Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was born on October 15th, the birthday of the Prussian king. His father was a Lutheran pastor, and Friedrich was named after the monarch.

His father died from a brain ailment when Friedrich was only four, followed by his younger brother's death. The family moved to Naumburg to live with relatives.

Nietzsche received a scholarship to the elite Schulpforta school, where he excelled in classics and began writing poetry and music compositions.

Nietzsche enrolled to study theology and philology at Bonn but soon abandoned theology, causing a rift with his devout mother.

Without completing his doctorate, Nietzsche was appointed professor of classical philology at the University of Basel, the youngest person ever to hold the chair.

His first book explored Greek tragedy through the tension between Apollonian and Dionysian forces. Though controversial, it established his unique philosophical voice.

Nietzsche attended Wagner's festival but was repulsed by its nationalism and spectacle. This marked his painful break from his former idol and closest friend.

Severe migraines and deteriorating health forced Nietzsche to resign from Basel. He began a decade of wandering through Europe, writing in solitude.

This work first proclaimed that God is dead and introduced the concept of eternal recurrence. It represented the joyful wisdom Nietzsche sought in philosophy.

Written in intense bursts of inspiration, this philosophical novel introduced the Ubermensch and became Nietzsche's most famous work, though initially ignored.

This work attacked traditional morality and the metaphysical assumptions of philosophy. Nietzsche paid for its printing himself as no publisher would take it.

His most systematic work traced the origins of moral concepts, distinguishing between master and slave morality. It remains central to moral philosophy.

In a burst of manic creativity, Nietzsche completed five books including Twilight of the Idols, The Antichrist, and Ecce Homo before his collapse.

Nietzsche collapsed in the street after witnessing a horse being beaten. He never recovered his sanity and spent his remaining years in the care of family.

After eleven years of mental incapacity, Nietzsche died from a stroke. His sister Elisabeth controlled his legacy and distorted his philosophy.