Britannica
Sources used in this answer
What happened to the Brothers Grimm after they protested King Ernest Augustus’s repeal of Hanover’s constitution?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Brothers Grimm
Jacob (right) and Wilhelm Grimm, oil portrait by Elisabeth Jerichau-Baumann, 1855; in the National-Galerie, Berlin.
After the Brothers Grimm joined the "Göttingen Seven" in protesting King Ernest Augustus’s repeal of the 1833 constitution, they faced immediate professional and personal consequences. Because they maintained that they were bound by oath to the previous constitution, they were dismissed from their positions at the University of Göttingen.1
Furthermore, Jacob Grimm and two other professors were ordered to leave the kingdom of Hanover immediately. This act of defiance against despotic authority forced the brothers into three years of exile in Kassel. During this period, their principled stand for civil responsibility and liberal convictions drew significant attention, leading various institutions across Europe to seek their services.1