Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg, better known by his pen name Novalis, was a German aristocrat and polymath, who was a poet, novelist, philosopher and mystic. He is regarded as an influential figure in Jena Romanticism. May 2, 1772 – March 25, 1801; died at 28. Alive at the same time as Napoleon, Ludwig van Beethoven, Immanuel Kant, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and George Washington. Wiki link