Johann Friedrich von Schiller

Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (1759–1805) was a German poet, playwright, and philosopher and a leading figure of Weimar Classicism. Born in Marbach am Neckar, he studied at the military academy in Stuttgart and trained as a physician. His early drama *The Robbers* (1781) brought sudden fame and controversy. Schiller later settled in Weimar, where he developed a close friendship and literary partnership with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. He wrote influential plays including *Wallenstein*, *Mary Stuart*, and *William Tell*, and composed the poem “Ode to Joy” (1785). He also produced major essays on aesthetics and freedom.