Editing Romanticism (section)

==Romantic nationalism==
{{Main|Romantic nationalism}}<!-- Fully developed ideas at the linked entry should be concisely expressed here. -->
[[File:Wappers - Episodes from September Days 1830 on the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville in Brussels.JPG|thumb|[[Egide Charles Gustave Wappers]], ''Episode of the Belgian Revolution of 1830'', 1834, Musée d'Art Ancien, Brussels. A romantic vision by a Belgian painter.]]
[[File:Fra Hardanger Gude.jpg|thumbnail|right|[[Hans Gude]], ''Fra Hardanger'', 1847. Example of [[Norwegian romantic nationalism]].]]

One of Romanticism's key ideas and most enduring legacies is the assertion of nationalism, which became a central theme of Romantic art and political philosophy. From the earliest parts of the movement, with their focus on development of [[national language]]s and [[folklore]], and the importance of local customs and traditions, to the movements that would redraw the map of Europe and lead to calls for [[self-determination]] of nationalities, nationalism was one of the key vehicles of Romanticism, its role, expression and meaning. One of the most important functions of medieval references in the 19th century was nationalist. Popular and epic poetry were its workhorses. This is visible in Germany and Ireland, where underlying Germanic or Celtic [[Stratum (linguistics)|linguistic substrates]] dating from before the Romanization-Latinization were sought out.

Early Romantic nationalism was strongly inspired by Rousseau, and by the ideas of [[Johann Gottfried von Herder]], who in 1784 argued that the geography formed the natural economy of a people, and shaped their customs and society.<ref name="herder">{{cite journal|last=Hayes|first=Carlton|title=Contributions of Herder to the Doctrine of Nationalism|journal=The American Historical Review|volume=32|number=4|date=July 1927|pages=722–723|doi=10.2307/1837852|jstor=1837852}}</ref>

The nature of nationalism changed dramatically, however, after the [[French Revolution]] with the rise of [[Napoleon Bonaparte|Napoleon]], and the reactions in other nations. Napoleonic nationalism and republicanism were, at first, inspirational to movements in other nations: self-determination and a consciousness of national unity were held to be two of the reasons why France was able to defeat other countries in battle. But as the [[French First Republic|French Republic]] became [[First French Empire|Napoleon's Empire]], Napoleon became not the inspiration for nationalism, but the object of its struggle. In [[Prussia]], the development of spiritual renewal as a means to engage in [[Napoleonic Wars|the struggle against Napoleon]] was argued by, among others, [[Johann Gottlieb Fichte]], a disciple of [[Immanuel Kant|Kant]]. The word ''[[Volkstum]]'', or nationality, was coined in German as part of this resistance to the now conquering emperor. Fichte expressed the unity of language and nation in his address "To the German Nation" in 1806:

<blockquote>Those who speak the same language are joined to each other by a multitude of invisible bonds by nature herself, long before any human art begins; they understand each other and have the power of continuing to make themselves understood more and more clearly; they belong together and are by nature one and an inseparable whole. ...Only when each people, left to itself, develops and forms itself in accordance with its own peculiar quality, and only when in every people each individual develops himself in accordance with that common quality, as well as in accordance with his own peculiar quality—then, and then only, does the manifestation of divinity appear in its true mirror as it ought to be.<ref name="Fichte">{{cite web | url=http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1806fichte.asp | title=Address to the German Nation | publisher=Fordham University | date=1806 | access-date=October 1, 2013 | author=Fichte, Johann | archive-date=August 14, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814170610/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1806fichte.asp | url-status=dead }}</ref></blockquote>
[[File:Archibald William Montgomerie, Lord of the Tournament.jpg|thumb|The [[Eglinton Tournament]] in 1839]]
This view of nationalism inspired the collection of [[folklore]] by such people as the [[Brothers Grimm]], the revival of old epics as national, and the construction of new epics as if they were old, as in the ''[[Kalevala]]'', compiled from Finnish tales and folklore, or ''[[Ossian]]'', where the claimed ancient roots were invented. The view that fairy tales, unless contaminated from outside literary sources, were preserved in the same form over thousands of years, was not exclusive to Romantic Nationalists, but fit in well with their views that such tales expressed the primordial nature of a people. For instance, the Brothers Grimm rejected many tales they collected because of their similarity to tales by [[Charles Perrault]], which they thought proved they were not truly German tales;<ref>Maria Tatar, ''The Hard Facts of the Grimms' Fairy Tales'', p. 31 {{ISBN|0-691-06722-8}}</ref> ''[[Sleeping Beauty]]'' survived in their collection because the tale of [[Brunhild|Brynhildr]] convinced them that the figure of the sleeping princess was authentically German. [[Vuk Karadžić]] contributed to [[Serbian language|Serbian]] folk literature, using peasant culture as the foundation. He regarded the oral literature of the peasants as an integral part of Serbian culture, compiling it to use in his collections of folk songs, tales and proverbs, as well as the first dictionary of vernacular Serbian.<ref>{{cite book|title=Prilozi za književnost, jezik, istoriju i folklor|year=1965|publisher=Државна штампарија Краљевине Срба, Хрвата и Словенаца|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CnpHAQAAIAAJ&q=%22%D1%81%D1%80%D0%B1%D0%B8+%D1%83+%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%82%D1%83%22|access-date=19 January 2012|page=264|language=sr}}</ref> Similar projects were undertaken by the Russian [[Alexander Afanasyev]], the Norwegians [[Peter Christen Asbjørnsen]] and [[Jørgen Moe]], and the Englishman [[Joseph Jacobs]].<ref>Jack Zipes, ''The Great Fairy Tale Tradition: From Straparola and Basile to the Brothers Grimm'', p. 846, {{ISBN|0-393-97636-X}}</ref>

=== Polish nationalism and messianism ===
[[File:Night november.jpg|thumb|The [[November Uprising]] (1830–31), in the [[Congress Poland|Kingdom of Poland]], against the [[Russian Empire]]]]

Romanticism played an essential role in the national awakening of many Central European peoples lacking their own national states, not least in Poland, which had recently failed to restore its independence when [[Imperial Russian Army|Russia's army]] crushed the [[November Uprising|Polish Uprising]] under [[Nicholas I of Russia|Nicholas I]]. Revival and reinterpretation of ancient myths, customs and traditions by Romantic poets and painters helped to distinguish their indigenous cultures from those of the dominant nations and crystallise the mythography of [[Romantic nationalism]]. Patriotism, nationalism, revolution and armed struggle for independence also became popular themes in the arts of this period. Arguably, the most distinguished Romantic poet of this part of Europe was [[Adam Mickiewicz]], who developed an idea that [[Christ of Europe|Poland was the Messiah of Nations]], predestined to suffer just as [[Jesus]] had suffered to save all the people. The Polish self-image as a "[[Christ of Europe|Christ among nations]]" or the martyr of Europe can be traced back to its history of [[Christendom]] and suffering under invasions. During the periods of foreign occupation, the Catholic Church served as bastion of Poland's national identity and language, and the major promoter of [[Culture of Poland|Polish culture]]. The [[Partitions of Poland|partitions]] came to be seen in Poland as a Polish sacrifice for the security for [[Western culture|Western civilization]]. Adam Mickiewicz wrote the patriotic drama ''[[Dziady (poem)|Dziady]]'' (directed against the Russians), where he depicts Poland as the Christ of Nations. He also wrote "Verily I say unto you, it is not for you to learn civilization from foreigners, but it is you who are to teach them civilization ... You are among the foreigners like the Apostles among the idolaters". In ''Books of the Polish Nation and Polish Pilgrimage'' Mickiewicz detailed his vision of Poland as a Messias and a Christ of Nations, that would save mankind. Dziady is known for various interpretation. The most known ones are the moral aspect of part II, [[individualist]] and romantic message of part IV, as well as deeply patriotic, messianistic and Christian vision in part III of the poem. Zdzisław Kępiński, however, focuses his interpretation on [[Slavic mythology|Slavic pagan]] and [[occult]] elements found in the drama. In his book ''Mickiewicz hermetyczny'' he writes about [[Hermeticism|hermetic]], [[Theosophy (Blavatskian)|theosophic]] and [[Alchemy|alchemical]] philosophy on the book as well as [[Freemasonry|Masonic]] symbols.