind and a mannerism which becomes tiresome. She died at Berlin on the 2oth of January 1859. Part of a design by her for a colossal statue of Goethe, executed in marble by the sculptor Karl Steinhauser (1813-1878), is in the museum at Weimar.

Her collected works (Samttiche Schriften) were published in Berlin in II vols., 1853. Goethe's Briefwechsel mil einem Kinde has been edited by H. Grimm (4th ed., Berlin, 1890). See also C. Albert!, B. von Arnim (Leipzig, 1885); Moritz Carriere, Bettina von Arnim (Breslau, 1887), and the literature cited under Ludwig von Arnim. ARNIM, HARRY KARL KURT EDUARD VON, COUNT (18241881), German diplomatist, was a member of one of the most numerous and most widely spread families of the Prussian nobility. He was born in Pomerania on the 3rd of October 1824, and brought up by his uncle Heinrich von Arnim, who was Prussian ambassador at Paris and foreign minister from March to June 1848, while Count Arnim-Boytzenburg, whose daughter Harry von Arnim afterwards married, was ministerpresident. It is noticeable that the uncle was brought before a court of justice and fined for publishing a pamphlet directed against the ministry of Manteuffel. After holding other posts in the diplomatic service Arnim was in 1864 appointed Prussian envoy (and in 1867 envoy of the North German Confederation)at the papal court.

In 1 869 he proposed that the governments should appoint representatives to be present at the Vatican council, a suggestion which was rejected by Bismarck, and foretold that the promulgation of papal infallibility would bring serious political difficulties. After the recall of the French troops from Rome he attempted unsuccessfully to mediate between the pope and the Italian government. He was appointed in 1871 German commissioner to arrange the final treaty with France, a task which he carried out with such success that in 1871 he was appointed German envoy at Paris, and in 1872 received his definite appointment as ambassador, a post of the greatest difficulty and responsibility. Differences soon arose between him and Bismarck; he wished to support the monarchical party which was trying to overthrow Thiers, while Bismarck ordered him to stand aloof from all French parties; he did not give that implicit obedience to his instructions which Bismarck required. Bismarck, however, was unable to recall him because of the great influence which he enjoyed at court and the confidence which the emperor placed in him.

He was looked upon by the Conservative party, who were trying to overthrow Bismarck, as his successor, and it is said that he was closely connected with the court intrigues against the chancellor. In the beginning of 1874 he was recalled and appointed to the embassy at Constantinople, but this appointment was immediately revoked. A Vienna newspaper published some correspondence on the Vatican council, including confidential despatches of Arnim's, with the object of showing that he had shown greater foresight than Bismarck. It was then found that a considerable number of papers were missing from the Paris embassy, and on the 4th of October Arnim was arrested on the charge of embezzling state papers. This recourse to the criminal law against a man of his rank, who had held one of the most important diplomatic posts, caused great astonishment. His defence was that the papers were not official, and he was acquitted on the charge of embezzlement, but convicted of undue delay in restoring official papers and condemned to three months' imprisonment. On appeal the sentence was increased to nine months.

Arnim avoided imprisonment by leaving the country, and in 1875 published anonymously at Zurich a pamphlet entitled " Pro nihilo," in which he attempted to show that the [attack on him was caused by Bismarck's personal jealousy. For this he was accused of treason, insult to the emperor, and libelling Bismarck, and in his absence condemned to five years' penal servitude. From his exile in Austria he published two more pamphlets on the ecclesiastical policy of Prussia, " Der Nunzius kommt! " (Vienna, 1878), and " Quid faciamus nos?" (ib. 1879). He made repeated attempts, which were supported by his family, to be allowed to return to Germany in order to take his trial afresh on the charge of treason; his request had just been granted when he died on the igth of May 1881. In 1876 Bismarck carried an amendment to the criminal code making it an offence punishable with imprisonment or a fine up to £250 for an official of the foreign office to communicate to others official documents, or for an envoy to act contrary to his instructions. These clauses are commonly spoken of in Germany as the "Arnim paragraphs." (J. W. HE.) ARNIM, LUDWIG ACHIM (JOACHIM) VON (1781-1831), German poet and novelist, was born at Berlin on the 26th of January 1781.

He studied natural science at Halle and ARNIM-BOYTZENBURG— ARNO Gottingcn, and published one or two essays on scientific subjects; but his bent was from the first towards literature. From the earlier writings of Goethe and Herder he learned to appreciate the beauties of German traditional legends and folk-songs; and, forming a collection of these, published the result (18061808), in collaboration with Klcmcns Brentano (q.v.) under the title DCS Knaktn \Vunderhorn. From 1810 onward he lived with his wife Hcttina, Brentano's sister, alternately at Berlin and on his estate at Wicpersdorf, near Dahme in Brandenburg, where he died on the aist of January 1831. Arnim was a prolific and versatile writer, gifted with a sense of humour and a refined imagination — qualities shown in the best-known of his works, />« Knaben Wunderkorn, deficient as this is in the philological accuracy and faithfulness to original sources which would now be expected of such a compilation. In general, however, his writings, full as they are of the exaggerated sentiment and affectations of 'the romantic school, make but little appeal to modern taste.

There are possible exceptions, such as the short stories Fiirst Ganzgott und Sitnger Halbgott and Der totte Involute aufdem Fort Ratonneau and the unfinished romance Die KronenwScMter (1817), which promised to develop into one of the finest historical romances of the iqth century. Among Arnim's other works may be mentioned Hollins LiebesUben (1802), Der Wintergarten (1809), a collection of tales; Armut, Reicktum Schuld, und Busse der Gritfin Z)o/or«(i8io),anovel; Halle und Jerusalem (i8ti), a dramatic romance; and one or two smaller novels, such as Isabella von Agypten (1812). Arnim's Sdmtiuhe Werke were edited by his widow and published in Berlin in 1839-18.10; second edition in 32 volt., 1853-1856. Selections have been edited by J. Dohmke (1892) ; M. Koch, Arnim, Klemens und Bettina Brentano, Gorres (1803). Dei K naben Wunderhorn has been frequently republished, the best edition being that of A. Birlinger and W. Crecelius (2 vols., 1872-1876). See R. Steig, Ackim ton Arnim und Klemens Brentano (1894). ARNIM-BOYTZENBURG. HANS GEORO VOM (1581-1641), German general and diplomatist, was born in 1581 at Boytzenburg in Brandenburg.

From 1613 to 1617 he served in the Swedish army under Gustavus Adolphus, took part in the Russian War, and afterwards fought against the Turks in the service of the king of Poland. In 1626, though a Protestant, he was induced by Wallenstcin to join the new imperial army, in which he quickly rose to the rank of field marshal, and won the esteem of his soldiers as well as that of his commander, whose close friend and faithful ally he became. This attachment to Wallenstcin, and a spirit of religious toleration, were the leading motives of a strange career of military and political inconstancy. Thus the dismissal of Wallcnstein and the perilous condition of German Protestantism after the edict of Restitution combined to induce Arnim to quit the imperial service for that of the elector of Saxony. He had served under Gustavus many years before, and later he had defeated him in the field, when in command of a Polish army; the fortune of war now placed Arnim at the head of the Saxon army which fought by the side of the Swedes at Breitenfeld (1631), and indeed the alliance of these two Protestant powers in the cause of their common religion was largely his work.

The reappearances of Wallenstein, however, caused him to hesitate and open negotiations, though he did not attempt to conceal his proceedings from the elector and Gustavus. During the LUtzen campaign, Arnim was operating with success at the head of an allied army in Silesia. In the following year he was under the hard necessity of ppposing his old friend in the field, but little was done by either; the complicated political situation which followed the death of Gustavus at LQtzen led him into a renewal of the private negotiations of the previous year, though he did nothing actually treasonable in his relations with Wallenstein. In 1634 Wallenstein was assassinated, and Arnim began at once more active operations. He won an important victory at Liegnitz in May 1634, but from this time he became more and more estranged from the Swedes. The peace of Prague followed, in which Arnim's part, though considerable, was not all-important (1635). Soon after this event he refused an offer of high command in the French army and retired from active life. From 1637 to 1638 he was imprisoned in Stockholm, having been seized at Boytzenburg by the Swedes on suspicion of being concerned in various intrigues.

He made his escape ultimately, and returned to Saxony. Arnim died suddenly at Dresden in 1641, whilst engaged in raising an army to free German soil from foreign armies of all kinds. (Sec THIRTY YEARS' WAR.) See K. G. Helbig, " Wallenstein und Arnim " (1850) and " Der Pragcr Kriccle," in Kaumrr's llistoritcket Tatchenbuch (1858); abo E. D. M. Kirch ner. Das ScUoss Boytzenburg, ffc. (1860) and Arckn fur die sdchsiscke Gesckickle, vol. viii. (1870).