Karl Friedrich Hieronymus, Freiherr von Münchhausen

Portrait of Baron Münchausen, Yale Collection of German Literature,
Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

Karl Friedrich Hieronymus, Freiherr von Münchhausen (May 11, 1720 – February 22, 1797) was a German artistocrat, who gained fame later in life for a series of facetious travel and adventures tales penned under his name. As a young man, Münchausen served as page to Anthony Ulrich II, the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. He secured a military commission in the Russian army, where he served until 1750, distinguishing himself in two campaigns against the Turk.