Bernhard Windscheid

Bernhard Windscheid (26 June 1817 – 26 October 1892[1]) was a German jurist and a member of the pandectistic school of law thought.

Bernhard Windscheid
Born	Josef Hubert Bernhard Windscheid 26 June 1817 Düsseldorf, Prussia
Died	26 October 1892 (aged 75) Leipzig, German Empire
Resting place	Neuen Johannisfriedhof
Spouse(s)	Charlotte Windscheid (Pochhammer)
Children	4

He became famous with his essay on the concept of a legal action, which sparkled a debate with Theodor Muther that is said to have initiated the studies of the processal law as we know it today. Windscheid's thesis established the modern German law concept of Anspruch (roughly, a legally enforceable claim), distinguishing it from the Roman law concept of actio.

His principal work was his Lehrbuch des Pandektenrechts, and this was the main source of inspiration for the German Civil Code BGB. Between 1873 and 1883, Windscheid took part in the commission in charge of the drafting of the German Civil Code.

Additionally, Windscheid worked as a teacher at several universities in Germany and Switzerland, including Basel, Greifswald, München, Heidelberg, and Leipzig.

Family

Bernhard Windscheid married the artist Auguste Eleanore Charlotte "Lotte" Pochhammer (1830-1918) on 4 November 1858.[2] Four recorded children resulted from this marriage. The eldest, Käthe Windscheid (1859-1943) achieved prominence as a women's rights activist and as a pioneer of women's education. Franz Winscheid (1862-1910) was also something of a pioneer in his chosen field: he was a neurologist. The younger two children, Charlotte and Margarete, were twins.[3]

Academic Genealogy

Notable students
Ivar Afzelius Andreas von Tuhr

Published works

A bibliography of Windscheid is provided by Felix Klein.[4] His major works include:

• Zur Lehre des Code Napoleon von der Ungültigkeit der Rechtsgeschäfte, Düsseldorf 1847. (digitalised by Max Planck Institute for European History of Law (MPIER); in German)
• Die Lehre des römischen Rechts von der Voraussetzung, Düsseldorf 1850. (digitalised by MPIER; in german)
• Die Actio des römischen Civilrechts vom Standpunkte des heutigen Rechts, Düsseldorf 1856. (digitalised; in german)
• Zwei Fragen aus der Lehre von der Verpflichtung wegen ungerechtfertigter Bereicherung, 1878. (digitalised by MPIER; in german)
• Lehrbuch des Pandektenrechts.
  • first published, Düsseldorf 1862–1870. (digitalised volume by MPIER; in German 1, 2,1, 2,2 u. 3)
  • 3. ed., Düsseldorf 1870. (digitalised volume by MPIER; in German 1, 2 u. 3)
  • 5. ed., Stuttgart 1879. (digitalised volume by MPIER; in German 1, 2 u. 3)
  • 6. ed., Frankfurt a. M. 1887. (digitalised volume by MPIER; in German 1, 2 u. 3)
  • 9. ed., Leipzig, 1906, edited by Theodor Kipp, is the edition usually cited.
• Gesammelte Reden und Abhandlungen. Leipzig, 1904.

References

1. "Prof. Dr. jur. Josef Hubert Bernhard Windscheid". Catalogus Professorum Lipsiensium (in German). Archived from the original on 16 October 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
2. Dr. Manfred Leyh (2013). "Windscheid, Charlotte (geborene Pochhammer)". Biografie. Susann Hänel i.A. Stadt Leipzig (1000 Jahre Leipzig - 100 Frauenporträts). Retrieved 27 December 2018.
3. Gerlinde Kämmerer (2015). "Windscheid, Katharina (Käthe) Charlotte Friederike Auguste (Dr. phil.)". Biografie. Susann Hänel i.A. Stadt Leipzig (1000 Jahre Leipzig - 100 Frauenporträts). Retrieved 27 December 2018.
4. Klein, Felix (2014). Bernhard Windscheid 26.6.1817–26.10.1892. Schriften zur Rechtsgeschichte. 168. Berlin: Duncker & Humblot. pp. 450–458. doi:10.3790/978-3-428-54118-8. ISBN 9783428541188.

Further reading

• Ulrich Falk: Ein Gelehrter wie Windscheid : Erkundungen auf den Feldern der sogenannten Bergriffsjurisprudenz (1999)
• Gabor Hamza: "Entstehung und Entwicklung der modernen Privatrechtsordnungen und die römischrechtliche Tradition", Budapest 2009, 193-199. pp.

• Leipzig University (German)