Otto Kamillus Hugo Gabriel Count von Bray-Steinburg (* 17 May 1807 in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

– † 9 January 1899 in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

) was a Bavarian diplomat and politician. He was a son of the diplomat Count François Gabriel von Bray, who was from Rouen, France.

Early life

Bray-Steinburg came from the old

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

family of Bray. He was a son of the Bavarian diplomat Count François Gabriel von Bray (originally from Normandy) and Baroness Sophia Catherine von Löwenstern. His main residence was the castle of Irlbach, south of Regensburg, but he also owned the nearby castles of Schambach and Steinburg. Bray-Steinburg was taught in the Wilhelmsgymnasium in Munich and then studied law at the Universities of

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 ...

and

Career

He then served as a Bavarian diplomat in Vienna, Paris and Athens. In 1843 to 1859, Bray was, with interruptions, the Bavarian ambassador in

Sankt 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 ...

. In 1846 to 1847, and again in 1848 to 1849, he was the Bavarian foreign secretary. During his second term, he also served as ''President of the Council of Ministers'', a title equivalent to

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

. In 1859 to 1860, Bray was the Bavarian ambassador in

, and he then returned to Vienna as ambassador. In 1870, King Ludwig II. appointed Bray again ''Minister of State of the Exterior'' and Council president. In that position, Bray led the Bavarian delegation for the negotiations of the Bavarian accession to the German Empire and managed to secure a privileged status for the

Kingdom of Bavaria The Kingdom of Bavaria (german: Königreich Bayern; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1805 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German ...

within the empire (''Reservatrechte''). The Kingdom of Bavaria was able to retain its own railways, postal service, diplomatic body and even its own

army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

, which would fall under Prussian command only during times of war. In 1871, Bray resigned since he was in opposition to the '' Kulturkampf''. He then served again as the German Empire's ambassador in Vienna until 1897. He was awarded Serbian

Order of the Cross of Takovo The Order of the Cross of Takovo was a Serbian state order. History It was instituted in the Principality of Serbia in 1865 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Second Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire, which had started in Takovo, Serbi ...

Marriage and children

He married ''Donna'' Ippolita Emanuela Dentice di Frasso, from Naples, daughter of Prince Luigi VI Dentice di Frasso and ''Donna'' Anna Maria Serra. They had issue: Countess Clara von Bray-Steinburg born 1848, married Count Ludwig von Lerchenfeld-Köfering in 1867. Count Hippolyte von Bray-Steinburg born 1842, married Countess Anna von Medem in 1871. Countess Gabriele von Bray-Steinburg born 1841, married Count Johann Douglas von Thurn-Valassina-Como Vencelli in 1863. Countess Marie von Bray-Steinburg born 1839, married Count Giulio Figarolo di Gropello in 1858.

Orders and decorations

* : ** Grand Cross of the Royal Merit

Order of Saint Michael , status = Abolished by decree of Louis XVI on 20 June 1790Reestablished by Louis XVIII on 16 November 1816Abolished in 1830 after the July RevolutionRecognised as a dynastic order of chivalry by the ICOC , founder = Louis XI of France , h ...

, ''1852'' ** Grand Cross of the Merit Order of the Bavarian Crown, ''1861'' ** Knight of the Royal

Order of Saint Hubert The Royal Order of Saint Hubert (german: Sankt Hubertus Königlicher Orden), or sometimes (german: Königlicher Orden des Heiligen Hubertus) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood founded in 1444 or 1445 by Gerhard VII, Duke of Jülic ...

, ''1871'' ** Cross of Honour of the Order of Ludwig, ''1882'' *

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

: ** Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of Leopold, ''1868'' ** Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian

Order of Saint Stephen The Order of Saint Stephen (Official: Sacro Militare Ordine di Santo Stefano Papa e Martire, "Holy Military Order of St. Stephen Pope and Martyr") is a Roman Catholic Tuscan dynastic military order founded in 1561. The order was created by C ...

, ''1873'' *

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

Order of the Red Eagle The Order of the Red Eagle (german: Roter Adlerorden) was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful se ...

, 1st Class, ''28 April 1860'' ** Knight of the Royal Order of the Crown, 1st Class with Enamel Band of the Red Eagle Order, ''28 January 1871'' *

Sweden-Norway Sweden and Norway or Sweden–Norway ( sv, Svensk-norska unionen; no, Den svensk-norske union(en)), officially the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, and known as the United Kingdoms, was a personal union of the separate kingdoms of Sweden ...

: Commander Grand Cross of the Royal

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star ( Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim. The Order of t ...

, ''24 May 1844''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bray-Steinburg, Otto Von People from the Kingdom of Bavaria Ministers-President of Bavaria Members of the Bavarian Reichsrat Members of the Bavarian Chamber of Deputies Diplomats of Bavaria 1807 births 1899 deaths Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star