Ewald Friedrich Graf von Hertzberg (2 September 172522 May 1795) was a
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
n
statesman
A statesman or stateswoman typically is a politician who has had a long and respected political career at the national or international level.
Statesman or Statesmen may also refer to:
Newspapers United States
* ''The Statesman'' (Oregon), a n ...
.
Early life
Hertzberg, who came of a noble family which had been settled in
Pomerania
Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...
since the 13th century, was born at
Lottin (present-day Lotyń, a part of
Okonek
Okonek (german: Ratzebuhr) is a town in Poland, in Greater Poland Voivodeship, with approximately 4,200 inhabitants. Town and commune in Złotów County
__NOTOC__
Złotów County ( pl, powiat złotowski) is a unit of territorial administration a ...
) near
Neustettin
Szczecinek ( ; German until 1945: ''Neustettin'') is a historic city in Middle Pomerania, northwestern Poland, with a population of more than 40,000 (2011). Formerly in the Koszalin Voivodeship (1950–1998), it has been the capital of Szczecin ...
.
After 1739 he studied, chiefly classics and history at the gymnasium at
Stettin
Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin language, Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Po ...
, and in 1742 entered the
university of Halle
Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (german: Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg), also referred to as MLU, is a public, research-oriented university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg and the largest and oldest university i ...
as a student of
jurisprudence
Jurisprudence, or legal theory, is the theoretical study of the propriety of law. Scholars of jurisprudence seek to explain the nature of law in its most general form and they also seek to achieve a deeper understanding of legal reasoning a ...
, becoming in due course a doctor of laws in 1745. In addition to this principal study, he was also interested while at the university in historical and philosophical (
Christian Wolff) studies. A first thesis for his doctorate, entitled ''Jus publicum Brandenburgicum'', was not printed, because it contained a criticism of the existing condition of the state. Shortly afterwards Hertzberg entered the government service, in which he was first employed in the department of the state archives (of which he became director in 1750), soon after in the foreign office, and finally in 1763 as chief minister (''Cabinetsminister''). In 1752 he married Baroness Marie von Knyphausen, a marriage which was happy, but childless.
Political career
For more than forty years Hertzberg played an active part in the Prussian foreign office. In this capacity he had a decisive influence on Prussian policy, both under
Frederick the Great
Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Sil ...
and his successor,
Frederick William II. At the beginning of the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754†...
(1756) he took part as a political writer in the
Hohenzollern-
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
quarrel, both in his ''Ursachen, die S.K.M. in Preussen bewogen haben, sich wider die Absichten des Wienerischen Hofes zu setzen and deren Ausführung zuvorzukommen'' ("Motives which have induced the king of Prussia to oppose the intentions of the court of Vienna, and to prevent them from being carried into effect"), and in his ''Mémoire raisonné sur la conduite des tours de Vienne et de Saxe'', based on the secret papers taken by Frederick the Great from the archives of
Dresden
Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...
.
![HertzbergEF](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/HertzbergEF.jpg)
After the
defeat at Kolin (1757) he hastened to Pomerania to organise the national defence there and collect the necessary troops for the protection of the fortresses of Stettin and
Colberg. In the same year he conducted the peace negotiations with Sweden, and was of great service in bringing about the
peace of Hubertsburg (1763), on the conclusion of which the king received him with the words, "I congratulate you. You have made peace as I made war, one against many."
In the later years, too, of Frederick the Great's reign, Hertzberg played a considerable part in foreign policy. In 1772, in a memoir based upon comprehensive historical studies, he defended the Prussian claims to certain provinces of Poland. He also took part successfully as a publicist in the negotiations concerning the
question of the Bavarian succession (1778) and those of the
peace of Teschen
The Treaty of Teschen (german: Frieden von Teschen, i.e., "Peace of Teschen"; french: Traité de Teschen) was signed on 13 May 1779 in Teschen, then in Austrian Silesia, between the Austrian Habsburg monarchy and the Kingdom of Prussia, which of ...
(1779). In 1780 he failed to uphold Prussian interests at the election of the
bishop of Münster. In 1784 appeared Hertzberg's memoir containing a thorough study of the
Fürstenbund
The ''(Deutsche) Fürstenbund'' (, " ermanLeague of Princes") was an alliance of mostly Protestant princes in the Holy Roman Empire formed in 1785 under the leadership of Frederick II of Prussia. The alliance, which initially comprised the three ...
. He championed this latest creation of Frederick the Great's mainly with a view to an energetic reform of the empire, though the idea of German unity was naturally still far from his mind.
In 1785 followed "An explanation of-the motives which have led the king of Prussia to propose to the other fellow high estates of the empire an association for the maintenance of the system of the empire" (''Erklärung der Ursachen, welche S.M. in Preussen bewogen haben, ihren hohen Mitständen des Reichs eine Association zur Erhaltung des Reichssystems anzutragen''). By upholding the Fürstenbund Hertzberg made many enemies, prominent among whom was the king's brother,
Prince Henry Prince Henry (or Prince Harry) may refer to:
People
*Henry the Young King (1155–1183), son of Henry II of England, who was crowned king but predeceased his father
*Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal (1394–1460)
*Henry, Duke of Cornwall (Ja ...
. Though the Fürstenbund failed to effect a reform of the empire, it at any rate prevented the fulfilment of Emperor
Joseph II
Joseph II (German: Josef Benedikt Anton Michael Adam; English: ''Joseph Benedict Anthony Michael Adam''; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg lands from November 29, 1780 un ...
's old desire for the incorporation of Bavaria with Austria.
The last act of state in which Hertzberg took part under Frederick the Great was the commercial treaty concluded in 1785 between Prussia and the United States. With Frederick, especially in his later years, Hertzberg stood in very intimate personal relations and was often the king's guest at
Sanssouci
Sanssouci () is a historical building in Potsdam, near Berlin. Built by Prussian King Frederick the Great as his summer palace, it is often counted among the German rivals of Versailles. While Sanssouci is in the more intimate Rococo style and ...
. Under Frederick William II his influential position at the court of Berlin was at first unshaken. The king at once received him with favour, as is clearly proved by Hertzberg's
elevation to the rank of count in 1786; and
Mirabeau
Mirabeau may refer to:
People and characters
* Mirabeau B. Lamar (1798–1859), second President of the Republic of Texas
French nobility
* Victor de Riqueti, marquis de Mirabeau (1715–1789), French physiocrat
* Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, com ...
would never have attacked him with such violence in his ''Secret History of the Court of Berlin'', which appeared in 1788, if he had not seen in him the most powerful man after the king.
In this attack Mirabeau seems to have been influenced by Hertzberg's personal enemies at the court. Hertzberg's political system remained on the whole the same under
Frederick William II as it had been under his predecessor. It was mainly characterised by a sharp opposition to the house of Habsburg and by a desire to win for Prussia the support of England, a policy supported by him in important memoirs of the years 1786 and 1787. His diplomacy was directed also against Austria's old ally, France. Hence it was chiefly owing to Hertzberg that in 1787, in spite of the king's unwillingness at first, Prussia intervened in the Netherlands in support of the stadtholder
William V William V may refer to:
*William V, Duke of Aquitaine (969–1030)
*William V of Montpellier (1075–1121)
*William V, Marquess of Montferrat (1191)
*William V, Count of Nevers (before 11751181)
*William V, Duke of Jülich (1299–1361)
*William V, ...
against the
democratic French party.
The success of this
intervention, which was the practical realisation of a plan very characteristic of Hertzberg, marks the culminating point in his career. But the opposition between him and the new king, which had already appeared at the time of the conclusion of the triple alliance between the Netherlands, England and Prussia, became more marked in the following years, when Hertzberg, relying upon this alliance, and in conscious imitation of Frederick II's policy at the time of the first
partition of Poland
The Partitions of Poland were three partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place toward the end of the 18th century and ended the existence of the state, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland and Lithuania for 12 ...
, sought to take advantage of the entanglement of Austria with Russia in the war with
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
to secure for Prussia an extension of territory by diplomatic intervention.
According to his plan, Prussia was to offer her mediation at the proper moment, and in the territorial readjustments that the peace would bring, was to receive
Danzig and
Thorn
Thorn(s) or The Thorn(s) may refer to:
Botany
* Thorns, spines, and prickles, sharp structures on plants
* ''Crataegus monogyna'', or common hawthorn, a plant species
Comics and literature
* Rose and Thorn, the two personalities of two DC Com ...
as her portion. Beyond this he aimed at preventing the restoration of the hegemony of Austria in the Empire, and secretly cherished the hope of restoring Frederick the Great's Russian alliance. With a curious obstinacy he continued to pursue these aims even when, owing to military and diplomatic events, they were already partly out of date. His personal position became increasingly difficult, as deep-rooted differences between him and the king were revealed during these diplomatic campaigns: Hertzberg wished to effect everything by peaceful means, while Frederick William II was for a time determined on war with Austria.
As regards Polish policy, too, their ideas came into conflict, Hertzberg having always been openly opposed to the total annihilation of the Polish kingdom. The same is true of the attitude of king and minister towards Great Britain. At the conferences at Reichenbach in the summer of 1790, this opposition became more and more acute, and Hertzberg was only with difficulty persuaded to come to an agreement merely on the basis of the status quo, as demanded by Pitt. The king's renunciation of any extension of territory was in Hertzberg's eyes impolitic, and this view of his was later endorsed by Bismarck. A letter which came to the eyes of the king, in which Hertzberg severely criticised the king's foreign policy, and especially his plans for attacking Russia, led to his dismissal on 5 July 1791. He afterwards made several attempts to exert an influence over foreign affairs, but in vain. The king showed himself more and more personally hostile to the ex-minister, and in later years pursued Hertzberg, now quite embittered, with every kind of petty persecution, even ordering his letters to be opened.
Literary career
Even in his literary interests Hertzberg found an adversary in the ungrateful king, for Frederick William, to give one instance, made it so difficult for him to use the archives that in the end Hertzberg entirely gave up the attempt. He found, however, some recompense for all his disillusionment and discouragement in learning, and,
Wilhelm von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Christian Karl Ferdinand von Humboldt (, also , ; ; 22 June 1767 – 8 April 1835) was a Prussian philosopher, linguist, government functionary, diplomat, and founder of the Humboldt University of Berlin, which was named after ...
excepted, he was the most learned of all the Prussian ministers. As a member of the Berlin Academy especially, and, from 1786 onwards, as its curator, Hertzberg carried on a great and valuable activity in the world of learning. His yearly reports dealt with history, statistics and political science. The most interesting is that of 1784: ''Sur la forme des gouvernements, et quelle est la meilleure''. This is directed exclusively against the absolute system (following Montesquieu), upholds a limited monarchy, and is in favour of extending to the peasants the right to be represented in the
diet
Diet may refer to:
Food
* Diet (nutrition), the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group
* Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake
** Diet food, foods that aid in creating a diet for weight loss ...
.
He spoke for the last time in 1793 on Frederick the Great and the advantages of monarchy. After 1783 these discourses caused a great sensation, since Hertzberg introduced into them a review of the financial situation, which in the days of absolutism seemed an unprecedented innovation. Besides this, Hertzberg exerted himself as an academician to change the strongly French character of the Academy and make it into a truly German institution.
Works
*''Mémoires de l'Académie'' (1780 et seq.) These contain Hertzberg's discourses. The most noteworthy of them were printed in 1787. Here too is to be found: ''Histoire de la dissertation
u roisur la littérature allemande''.
*''Recueil des déductions, &c., qui ont été rédigés ... pour la cour de Prusse par le ministre'' (3 vols., 1789–1795)
*"Autobiographical Sketch" published by Höpke in Schmidt's ''Zeitschrift für Geschichtswissenschaft'', i. (1843)
Later life
He showed a keen interest in the old German language and literature. A special "German deputation" was set aside at the Academy and entrusted with the drawing up of a
German grammar
The grammar of the German language is quite similar to that of the other Germanic languages.
Although some features of German grammar, such as the formation of some of the verb forms, resemble those of English, German grammar differs from that of ...
and dictionary. He also stood in very close relations with many of the German poets of the time, and especially with Daniel Schubart. Among the German historians in whom he took a great interest, he had the greatest esteem for
Pufendorf
Samuel Freiherr von Pufendorf (8 January 1632 – 26 October 1694) was a German jurist, political philosopher, economist and historian. He was born Samuel Pufendorf and ennobled in 1694; he was made a baron by Charles XI of Sweden a few months b ...
. He was equally concerned in the improvement of the state of education. In 1780 he boldly took up the defence of German literature, which had been disparaged by Frederick the Great in his famous writing ''De la littérature allemande''.
Hertzberg's frank and honourable nature little fitted him to be a successful diplomatist; but the course of history has justified many of his aims and ideals, and in Prussia his memory was honoured. He died at Berlin on 22 May 1795 and was buried in the family tomb under the village church (''Britzer Dorfkiche'') of Britz beside his country estate (
Schloss Britz
The Schloss Britz (Britz castle) is the former manor-house of the historical ''Rittergut'' (country estate) and village Britz, now a district of Berlin-Neukölln. Today it is the headquarters of the cultural organization ''Kulturstiftung Schloss ...
).
Honours
* 1789 – Elected
Fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
*1794 -
Marcus Elieser Bloch
Marcus Elieser Bloch (1723–1799) was a German physician and naturalist who is best known for his contribution to ichthyology through his multi-volume catalog of plates illustrating the fishes of the world. Brought up in a Hebrew-speaking Jewish ...
named a sea catfish, ''
Sciades herzbergii'' after him.
Notes
References
* This work in turn cites:
**Mirabeau, ''Histoire secrète de la cour de Berlin'' (1788)
**P. F. Weddigen, ''Hertzbergs Leben'' (Bremen, 1797)
**E. L. Posselt, ''Hertzbergs Leben'' (Tübingen, 1798)
**H. Lehmann, in ''Neustettiner Programm'' (1862)
**E. Fischer, in ''Staatsanzeiger'' (1873)
**M. Duncker, in ''Historische Zeitschrift'' (1877)
**Paul Bailleu, in ''Historische Zeitschrift'' (1879) and ''
Allgemeine deutsche Biographie
''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' (ADB, german: Universal German Biography) is one of the most important and comprehensive biographical reference works in the German language.
It was published by the Historical Commission of the Bavarian Aca ...
'' (1880)
**H. Petrich, ''Pommersche Lebensbilder'' i. (1880)
**G. Dressler, ''Friedrich II. und Hertzberg in ihrer Stellung zu den holländischen Wirren'' (
University of Breslau
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...
dissertation, 1882)
**K. Krauel, ''Hertzberg als Minister Friedrich Wilhelms II'' (Berlin, 1899)
**F. K. Wittichen, in ''Historische Vierteljahrschrift'', 9 (1906)
**A. Th. Preuss, ''Ewald Friedrich, Graf von Hertzberg'' (Berlin, 1909)
**J. Hashagen, "Hertzbergs Verhältnis zur deutschen Literatur," in ''Zeitschrift fur deutsche Philologie'' for 1903.
**General works:
**F. K. Wittichen, ''Preussen und England, 1785–1788'' (Heidelberg, 1902)
**F. Luckwaldt, ''Die englisch-preussische Allianz von 1788 in den Forschungen zur brandenburgisch-preussischen Geschichte'', Bd. 15, and in the ''Delbruckfestschrift'' (Berlin, 1908)
**L. Sevin, ''System der preussischen Geheimpolitik 1790–1791'' (
University of Heidelberg
}
Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...
dissertation, 1903)
**P. Wittichen, ''Die polönische Politik Preussens 1788–1790'' (Berlin, 1899)
**F. Andreae, ''Preussische and russische Politik in Polen 1787–1789'' (
Humboldt University of Berlin
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...
dissertation, 1905)
**W. Wenck, ''Deutschland vor 100 Jahren'' (2 vols, 1887, 1890)
**
Adolf Harnack
Carl Gustav Adolf von Harnack (born Harnack; 7 May 1851 – 10 June 1930) was a Baltic German Lutheran theology, Lutheran theologian and prominent Church historian. He produced many religious publications from 1873 to 1912 (in which he is s ...
, ''Geschichte der preussischen Akademie'' (4 vols, 1899)
**Consentius, ''Preussische Jahrbücher'' (1904)
*Freunde und Förderer Schloss Britz e.V. (compiler): ''300 Jahre Schloss Britz. Ewald Friedrich Graf von Hertzberg und die Berliner Aufklärung'' (Berlin, 2006).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hertzberg, Ewald Friedrich Von
1725 births
1795 deaths
People from Złotów County
People from the Province of Pomerania
Counts of Germany
Prussian diplomats
Prussian politicians
German people of the Seven Years' War
University of Halle alumni
Fellows of the Royal Society
18th-century diplomats
Foreign ministers of Prussia