| AdminHistory | Born Dessau, Germany, only son of the popular lyric poet Willhelm Müller and his wife, Adelheid, 1823; educated at the Gymnasium in Dessau and the Nicolai School in Leipzig; PhD, Leipzig, 1843; studied at Berlin University, 1844-1845; stayed in Paris, 1845-1846, supporting himself by copying manuscripts and assisting other scholars; moved to England, 1846; settled in Oxford, 1848; Deputy Taylorian Professor of Modern European Languages, University of Oxford, 1851-1854; honorary MA, University of Oxford, and member of Christ Church, 1851; Taylorian Professor of Modern European Languages, University of Oxford , 1854-1868; naturalized British citizen, 1855; a curator of the Bodleian Library, 1856-1863 and 1881-1894, Oriental Sub-librarian, 1865-1867; fellow of All Souls, 1858; married Georgina Adelaide, elder daughter of Riversdale William Grenfell, a copper smelter, and his wife, Charlotte, 1859; after 1860 he devoted most of his energy to the preparation of popular books and lectures, mostly in the fields of comparative philology and comparative mythology; became one of the leading figures of Victorian public life, engaging in public debates on topical questions; Professor of Comparative Philology, University of Oxford, 1868-1900; privy councillor; held Prussian and Italian knighthoods, the northern star of Sweden, the French Lgion d'honneur, the Bavarian Maximilian, the German Albert the Bear, and the Turkish Mejidiye; he held several honorary doctorates, and was honoured by many learned societies; died 1900. Publications include: a German translation of the Sanskrit collection of didactic fables, the 'Hitopadesa' (1844); an edition of the 'Rig Veda' (1849-1874); 'Deutsche Liebe', a romance (1857); 'History of Ancient Sanskrit Literature' (1859); a Sanskrit grammar (1866); an annotated edition of the 'Hitopadesa' (1866); 'Chips from a German Workshop' (1867-1875); 'Introduction to the Science of Religion' (1873); a translation of Kant's 'Critique of Pure Reason' (1881); 'Contributions to the Science of Mythology' (1897); 'Auld Lang Syne' (1898-1899); 'The Six Systems of Hindu Philosophy' (1899); edited a series of English translations of Indian, Arabic, Chinese, and Iranian religious texts, contributing some of the translations himself; his autobiography was published in 1901. |