Heinrich Zschokke

Heinrich Zschokke (1771–1848) was a German-language writer, journalist, and political official. He studied philosophy and theology and traveled to Switzerland in 1795, which became his adopted home. A supporter of the Enlightenment and the ideals of the French Revolution, he played a role in the transition from the old Swiss Confederacy to the federal state. In 1799, he was sent as a government commissioner to the rebellious district of Stans. His account of the Stans uprising was first published in 1804 in the second volume of the “Historische Denkwürdigkeiten der helvetischen Staatsumwälzung.” During his lifetime, Zschokke was among the most widely read and influential writers in the German-speaking world.