KORNER, KARL THEODOR (1791-1813), German poet and patriot, was born at Dresden on Sept. 23, 1791. His father, Christian Gottfried Korner (1756-1831), a distinguished Saxon jurist, was Schiller's most intimate friend. Karl entered at 17 the mining academy at Frei burg in Saxony, but occupied himself less with science than with verse, a collection of which appeared under the title Knospen in 181o. He then began to study law at Leip zig, but became involved in a conflict with the police and removed to Berlin. In August 181i Korner went to Vienna; there he be came engaged to the actress Antonie Adamberger. He wrote opera libretti and comedies (Der griine Domino, Der Vetter aus Bre men, etc.) and tragedies (Rosamunde and Zriny), and was ap pointed poet to the Hofburgtheater. In the German war of libera tion in 1813 KOrner gave up his prospects at Vienna, and joined Liitzow's famous corps of volunteers at Breslau. On his march to Leipzig he passed through Dresden, where he issued his spirited Aufruf an die Sachsen, calling upon his countrymen to rise against the French. He was severely wounded at Kitzen near Leipzig June 7. He rejoined his corps, and fell in an engagement out side a wood near Gadebusch in Mecklenburg on Aug 26, 1813.
He was buried by his comrades under an oak close to the village of WObbelin, at which place a monument was erected in his honour.
The abiding interest in Korner is patriotic and political rather than literary. His fame as a poet rests upon his patriotic lyrics, which were published by his father under the title Leier und Schwert in 1814. Among the best known of these war-songs are "Liitzow's wilde verwegene Jagd," "Gebet warend der Schlacht" (set to music by Weber) and "Das Schwertlied." This last was written immediately before his death, and the last stanza added on the fatal morning.
His works have passed through many editions. Among the more recent are: Samtliche Werke ed. E. Goetze (1900), and by H. Spiers (2 vols., 1912). The most valuable contributions to our knowledge of the poet have been furnished by E. Peschel, the founder and direc tor of the Korner Museum in Dresden, in Theodor Korners Tagebuch und Kriegslieder, aus dem Jahre 1813 (Freiburg, 1893) and, in con junction with E. Wildeno w, Theodor Korner und die Seinen (1898).