Introduction

Biography

Geijer was a writ­er, his­to­ri­an, po­et, phi­lo­so­pher, and com­pos­er.

He attended the Gym­na­si­um in Karl­stad, then the Uni­ver­si­ty of Upp­sa­la, where he earned his mas­ter’s de­gree in 1806. In 1803 he com­pet­ed suc­cess­ful­ly for an his­to­ri­cal prize of­fered by the Aca­de­my of Sci­enc­es at Stock­holm. In 1809, he tra­veled in Eng­land.

The next year, he be­came a lec­tur­er in his­to­ry at Upp­sa­la, and in 1815, as­sist­ant to Er­ik Mi­chael Fant. Suc­ceed­ing Fant, Geijer was a pro­fess­or of his­to­ry from 1817 at Upp­sa­la Uni­ver­si­ty. He was rec­tor of Upp­sa­la Uni­ver­si­ty in 1822, 1830, 1836 and 1843–44.

As a rep­re­sent­ative of the uni­ver­si­ty, he was a mem­ber of the Church of Swe­den cler­gy (1828–30 & 1840–41). He be­came a mem­ber of the Swed­ish Aca­de­my in 1824, and of the Roy­al Swed­ish Aca­de­my of Scie­nc­es in 1835.