Georg Herbert Fürst{{efn, {{German title Graf. His title was given as "The Count Munster" in the official British Government translations from the French of the treaties he signed at the Congress of Vienna (see for example Treaty between Prussia and Hanover, 29 May 1815).} zu Münster von Derneburg (23 December 1820 – 28 March 1902),{{cite journal , title=Münster von Derneburg, Georg Fürst , journal=Neue Deutsche Biographie , date=1997 , volume=18 , pages=535–537 , url=https://www.deutsche-biographie.de/sfz70770.html , access-date=11 November 2018 , language=de{{cite news , title= Death of Prince Münster , work=
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ( ...
, page=8 , date=31 March 1902
also known by his earlier title of Count of Münster-Ledenburg, was a Hanoverian and later German diplomat and politician. He served as ambassador to London 1873–1885"Prince von Munster". ''Kalgoorlie Miner'', 9 October 1899, p. 2. Retrieved from Trove, 2 September 2017. and Paris (1885–1900).
Early life and education
Münster was born in London, where his father, Ernst zu Münster, was the Hanoverian Minister at the Court of King
George IV
George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...
. His mother was Wilhelmine Charlotte von Lippe-Alverdissen, Countess of Münster (a daughter of
Philip II, Count of Schaumburg-Lippe
Philipp II Ernst, Count of Schaumburg-Lippe (5 July 1723– 13 February 1787) was a ruler of the counties of Lippe-Alverdissen and Schaumburg-Lippe.
Early life
He was born at Rinteln the son of Friedrich Ernst, Count of Lippe-Alverdissen (1687-17 ...
George William, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe
Georg Wilhelm, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe (20 December 1784 – 21 November 1860) was a Count and later Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe.
Biography
He was born in Bückeburg the son of Philipp II, Count of Schaumburg-Lippe, and his second wife Prince ...
(and his wife
Princess Ida of Waldeck and Pyrmont
, reign = 23 June 1816 – 21 November 1860
, succession = Princess consort of Schaumburg-Lippe
, house = House of Waldeck-Pyrmont (by birth)House of Lippe (by marriage)
, spouse = George William, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe
, issue = Ad ...
). His paternal grandparents were Count Georg von Münster zu Surenburg and
Eleonore von Grothaus
Eleonore von Grothaus, also Countess Eleonore von Münster (10 April 1734 – 26 March 1794), was a German noblewoman, a writer and poet, and a lay musician. She may have assembled a collection of writings and music, the Ledenburg Collection from ...
(the eldest daughter of the general Ernst Philipp von Grothaus). His grandfather was known for collecting fossils in the
Muschelkalk
The Muschelkalk (German for "shell-bearing limestone"; french: calcaire coquillier) is a sequence of sedimentary rock strata (a lithostratigraphic unit) in the geology of central and western Europe. It has a Middle Triassic (240 to 230 million ...
around the town of
Bayreuth
Bayreuth (, ; bar, Bareid) is a town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtelgebirge Mountains. The town's roots date back to 1194. In the 21st century, it is the capital o ...
in
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...
for more than 25 years.{{cite book , last1=Rieppel , first1=Olivier , title=Mesozoic Sea Dragons: Triassic Marine Life from the Ancient Tropical Lagoon of Monte San Giorgio , date=2019 , publisher=
Indiana University Press
Indiana University Press, also known as IU Press, is an academic publisher founded in 1950 at Indiana University that specializes in the humanities and social sciences. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana. IU Press publishes 140 ...
, isbn=978-0-253-04013-8 , page=178 , url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Mesozoic_Sea_Dragons/ipmLDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Georg+M%C3%BCnster&pg=PA178 , access-date=10 February 2021 , language=en
He studied law at the universities of
Bonn
The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...
,
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; Palatine German: ') is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914, of which roughly a quarter consisted of students ...
, and
Göttingen
Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the capital of the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, the population was 118,911.
General information
The ori ...
. At 18, he inherited the family's considerable estate and hereditary seat in the Hanoverian parliament, the Estates Assembly of the Kingdom of Hanover. He also followed his father into the Hanoverian diplomatic service.
Career
From his father, Münster inherited strong
Guelph
Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wel ...
sympathies and conservative viewpoints. During the
German revolutions of 1848–49
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
, he opposed reforms and the abolition of privileges for the nobility, and he voted against giving the Hanoverian National Assembly to right to pass laws for Hanover. During the early years of his own career, these family traditions kept him closely attached to the Hanoverian dynasty. Prom 1856–64, he was the Hanoverian Minister in
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
, the same post his father had held 50 years prior. In 1866, Münster tried and failed via diplomatic channels to bring understanding between Hanover and Prussia, and the latter annexed the former as a result of the
Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War, also by many variant names such as Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), (; "German war of brothers") and by a variety of other names, was fought in 186 ...
.
His subsequent rise in the Prussian diplomatic service was met with reproach by the Guelphs, but Münster was convinced that Germany could only be saved by strong Prussian leadership. "My conception of a true Hanoverian," he wrote, "is that he must be first of all a German." Münster represented the town of
Goslar
Goslar (; Eastphalian: ''Goslär'') is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar and located on the northwestern slopes of the Harz mountain range. The Old Town of Goslar and the Mi ...
in the Reichstag from 1867–73, when he was appointed by
Otto von Bismarck
Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (, ; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898), born Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck, was a conservative German statesman and diplomat. From his origins in the upper class of ...
Court of St James's
The Court of St James's is the royal court for the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. All ambassadors to the United Kingdom are formally received by the court. All ambassadors from the United Kingdom are formally accredited from the court – ...
.
Münster spent the next 28 years in London and Paris, and Münster contributed substantially to smoothing over many minor conflicts between France and Germany. He represented the German Empire at the 1889 Hague Convention, after which he received the title of Prince.{{cite news , title=PRINCE MUENSTER RESIGNS.; Gives Up German Ambassadorship at Paris on Account of His Great Age. , url=https://www.nytimes.com/1900/11/29/archives/prince-muenster-resigns-gives-up-german-ambassadorship-at-paris-on.html?searchResultPosition=1 , access-date=10 February 2021 , work=
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
, date=29 November 1900 In 1900, he was awarded the
Order of the Black Eagle
The Order of the Black Eagle (german: Hoher Orden vom Schwarzen Adler) was the highest order of chivalry in the Kingdom of Prussia. The order was founded on 17 January 1701 by Elector Friedrich III of Brandenburg (who became Friedrich I, King i ...
. In December 1901, he retired to his villa in Hanover.
Personal life
Münster was twice married. In 1847, he married Alexandra, Dowager Princess Dolgorukova (1823–1884), widow of Dmitry Nikolaevich Dolgorukov; ''née'' Princess Golitsyn, daughter of Prince Mikhail Mikhailovich Golitsyn (1793–1856) and Princess Maria Arkadievna Souvorov-Rimnisky. They were the parents of:
* Countess Sophie Thusnelde Wilhelmine zu Münster (1851–1933), who married Count Konrad von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg.
* Prince Ernst Adolf zu Münster von Grothaus (1856–1905), who married Princess Melanie Ghika de Dezsanfalva.
* Count Alexander Otto Hugo Wladimir zu Münster (1858–1922), who married Lady Muriel Henrietta Constance Hay (1863–1927), the youngest daughter of
George Hay-Drummond, 12th Earl of Kinnoull
George Hay-Drummond, 12th Earl of Kinnoull (16 July 1827 – 30 January 1897), styled as Viscount Dupplin until 1866, was a Scottish peer and cricketer. His titles were Earl of Kinnoull, Viscount Dupplin and Lord Hay of Kinfauns in the Pe ...
, in 1890.
On 22 August 1865, he married secondly to Lady Elizabeth St Clair-Erskine at Dysart House. Lady Elizabeth was the only daughter of James St Clair-Erskine, 3rd Earl of Rosslyn and his wife, the former Frances Wemyss.{{cite web , title=Rosslyn, Earl of (UK, 1801) , url=http://cracroftspeerage.co.uk/rosslyn1801.htm , website=www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk , publisher=Heraldic Media Limited , access-date=21 July 2020
Prince Münster died on 28 March 1902 in Hanover.
Honours and awards
He received the following orders and decorations:''Handbuch über den Königlich Preußischen Hof und Staat fur das jahr 1899'' p. 69 /ref>
{{columns-list, colwidth=25em,
* {{flagicon image, Flag of the Kingdom of Prussia (1803-1892).svg
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. ...
:
** Knight of the Prussian Crown, 1st Class with Enamel Band of the Red Eagle, ''18 January 1877''{{citation, title=Königlich Preussische Ordensliste, volume=1, url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049878864&view=1up&seq=5&skin=2021, page 554936 lang=German, location=Berlin, year=1877, via=hathitrust.org
** Grand Commander's Cross of the Royal
House Order of Hohenzollern
The House Order of Hohenzollern (german: Hausorden von Hohenzollern or ') was a dynastic order of knighthood of the House of Hohenzollern awarded to military commissioned officers and civilians of comparable status. Associated with the various ...
, ''31 October 1885''
** Knight of the Black Eagle, with Collar, ''1900''
* {{flagicon, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha {{flagicon, Saxe-Altenburg {{flagicon, Saxe-Meiningen
Ernestine duchies
The Ernestine duchies (), also known as the Saxon duchies (, although the Albertine appanage duchies of Weissenfels, Merseburg and Zeitz were also "Saxon duchies" and adjacent to several Ernestine ones), were a group of small states whose num ...
* {{flagcountry, French Third Republic: Grand Cross of the
Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleo ...
* {{flag, Kingdom of Hanover: Commander of the
Royal Guelphic Order
The Royal Guelphic Order (german: Königliche Guelphen-Orden), sometimes referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent (later King George IV). It takes its name ...
Lippe
Lippe () is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Herford, Minden-Lübbecke, Höxter, Paderborn, Gütersloh, and district-free Bielefeld, which forms the region Ostwestfalen-Lippe.
...
: Cross of Honour of the House Order of Lippe, 1st Class
* {{Flagicon image, Flagge Großherzogtümer Mecklenburg.svg
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg (; nds, label= Low German, Mękel(n)borg ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schweri ...
Persian Empire
The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Based in Western Asia, it was contemporarily the largest emp ...
:
Order of the Lion and the Sun
The Imperial Order of the Lion and the Sun ( Persian: نشان سلطنتی شیر و خورشید) was instituted by Fat’h Ali Shah of the Qajar dynasty in 1808 to honour foreign officials (later extended to Iranians) who had rendered disting ...
National Portrait Gallery, London
The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was arguably the first national public gallery dedicated to portraits in the world when it ...
Georg
Georg may refer to:
* Georg (film), ''Georg'' (film), 1997
*Georg (musical), Estonian musical
* Georg (given name)
* Georg (surname)
* , a Kriegsmarine coastal tanker
See also
* George (disambiguation)
{{disambiguation ...