 Böcking was born in Trarbach an der Mosel, and attended the gymnasium in Kaiserslautern from 1816 to 1818.He then studied at the universities of Heidelberg, Bonn, Berlin, and Göttingen, and graduated in 1826 with the thesis "De mancipii causis" at the University of Berlin.In spring 1829 he was appointed extraordinary professor, and moved in the fall to the University of Bonn, where in 1835 he became regular Professor of Law.