[3] Bleiweis was born in a wealthy merchant family in the Carniolan city of Kranj,[1] then part of the Austrian Empire.

Bleiweis wrote a number of text from the fields of the veterinary medicine and human health, particularly about infectious diseases.

In 1843, Bleiweis founded the journal Kmetijske in rokodelske novice (Farmers' and Craftsmen's News) and edited it until his death in 1881.

Bleiweis' group, which included Lovro Toman, Etbin Henrik Costa, Luka Svetec and Andrej Einspieler was identified as the Old Slovenes thereafter, although they themselves never accepted such a name.

In politics, he followed the example of the Czech leader František Palacký, who demanded autonomy for the Slavic peoples within a unified Austrian Empire.