Born in the village of Röcken (then part of the Kingdom of Prussia), Friedrich Nietzsche was the son of a Lutheran pastor and would later become one of the most influential philosophers of the modern age. In his youth, Nietzsche studied theology and classical philology, aspiring to become a Christian minister. But Nietzsche eventually lost his faith around 1864, after reading a number of texts that convinced him of the falseness of God’s existence.

At the young age of 24, Nietzsche became a tenured professor of classical philology at the University of Basel in Switzerland. Before his arrival, Nietzsche renounced his Prussian citizenship and remained officially stateless for the rest of his life. During his time as a professor, Nietzsche befriended composer Richard Wagner, but came to regard him as a nemesis upon learning of his antisemitism.

In 1879, Nietzsche’s health declined, and he was forced to leave the University. He would spend the rest of his life as an independent philosopher, writing some of his most famous works near the end of his lucidity—including On the Genealogy of Morals, Twilight of the Idols, and The Antichrist. Early in 1889, Nietzsche suffered a mental breakdown—colloquially after witnessing the flogging of a horse—and spent the last decade of his life almost entirely catatonic and unable to speak.