Author, Prussian Soldier. Often referred to as the "German Tyrtaeus" he is remembered for his light comedies and other works that he published for the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria as well as his inspirational patriotic songs composed during battle. The son of a jurist, he grew up in a household with a lively social, artistic, and intellectual life, where literary distinguished persons of the time, such as German poets Friedrich Schiller, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and Heinrich von Kleist, were often guests. After receiving his education at the Kreuzschule in Dresden, Germany, he moved to Vienna, Austria where he became friends with the noted Prussian philosopher Wilhelm von Humboldt and German poet Fredrich Schlegel and soon began writing dramas, operas, poems, and other literary works while employed with the Burgtheater. During this time he met and became engaged to Austrian stage actress Antonie Adamberger. When the War of the Sixth Coalition commenced against French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte in March 1813, he left Vienna to join the Lutzow Free Corps, a voluntary paramilitary group of the Prussian army under the command of General Ludwig von Lutzow. In June 1813 the Free Corps engaged the enemy near Leipzig and found themselves outnumbered by superior forces. Körner, acting as a negotiator, was severely wounded when he attempted to deliver a message to the commander of the French forces. He managed to escape and fled into a forest where he was able to avoid being captured. It was during this time that he composed the sonnet "Abschied vom Leben" (Farewell to Life). After being rescued by two peasants, he eventually made his way to Berlin, Germany and upon recovering from his wound, he rejoined his unit in Mecklenburg. The following August, his unit engaged enemy forces near Rosenow and he fell mortally wounded at the age of 21. He was interred under an oak tree in the nearby village of Wobbelin. Among his other notable works include a volume of poems called "Knospen" (Buds, 1810), light comedies "Die Braut" (The Bride, 1812) and "Der Grune Domino" (The Green Domino, 1812), "Schwertlied" (Sword Song, 1813), that was composed during a lull in fighting only a few hours before his death, and "Lutzow's Wilde Jagd" (Lutzow's Wild Chase), each set to music by both Carl Maria von Weber and Franz Schubert. A statue in his honor resides at the Georgplatz in Dresden, Germany. He was the younger brother of German artist Emma Körner.