bavarikon4ULori, Johann Georg von: Selected Works
The expert in constitutional law, politician and historian Johann Georg von Lori (1723-1787) was one of the leading enlightened reformers in the electorate of Bavaria under the reign of Elector Max III. Joseph. Lori studied at the universities of Dillingen, Würzburg and Ingolstadt and in 1749 Lori was appointed professor for the history of law and criminal law at the university of Ingolstadt. He moved to Munich in 1752, assuming the office of a councillor ("Hofrat") in an agency of the Bavarian civil service, the "Münz- und Bergkollegium" (agency for coin-minting and mining law).
Owing to Lori's initiative, the Bayerische Akademie für Wissenschaften (Bavarian Academy of Sciences) was founded in 1758/59. From 1761 onward Lori advanced to the central government circle of Bavarian politics, where he was entrusted with diplomatic tasks as well as issues of church politics. After he was appointed director of the electorate's archive in 1764 he was appointed privy councillor and expert for foreign affairs (Geheimer Rat und Referendar für auswärtige Angelegenheiten). When the Jesuit order was abolished in 1773 Lori headed the commission in charge of closing the monasteries and facilities of the Bavarian branch of the order. He thus gained influence also on the Bavarian educational politics and became director of the university of Ingolstadt which was now no longer directed by the Jesuits.
As one of the most important representatives of the "patriots", who, after the extinction of the Bavarian branch of the Wittelsbach dynasty, opposed the swap projects pursued in 1777 by Elector Karl Theodor and Kaiser Joseph II. Lori fell in disgrace under the new sovereign, was divested of all his offices in 1778 and banished to Neuburg on the Danube.
Main Works by Johann Georg von Lori
Lori authored several very important source collections which are partly still essential today. They were by-products of his work in the "Münz- und Bergkollegium", as archivist and as church politician. He wrote his work on the history of Bavaria in the time of banishment. Some of his works remained either unfinished or unprinted.
>> This collection is part of the holdings of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (Bavarian State Library).