Michael Kohlhaas

work by Kleist

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June 30, 2026

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The novella Michael Kohlhaas by Heinrich von Kleist is based on the true story of Hans Kohlhase, a 16th-century German merchant. Kohlhase was a merchant who became a brigand after a Saxon nobleman confiscated two of his horses and he was unable to obtain justice through the courts. This led him to issue a public challenge to Saxony and engage in a feud that caused significant disruption for six years. He was eventually captured and executed in Berlin. Kleist's novella explores Kohlhase's unbending search for justice and the destructive path it took.12

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Heinrich von Kleist
…(“The Earthquake in Chile”), “Michael Kohlhaas,” and “Die Marquise von O…” have become well-known as tales of violence and mystery. They are all characterized by an extraordinary economy, power, and vividness and by a tragic subject matter in which men are driven to the limits of their endurance by…
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…(“The Earthquake in Chile”), “Michael Kohlhaas,” and “Die Marquise von O…” have become well-known as tales of violence and mystery. They are all characterized by an extraordinary economy, power, and vividness and by a tragic subject matter in which men are driven to the limits of their endurance by…
Read More

Hans Kohlhase
…career was the basis of Michael Kohlhaas (1810–11), a famous novella by Heinrich von Kleist.
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…career was the basis of Michael Kohlhaas (1810–11), a famous novella by Heinrich von Kleist.
Read More