Friedrich Wilhelm König

Born:	01-07-1897
Faculty:	Philosophical School
Category:	Expelled teacher

Friedrich Wilhelm KÖNIG (born on January 7th, 1897 in Adlerkosteletz, died on February 5^th, 1972 in Vienna) was private lecturer (“Privatdozent”) for history (history of the ancient middle East) at the Philosophical School of the University of Vienna. He was persecuted in times of Nazism because of his political orientation lost his position and was thrown out of the university in 1938. 

König, the son of a legal advisor for the railway, attended the imperial-royal secondary school in Vienna’s 19th district. In March 1915, after his graduation, he volunteered for military service and entered the First World War as part of the imperial-royal infantry regiment Erzherzog Rainer no. 59. He volunteered for the Russian front after passing the reserve officer’s exam and was severely wounded during a patrol: He lost his left leg^[1] as well as an eye^[2] and became unfit for service at the front. According to his own account, he tried to become a fighter pilot, but he was retroactively retired as a lieutenant as of March 1st, 1917. In the winter semester of 1916/17 König had already enrolled at the University of Vienna, where he now focused on his studies. Among other things, he studied Sanskrit, Iranology, Arabic studies, Semitic epigraphy, anthropology and ethnology.^[3] He completed his doctoral exams in the main subject “History of the Orient and its ancillary disciplines” and in the secondary subject “Iranian language and antiquity studies” and obtained his doctorate in February 1921 with the dissertation “Zwei altelamische Stelen”. Before graduating from his studies, König entered civil service in April 1920 at the Invalidenentschädigungskommission (commission for the compensation of the disabled) in Vienna, where he worked for three years. In June 1923 he switched to the national library as a lower state librarian. Meanwhile, he also made a name for himself with numerous scientific papers and published on the history of Elam and Iran, which earned him a habilitation for history of the old Middle East at the University of Vienna in 1931.^[4] In December 1937 the philosophical faculty put in a request for him to receive the title of associate professor, but the application procedure was not completed due to the National Socialists’ rise to power.^[5] König had to give up his positions at the national library as well as at the University of Vienna, since he was considered a “Mischling 1. Grades” (“half-Jew”) according to the National Socialist race doctrine.^[6] In April 1938 he was removed from office at the University of Vienna, although the dean of the philosophical faculty had asked for “extensive leniency” because of König’s status as a disabled ex-serviceman.^[7] König also was a bearer of the silver Medal for Bravery First Class.^[8] At the end of June 1939 he was forced into retirement from his position as state librarian 1st class,^[9] which also led him to be removed from the personnel of the University of Vienna.^[10] It seems that he subsequently was not able to find other employment. In 1939 the aforementioned dean, Viktor Christian, meanwhile tried to enlist König for a research trip to Behistun to study the local rock inscriptions. According to Christian, the author of the book of Darius-inscriptions also was “an excellent climber” despite his war injuries.^[11] The result of this request is unfortunately not mentioned in the files. Due to his persecution by the National Socialists, König was able to return to his old positions very fast after the end of the war. Already on April 16th, 1945, he again began working at the national library and also acted as temporary vice director of the library until July 19th, 1945, when the former director general, Josef Bick, returned.^[12] One month later, on April 27th, 1945, he was already made chief state librarian,^[13] while the reinstatement into his position by a decree of the ministry of education is documented for May 12th, 1946.^[14] Meanwhile, König was also again able to take up his teaching position at the University of Vienna,^[15] and the philosophical faculty requested for him to receive a professorship for the languages and peoples of the old Middle East as well as for history and antiquity studies of the old Orient as early as in July 1945.^[16] The chair for old Semitic philology and oriental archeology vacated by the dismissed Viktor Christian was to be expanded accordingly. According to the application, König mastered “not only the linguistic but also the historical disciplines of the old Orient excellently”. Aside from scientific competence, also the “friendly contact […] that he maintains with his audience in a unique and exceedingly inspiring fashion” was mentioned.^[17] There is no record in the files or in the biographical encyclopedias of the conferral of the full professorship for which König was suggested as the only candidate. He did in any case act as honorary professor beginning in 1948.^[18] König’s work as a teacher did not last long after the end of the war, however: He was afflicted with health problems, which mostly were a result of his leg amputation in the First World War. Especially in the years of 1949 and 1950 he was only able to teach to a very limited extent,^[19] which is why he applied for his retirement.^[20] He entered permanent retirement on September 30th, 1951.^[21] Among König’s most important works are “Der Bergbau zu Susa” (1930), “Älteste Geschichte der Meder und Perser” (1934) and “Der falsche Bardija” (1938).^[22] He was known as an accomplished historian of the old Orient, who in his studies always first acquired philological competences before addressing a subject scientifically. Among other things, he managed to complete a fundamental interpretation of the relief and the inscription of King Dareios I., with which König substantially contributed to the knowledge about the Achaemenid Empire.^[23]
Lit.: Federal Archives Berlin (BArch) / NS 21/1791; Austrian State Archives (OeStA) / AdR, BKA, BBV, PA; OeStA / AVA, PA; Archive of the University of Vienna (UA) / PH PA 2245; MUEHLBERGER 1993, 43; Kürschners deutscher Gelehrtenkalender. Bio-bibliographisches Verzeichnis deutschsprachiger Wissenschaftler der Gegenwart, Bd. 7, München 1950; TEICHL 1951.

Andreas Huber (translated by Thomas Rennert)