He studied at the Universities of Marburg, Berlin and Bonn, where he was a pupil of Heinrich von Sybel (1817–1895). In 1868 he became a professor of history at the University of Greifswald. Afterwards he served as a professor at Marburg (from 1870), Tübingen (from 1873), Bonn (from 1876) and Leipzig (from 1877). At the University of Leipzig, one of his students was Karl Lamprecht (1856–1915). After his death, his position at Leipzig was filled by his friend, Wilhelm Maurenbrecher (1838–1892).
