Julius von Ficker

[1] Born at Paderborn, Ficker studied history and law at Bonn, Münster, and Berlin, and during 1848-49 lived in Frankfurt, where he was closely associated with the noted historian Johann Friedrich Böhmer, who proved himself a generous friend and patron.

In 1852 he proceeded to Bonn, but shortly afterwards accepted an invitation from Count Leopold Thun-Hohenstein, the reorganizer of the Austrian system of education, to settle at Innsbruck as professor of general history.

In 1863, however, he joined the faculty of jurisprudence, and his lectures on political and legal history drew around him a large circle of devoted and admiring pupils.

During the period 1859–1866, triggered by the publication of Giesebrecht's Geschichte der deutschen Kaiserzeit, he was engaged in a literary controversy with the historian Heinrich von Sybel on the significance of the Holy Roman Empire.

Ficker advocated and defended the theory that Austria, on account of its blending of races, was best fitted as successor of the old empire to secure the political advancement of both Central Europe and of Germany.