...Wied was born in Neuwied, the second son of the ruling Prince Johann Friedrich Alexander of Wied-Neuwied.Born at the end of the European Enlightenment, Maximilian became friends with two of its major figures: Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, a major comparative anthropologist under whom he studied biological sciences, and Alexander von Humboldt, who served as Maximilian's mentor. He joined the Prussian army in 1802 during the Napoleonic War, rising to the rank of Major-General. He retired from the army in 1815. Read full entry

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