A rigorous private examination by a faculty committee at Göttingen University in the late 1780s established Dorothea von Rodde-Schlözer as the first woman in Germany to receive a doctorate in philosophy. Her academic attainment challenged contemporary educational norms, positioning her among the Universitätsmamsellen, a distinguished group of five women born to scholars in Göttingen during the 18th century.
Early Education and Linguistic Mastery
Born on 18 August 1770, she was the daughter of the historian August Ludwig Schlözer and artist Caroline Friederike von Schlözer. Her father, a proponent of the theory that women possessed intelligence equal to men, subjected her to a specialized curriculum to contest competing educational methods. By age four, she could read, and by age 16, she had mastered nine languages including Greek, Hebrew, Spanish, and Dutch. Her studies extended into mathematics under Professor Kästner, alongside botany, zoology, optics, and mineralogy, interspersed with domestic skills like singing and sewing.
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At a time when formal university attendance remained prohibited for women, she earned her doctorate through a comprehensive examination covering architecture, logic, metaphysics, classics, and geography. In 1792, she moved to Lübeck following her marriage to Senator Mattheus Rodde, a wealthy merchant. Adopting the name Rodde-Schlözer, she established their home as a prominent hub for social and intellectual exchange, hosting visitors from across Germany and France.
Later Years and Relocation
Her later years were marked by significant personal and financial upheaval. After her husband’s business declared bankruptcy in 1810 and he entered a state of premature senility, she faced further loss with the death of the French writer Charles Villers, with whom she had maintained a semi-public relationship. Following the passing of two of her children, she relocated to Avignon, France, in an attempt to restore her health and protect her surviving daughter. She died there from pneumonia in 1825 at the age of 55 and was interred at the Saint-Véran Cemetery.
Fast facts
- Born: 18 August 1770, Göttingen
- Died: 12 July 1825, Avignon
- Citizenship: Kingdom of Hanover
- Academic focus: Philosophy and Metaphysics
- Known languages: 9
- Burial site: Saint-Véran Cemetery
Questions readers ask
Was she truly the first woman to earn a doctorate in Germany?
Yes, she is recognized as the first woman to be awarded a doctor of philosophy degree in Germany following her examination at Göttingen University.
What were the Universitätsmamsellen?
They were a group of five academically active women during the 18th and 19th centuries, all of whom were daughters of university professors in Göttingen.
Achievements
- Fields: philosophy
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