Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied

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Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied
Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied
Born	September 23, 1782 Neuwied
Died	February 3, 1867
Nationality	German
Fields	ethnology natural history
Influences	Johann Friedrich Blumenbach Alexander von Humboldt

Prince Alexander Philipp Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (September 23, 1782 - February 3, 1867) was a German explorer, ethnologist and naturalist.

Wied was born in Neuwied, the second son of the ruling Prince Johann Friedrich Alexander of Wied-Neuwied. Born at the end of the European Enlightenment, Maximilian became friends with two of its major figures: Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, a major comparative anthropologist under whom he studied biological sciences, and Alexander von Humboldt, who served as Maximilian's mentor. He joined the Prussian army in 1802 during the Napoleonic War, rising to the rank of Major-General. He retired from the army in 1815.

Wied led an expedition to south-east Brazil from 1815 to 1817, on his return writing Reise nach Brasilien (1820-21) and Beiträge zur Naturgeschichte von Brasilien (1825-33). In 1832 he travelled to the Great Plains region of North America, accompanied by the Swiss painter Karl Bodmer on a journey up the Missouri River. He wrote Reise in das Innere Nord-Amerikas (1840) on his return. During his travels he studied the cultures of tribes such as the Mandan and the Hidatsa as well as the flora and fauna of the area. He also travelled in Honduras.

1 See also
2 Further reading
3 External links
4 References

[edit] See also

Leopardus wiedii, a spotted cat named for Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied
Helianthus maximiliani, the Maximilian sunflower^[1]

[edit] Further reading

Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied: Reise nach Brasilien in den Jahren 1815 bis 1817, 1820
Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied: Beiträge zur Naturgeschichte Brasiliens, 1824
Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied: Brasilien, Nachträge, Berichtigungen, Zusätze, 1850
Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied: Unveröffentlichte Bilder und Handschriften zur Völkerkunde Brasiliens. Editor: Josef Röder and Hermann Trimborn. Bonn 1954.
Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied: Maximilian Prince of Wied’s Travels in the Interior of North America, during the years 1832 – 1834. Achermann & Comp., London 1843-1844
Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied: Maximilian Prince of Wied’s Travels in the Interior of North America, during the years 1832 – 1834. In: Early Western Travels, 1748-1848, 1906, (vol. 22-25) from Reuben Gold Thwaites.
David C. Hunt, William J. Orr, W. H. Goetzmann (Editor): Karl Bodmer's America. Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha (Nebraska) 1984. ISBN 0-8032-1185-6
John C.Ewers: Views of vanishing frontier. Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha (Nebraska) 1984 + 1985
Marsha V. Gallagher: Karl Bodmer's eastern views. Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha (Nebraska) 1996
Brandon K. Ruud (Editor): Karl Bodmer's North American Prints. Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha (Nebraska) 2004. ISBN 0-8032-1326-3