Karl Witte was born in Lochau, now part of
Schkopau. He was the son of pastor Karl Heinrich Gottfried Witte (1767–1845) who encouraged a fairly intense program of learning. When Karl Witte was nine, he spoke German, French, Italian, Latin, and Greek, and on April 10, 1814, at the age of 13, he became a
doctor of philosophy at the
University of Giessen in Germany. As a result, Witte was listed in
The Guinness Book of World Records as the "youngest doctorate", a record that still stands; however,
The Guinness Book of World Records lists his age as 12. Witte was the subject of a book written by his father:
The Education of Karl Witte: Or, The Training of the Child. This book attracted criticism and soon fell into oblivion in Germany. He achieved his reputation as a Dante scholar in 1823 with his essay "The Art of Misunderstanding Dante". Witte died in
Halle. == References ==