What is Rudolf Erich Raspe known for?

Raspe is best known for creating the literary character Baron Munchausen, whose tall tales were adapted from real accounts and transformed into a satirical and fantastical narrative. He also made contributions to the sciences, particularly in geology and chemistry, and worked as a librarian and translator.

Where did Rudolf Erich Raspe work or study?

He was educated at the University of Leipzig and the Collegium Carolinum in Kassel. He was affiliated with institutions such as the Royal Society of London and worked professionally in libraries and scientific curation roles.

Did Raspe have multiple professions?

Yes, Raspe was a writer, chemist, geologist, linguist, librarian, translator, and university teacher. His diverse expertise allowed him to contribute to literature, science, and cultural preservation.

What were some of Raspe's scientific contributions?

Raspe conducted research in geology and chemistry, publishing findings that informed the scientific community of his time. His work as a librarian and curator also supported the development and organization of scientific knowledge.

What is the significance of the Munchausen tales?

The Munchausen tales, originally authored by Raspe, became a cornerstone of European literary satire. They influenced storytelling and satire in both fiction and popular culture, continuing to inspire adaptations in modern media.

Rudolf Erich Raspe

German author and scientist (1736–1794)

Person Human Q213543

Rudolf Erich Raspe — James Tassie · Public Domain · Wikimedia

Facts

22 properties

Instance of: human
Sex or gender: male^[23]
Date of birth: March 26, 1736, March 1736^[10]
Date of death: November 16, 1794, November 1, 1794^[11]
Place of birth: Hanover
Place of death: Killarney
Country of citizenship: Holy Roman Empire^[12]
Occupation: curator, chemist, linguist, translator, librarian, writer, university teacher, art historian, mineralogist, narrator, geologist^[13]^[14]^[15]^[16]^[17]^[18]
Employer: Collegium Carolinum^[19]
Educated at: University of Göttingen, Leipzig University^[20]^[21]
Sibling: Dorothea Frederike Wiedemann
Work location: Hanover, Göttingen^[27]^[28]
Languages spoken, written or signed: Latin, German, English^[37]^[38]^[39]
Copyright status as a creator: copyrights on works have expired
Described by source: Dictionary of National Biography, 1885–1900, Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia, Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition, Iedereen Leest, Library of the World's Best Literature, Lexicon van de jeugdliteratuur, Neue Deutsche Biographie^[29]^[30]^[31]^[32]^[33]^[34]^[35]^[36]
Family name: Raspe^[24]
Given name: Rudolf, Erich^[25]^[26]
Has works in the collection: Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
Maintained by WikiProject: Wikiproject Iedereen Leest
Member of: Royal Society of London^[22]
Name in native language: Rudolf Erich Raspe^[40]
Writing language: German

🏷️ Also known as

en Rudolph Erich Raspe en Rodolphe Erik Raspe en Rudolf Erich Raspe cs Rudolf Erich Raspen de Rudolph Erich Raspe de Rodolphe Erik Raspe el Ρούντολφ Έριχ Ράσπε es Rudolph Erich Raspe es Rodolphe Erik Raspe fa رودولف اریش راسپه fr Rodolphe Erik Raspe fr Rudolf Raspe fr Rudolph Erich Raspe he רודולף אריך רספה it Rodolphe Erik Raspe it Rudolph Erich Raspe ja ルドルフ・エーリヒ・ラスペ nl Raspe nl Rodolphe Erik Raspe nl Rudolph Erich Raspe

🔖 Identifiers · 145

ISNI: 0000000110783369
VIAF cluster ID: 95156657
Library of Congress Authorities ID: n83041816
GND ID: 118787888
ArchINFORM person/group ID: 58786
Article ID in the Lithuanian Universal Encyclopedia Online: rudolf-erich-raspe
Artists of the World ID: 00173061
Az.lib.ru author ID: r/raspe_r_e
BAnQ authority ID: 0000079271
BD Gest' author ID: 37242
BHL creator ID: 17338
BIBSYS ID: 90921491

Show all 145 identifiers +133

BNB person ID (OBSOLETE): RaspeRudolfErich1737-1794
Babelio author ID: 191053
Ben Yehuda author ID: 406
BiblioNet author ID: 1831
Bibliothèque nationale de France ID: 11921187p
Brockhaus Enzyklopädie online ID: raspe-rudolf-erich
CANTIC ID: 981058529163506706
CERL Thesaurus ID: cnp01259966
CONOR.AL ID: 9312870
CONOR.BG ID: 3648357
CONOR.SI ID: 41830755
CONOR.SR ID: 55556105
Canadiana Name Authority ID: ncf12081353
Central Library of Volos authority ID: 4752
CiNii Research ID: 1140282266627774080
CoBiS author ID: 95a5yja38danygu695b5yc1g64t3gd8
Concise Literary Encyclopedia ID: 6-1883
DBNL author ID: rasp001
DDB person (GND) ID: 118787888
Darwin Correspondence ID: 3938
Databazeknih.cz author ID: 130387
De Agostini ID: Raspe,+Rudolf+Erich
Deutsche Biographie (GND) ID: 118787888
Dictionary of Art Historians ID: rasper
Discogs artist ID: 1298382
ELNET ID: a11216608, a11205672
Early Modern Letters Online person ID: 23ff326f-4949-41f5-b80e-a529656db119
Edition humboldt digital ID: H0000742
Encyclopedia of Science Fiction ID: raspe_rudolf_erich
Encyclopædia Britannica Online ID: biography/Rudolf-Erich-Raspe
FAST ID: 110556
FID performing arts ID: agent/gnd_118787888
FINA Wiki ID: 2175
Fandango person ID: 554896
FantLab author ID: 8774
Flanders Arts Institute person ID (former scheme): 1881634
Flemish Public Libraries ID: 000032304
Freebase ID: /m/015x7_
GCD creator ID: 44529
Goodreads author ID: 435026
Grace's Guide ID: Rudolf_Erich_Raspe
Great Russian Encyclopedia Online ID (2017): 3494082
HAND ID: AB26-4C75-B30F-E150-F3F0
Hessian Biography person ID: 8832
Hoopla artist ID: 1639387817
IMDb ID: nm0711474
ISFDB author ID: 1980
IdRef ID: 027090159
IxTheo authority ID: 133366960
J9U entity ID: 987007267087305171
Jeugdliteratuur ID: rudolf-erich-raspe
KANTO ID: 000137873
KBR person ID: 13948598
KSW person ID: 53993
Kalliope-Verbund (GND) ID: 118787888
Kallías ID: PE00275644, PE00031807
Kunstenpunt Knowledge Graph ID: Ɐ
LTit person ID: raspe-rudolf-erich__5806
Les Archives du spectacle person ID: 77895
Levadia Library ID: 59de6bd121c0c8f86d473c93
Libraries Australia ID: 35442772
LibriVox author ID: 1719
Libris-URI: 53hkgvfp49kntmj
Municipal Library of Trikala ID: 95665
Museo Galileo authority ID: 40980
Museum-digital person/organization ID: 173259
NACSIS-CAT author ID: DA05254185
NDL Authority ID: 00696091
NE.se ID: rudolf-erich-raspe
NL CR AUT ID: mzk2009511722
NLA Trove people ID: 954454
NLP ID: a0000002362206
NNDB people ID: 393/000035288
NSK (VIAF) ID: 000183921
NSK ID: 981005760189609366
NUKAT ID: n2004073831
National Library of Brazil ID: 000502739
National Library of Greece ID: 79411
National Library of Ireland ID: vtls000287378
National Library of Israel ID (old): 000109730
National Library of Korea ID: KAC200308726, KAC201718259
National Library of Latvia ID: 000202758
National Library of Lithuania ID: LNB:V*93087;=BN
National Library of Poland MMS ID: 9810696423105606
National Library of Russia ID: 772448, 772447
National Library of Spain SpMaBN ID: XX1083109
National Library of Wales Authority ID: raspe-rudolf-erich-1737-1794
Nationale Thesaurus voor Auteursnamen ID: 069480338
Niedersächsische Personen ID: 1043190074
NooSFere author ID: -44410
Obálky knih ID: mzk2009511722
Online Books Page author ID: Raspe, Rudolf Erich, 1737-1794
Open Library ID: OL1966930A, OL6821971A, OL4325789A
OpenMLOL author ID: 22482, 171564
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography ID: 23148
Oxford Reference overview ID: 20110803100404882
PORT person ID: 181336
Parsifal cluster ID: 357876
Past Fellow of the Royal Society ID: NA3466
Pontifical University of Salamanca ID: 794575
Project Gutenberg author ID: 1120
RA Collections ID: 18009
RERO ID (legacy): A003728186
RILM ID: 170411
Rai Teche person ID: rudolf-erich-raspe
Regensburg Classification: GK 7310
Repertorium Eruditorum Totius Europae ID: RETE071320
Royal Academy ID: rudolf-erich-raspe
SBN author ID: CFIV001285
SELIBR ID: 86181
SHARE Catalogue author ID: 458242
SNAC ARK ID: w69w1ccf
SNARC ID: Heidersdorf
SVKKL authority ID: 0338565-Raspe-Rudolf-Erich-17361794
Shakeosphere person ID: 54638
Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam ID: 148209-rudolf-erich-raspe
TMDB person ID: 1200568
The Encyclopedia of Fantasy ID: raspe_rudolf_erich
The Literary Encyclopedia person ID: 5847
Topic's main category: Category:Rudolf Erich Raspe
UCA authority ID: 17929
UK National Archives ID: F52821
Union Catalog of Armenian Libraries authority ID: 18656
University of Barcelona authority ID: 981058529163506706
University of Barcelona authority ID (former scheme): a1221823
Unz Review author ID: RaspeRudolfE
Vatican Library ID (former scheme): ADV11103968
Vatican Library VcBA ID: 495/131696
Vegetti Catalog of Fantastic Literature NILF ID: 16361
Wellcome Collection concept ID: y3mn6j6k
WorldCat Entities ID: E39PBJbH3YD6dVRcfvXQgcjBfq
Worlds Without End author ID: 2979
Yale LUX ID: person/0df4d72c-2009-444d-832f-c2d014446a64

Report an error or request removal Lineage (PROV-JSON)

🔗 Connections

Occupation 9

writer, chemist, librarian, translator, geologist, curator, linguist, university teacher +1 more

Described by source 4

Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition, Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia, Concise Literary Encyclopedia

Languages spoken, written or signed 3

English, German, Latin

← After a work by 3

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Münchhausen, The Very Same Munchhausen

Educated at 2

University of Göttingen, Leipzig University

Given name 2

Rudolf, Erich

Country of citizenship 1

Holy Roman Empire

Employer 1

Collegium Carolinum

Has works in the collection 1

Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam

Instance of 1

human

Member of 1

Royal Society of London

Place of birth 1

Hanover

Place of death 1

Killarney

SNARC ID 1

Heidersdorf

Sex or gender 1

male

Works by author 1

Baron Munchausen's Narrative of his Marvellous Travels and Campaigns in Russia

Writing language 1

German

← FactGrid item ID 1

Soham

Press Enter · cited answer in seconds

Summary

Rudolf Erich Raspe was born on March 26, 1736^[1], in Hanover^[2]. He died on November 16, 1794^[3], in Killarney^[4]. He worked as a curator^[5], chemist^[6], linguist^[7], translator^[8], and librarian^[9].

Why It Matters

Works attributed to Rudolf Erich Raspe include Baron Munchausen's Narrative of his Marvellous Travels and Campaigns in Russia^[41], a literary work^[42], founded in 1785^[43].

FAQs

Where was Rudolf Erich Raspe born?

Rudolf Erich Raspe was born in Hanover^[2].

Where did Rudolf Erich Raspe die?

Rudolf Erich Raspe died in Killarney^[4].

What did Rudolf Erich Raspe do for work?

Rudolf Erich Raspe worked as a curator^[5], chemist^[6], linguist^[7], translator^[8], and librarian^[9].

Where did Rudolf Erich Raspe go to school?

Rudolf Erich Raspe was educated at University of Göttingen^[20] and Leipzig University^[21].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

[2] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — place of birth (P19): Hanover. Integrated Authority File. Retrieved 2014-12-11. wikidata.org.
[4] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — place of death (P20): Killarney. wikidata.org.
[23] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — sex or gender (P21): male. BnF authorities. Retrieved 2015-10-10. wikidata.org.
[12] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — country of citizenship (P27): Holy Roman Empire. wikidata.org.
[20] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — educated at (P69): University of Göttingen. wikidata.org.
[21] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — educated at (P69): Leipzig University. Retrieved 2019-07-08. wikidata.org.
[5] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — occupation (P106): curator. wikidata.org.
[6] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — occupation (P106): chemist. wikidata.org.
[7] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — occupation (P106): linguist. wikidata.org.
[8] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — occupation (P106): translator. archINFORM. Retrieved 2026-05-05. wikidata.org.
[9] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — occupation (P106): librarian. Integrated Authority File. Retrieved 2026-04-20. wikidata.org.
[13] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — occupation (P106): writer. Library of the World's Best Literature. Retrieved 2026-04-20. wikidata.org.
[14] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — occupation (P106): university teacher. wikidata.org.
[15] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — occupation (P106): art historian. Integrated Authority File. Retrieved 2026-04-20. wikidata.org.
[16] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — occupation (P106): mineralogist. Integrated Authority File. Retrieved 2026-04-20. wikidata.org.
[17] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — occupation (P106): narrator. Integrated Authority File. Retrieved 2026-04-20. wikidata.org.
[18] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — occupation (P106): geologist. Niedersächsische Personen. Retrieved 2026-10-26. wikidata.org.
[19] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — employer (P108): Collegium Carolinum. wikidata.org.
[22] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — member of (P463): Royal Society of London. catalogues.royalsociety.org. catalogues.royalsociety.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
[1] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — date of birth (P569): March 26, 1736. BnF authorities. Retrieved 2015-10-10. wikidata.org.
[10] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — date of birth (P569): March 1736. Library of Congress Authorities. bigenc.ru. Provenance: wikidata.org.
[3] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — date of death (P570): November 16, 1794. FINA Wiki. Retrieved 2020-12-03. wikidata.org.
[11] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — date of death (P570): November 1, 1794. BD Gest'. Retrieved 2019-05-28. bedetheque.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
[24] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — family name (P734): Raspe. LIBRIS. Retrieved 2018-08-24. wikidata.org.
[25] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — given name (P735): Rudolf. LIBRIS. Retrieved 2018-08-24. wikidata.org.
[26] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — given name (P735): Erich. LIBRIS. Retrieved 2018-08-24. wikidata.org.
[27] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — work location (P937): Hanover. Niedersächsische Personen. Retrieved 2026-10-26. wikidata.org.
[28] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — work location (P937): Göttingen. Niedersächsische Personen. Retrieved 2026-10-26. wikidata.org.
[29] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — described by source (P1343): Dictionary of National Biography, 1885–1900. wikidata.org.
[30] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — described by source (P1343): Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia. wikidata.org.
[31] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — described by source (P1343): Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary. wikidata.org.
[32] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — described by source (P1343): Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition. wikidata.org.
[33] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — described by source (P1343): Iedereen Leest. wikidata.org.
[34] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — described by source (P1343): Library of the World's Best Literature. bartleby.com. bartleby.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
[35] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — described by source (P1343): Lexicon van de jeugdliteratuur. dbnl.org. Retrieved 2025-03-16. dbnl.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
[36] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — described by source (P1343): Neue Deutsche Biographie. Deutsche Biographie. Retrieved 2026-11-02. wikidata.org.
[37] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — languages spoken, written or signed (P1412): Latin. wikidata.org.
[38] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — languages spoken, written or signed (P1412): German. BnF authorities. Retrieved 2015-10-10. wikidata.org.
[39] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — languages spoken, written or signed (P1412): English. CONOR.SI. wikidata.org.
[40] ↑ Rudolf Erich Raspe — name in native language (P1559): Rudolf Erich Raspe. wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

[41] ↑ Baron Munchausen's Narrative of his Marvellous Travels and Campaigns in Russia — author (P50) → Rudolf Erich Raspe. wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

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APA

4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Rudolf Erich Raspe. Retrieved November 9, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/rudolf-erich-raspe

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BibTeX

@misc{4ortxyz_rudolf-erich-raspe_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Rudolf Erich Raspe}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/rudolf-erich-raspe}, note = {Accessed: 2026-11-09}}

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Canonical URL: https://4ort.xyz/entity/rudolf-erich-raspe · Last refreshed: November 9, 2026

Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

10d ago · Bug002 · 2026-11-03 view diff on Wikidata ↗

Repertorium Eruditorum Totius Europae ID → RETE071320

"Changed the item: QuickStatements 3.0 batch #63645: RETEtoWD QS 03-11-2026 13:20"
11d ago · Printstream · 2026-11-02 view diff on Wikidata ↗

Work location → Hanover, Göttingen

Occupation → curator, chemist, linguist +2

Described by source → Dictionary of National Biography, 1885–1900, Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia, Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary +1

"Changed the item: QuickStatements 3.0 batch #63393: add described by source NDB and NDB-online (1/2)"
24d ago · DifoolBot bot · 2026-10-20 view diff on Wikidata ↗

"Open Library ID, deprecate Open Library ID redirect(s) OL4325789A → OL1966930A, OL6821971A → OL1966930A (target already on item; added by bl"
29d ago · AntiDerangedKhanTengriAction · 2026-10-15 view diff on Wikidata ↗

Open Library ID → OL1966930A, OL6821971A, OL4325789A

"Created claim: Open Library ID: OL4325789A, batch #290734"
4w ago · AntiDerangedKhanTengriAction · 2026-10-14 view diff on Wikidata ↗

Open Library ID → OL1966930A, OL6821971A, OL4325789A

"Created claim: Open Library ID: OL6821971A, batch #290734"
6w ago · Printstream · 2026-10-02 view diff on Wikidata ↗

"Changed the item: QuickStatements 3.0 batch #57413: Import differing dates from dewiki and GND; remove conflicting dates without source"
6w ago · StorchPDF · 2026-09-26 view diff on Wikidata ↗

PORT person ID → 181336

"Created claim: PORT person ID: 181336, batch #275236"
8w ago · Printstream · 2026-09-15 view diff on Wikidata ↗

Kallías ID → PE00275644, PE00031807

Hessian Biography person ID → 8832

"Changed the item: QuickStatements 3.0 batch #54302: migrate GND to own IDs"
9w ago · Anti-Strange-Ipek-Action · 2026-09-06 view diff on Wikidata ↗

Kallías ID → PE00275644, PE00031807

"Created claim: Kallías ID: PE00275644, batch #270933"
12w ago · Trivialist · 2026-08-20 view diff on Wikidata ↗

HAND ID → AB26-4C75-B30F-E150-F3F0

"Created claim: HAND ID: AB26-4C75-B30F-E150-F3F0, batch #269215"
19w ago · Printstream · 2026-07-01 view diff on Wikidata ↗

SVKKL authority ID → 0338565-Raspe-Rudolf-Erich-17361794

KSW person ID → 53993

"Created claim: KSW person ID: 53993, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1782930557898"
25w ago · RVA2869 · 2026-05-22 view diff on Wikidata ↗

Described by source → Dictionary of National Biography, 1885–1900, Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia, Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary +1

Occupation → curator, chemist, linguist +2

"Changed claim: Described by source: Concise Literary Encyclopedia"
25w ago · Quesotiotyo · 2026-05-21 view diff on Wikidata ↗

Darwin Correspondence ID → 3938

"Created claim: Darwin Correspondence ID: 3938, #mix'n'match"
25w ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-19 view diff on Wikidata ↗

Occupation → curator, chemist, linguist +2

"Changed the item: QuickStatements 3.0 batch #32080: import P21 and P106 from GND (22)"
27w ago · Arch2bot bot · 2026-05-05 view diff on Wikidata ↗

"Added reference: Occupation: translator, Add archINFORM reference"

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