Activism · Science · Politics · 1871–1919

Rosa Luxemburg — Age, Birthday & Biography

Born: 5 March 1871 · Died: 15 January 1919 · Age: 47

Polish-born Marxist theorist and revolutionary who co-founded Germany's Spartacus League and was murdered in Berlin in 1919

Did you know?She was a gifted artist and botanist who kept detailed nature journals and scrapbooks throughout her life.

Quick facts

  • Date of birth5 March 1871
  • Date of death15 January 1919
  • Age at death47
  • Cause of deathGunshot wound
  • NationalityPolish-German
  • BirthplaceZamość, Poland
  • Occupationpolitician, philosopher, revolutionary

Editor's Take:

Rosa Luxemburg was a revolutionary thinker who refused to accept that socialism and freedom could be separated. Born in Poland, she became a leading figure on the left of German politics and a sharp writer on economics and war. She opposed the First World War from the start and spent much of it in prison. She also criticised Lenin's Bolsheviks, warning that 'freedom only for the supporters of the government' was no freedom at all. She was murdered by right-wing paramilitaries in Berlin in 1919, and she remains an iconic figure for many on the left.

Key Milestones

  1. 1898: Settles in Berlin
  2. 1913: Publishes The Accumulation of Capital
  3. 1916: Co-founds the Spartacus League
  4. 1919: Murdered by Freikorps soldiers in Berlin

Rosa Luxemburg ( LUK-səm-burg; Polish: Róża Luksemburg; German:; 5 March 1871 – 15 January 1919) was a Polish and naturalised-German Marxist theorist and revolutionary.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

“Freedom is always the freedom of the one who thinks differently.”
— Rosa Luxemburg, The Russian Revolution, written 1918

Profile

Rosa Luxemburg: Revolutionary Socialist

Polish-German Marxist, born 1871

Rosa Luxemburg was born in Zamość on 5 March 1871.

She wrote The Accumulation of Capital in 1913.

She co-founded the Spartacus League.

She was murdered in Berlin in 1919.

Career highlights

  1. 1898Germany: moves to Berlin
  2. 1906Prison: Warsaw
  3. 1913Accumulation of Capital: published
  4. 1916Spartacus League: founded
  5. 1919Murder: Freikorps

Did you know?She spent much of the First World War in prison.

Age at death
47
Years since death
107

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Questions people ask

Frequently asked questions

When is Rosa Luxemburg's birthday?
Rosa Luxemburg's birthday is March 5. She was born on March 5, 1871 in Zamość, Poland.
How old was Rosa Luxemburg when she died?
Rosa Luxemburg died on January 15, 1919, aged 47.
Who shares a birthday with Rosa Luxemburg?
Famous people who share Rosa Luxemburg's March 5 birthday include Zhou Enlai, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Aleksandar Vučić, Henry II of England and Daniel Kahneman.

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Reviewed by the Who Shares My Birthday editorial team.

Last reviewed: October 2026