Skip to main content

Part of the book series: Modern Birkhäuser Classics ((MBC))

  • 938 Accesses

Abstract

In July 1862 Riemann married Elise Koch, a friend of his sister. This marriage brightened the last years of his life. In the fall of 1862 he caught a serious cold and tuberculosis set in. Riemann spent his last years almost entirely in Italy. Thanks to a petition of Weber and Sartorius von Waltershausen, known for his work on Mt. Etna, he received government subsidies on three occasions for recuperation. He returned to Göttingen, but the climate was too severe for him, and he did not attempt to give lectures. Riemann's last trip to Italy coincided with the beginning of the Seven Weeks' War between Hannover and Prussia. He arrived in Italy on June 28, 1866, the day Hannover capitulated.

“I am always saddened when talented people die because earth needs them more than heaven does.” Georg Lichtenberg

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 79.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Riemann, B. Gesammelte Mathematische Werke, p. 338.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Borchardt, Kronecker and Weierstrass mentioned the following papers: “Über die Anzahl der Primzahlen unter einer gegebenen Grösse” (On the number of primes less than a given quantity), “Über die Fortpflanzung ebener Luftwellen von endlicher Schwingungsweite.” (“On the propagation of planar air waves of finite amplitude”), “Ein Beitrag zu den Untersuchungen über die Bewegung eines flüssigen gleichartigen Ellipsoid” (“A contribution to the study of the motion of a liquid ellipsoid of revolution”).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Riemann, B. Gesammelte Mathematische Werke, p. 558.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Ibid., p. 558.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1999 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Monastyrsky, M. (1999). Last Years. In: Riemann, Topology, and Physics. Modern Birkhäuser Classics. Birkhäuser, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-8176-4779-7_6

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-8176-4779-7_6

  • Publisher Name: Birkhäuser, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-8176-4778-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-8176-4779-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics