Charles-Frédéric, ''
comte'' Reinhard (born Karl Friedrich Reinhard; 2 October 1761 – 25 December 1837) was a
Württembergian-born
French diplomat, essayist, and politician who briefly served as the
Consulate's
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...
in 1799. A
Girondist during the early stages of the
French Revolution, he was dispatched to several countries before and after his ministerial mandate. In 18061807, he was appointed
Consul and
Resident to
Moldavia, and subsequently arrested by the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
for one year. Reinhard was promoted under the
Bourbon Restoration governments, which he represented to the
German Confederation, and continued his political career under the
July Monarchy.
Early life
Born in
Schorndorf (now in
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
), he was the son of a
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
minister.
["Reinhard, Charles-Frédéric, comte", in ''Nouvelle biographie générale depuis les temps les plus reculés jusqu'à nos jours'', Tome 41, Firmin Didot, Paris, 1863, p.927] He studied Theology at the
University of Tübingen and met with
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (the two corresponded for a period).
Reinhard moved to
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
in 1787, having been employed as
tutor by a
Huguenot family, and soon became an acquaintance of future Girondist leaders.
Career
After the Revolution broke out, he asked to be
naturalized,
[ Neagu Djuvara, ''Între Orient şi Occident. Ţările române la începutul epocii moderne'', Humanitas, Bucharest, 1995, p.49, 53, 83-84, 106, 186, 267, 340-341] joined the Girondist club and, under the
Legislative Assembly, moved to
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, where he entered the diplomatic service.
He was first detached as Legation Secretary to the
Kingdom of Great Britain
Great Britain, also known as the Kingdom of Great Britain, was a sovereign state in Western Europe from 1707 to the end of 1800. The state was created by the 1706 Treaty of Union and ratified by the Acts of Union 1707, which united the Kingd ...
, under Ambassador
Talleyrand, who became his mentor and political ally.
With support from the Girondists, the
National Convention appointed him First Secretary to the French Embassy in the
Kingdom of Sicily.
Directory and Consulate
Despite the Girondists' fall, the
Committee of Public Safety promoted him head of division at the Foreign Relations Department (1794).
The
French Directory made him
Minister Plenipotentiary to the
Hanseatic League in
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
(1795–1798), and later to the same position in the
Grand Duchy of Tuscany.
On 12 October 1796, he married Christine Reimarus, the daughter of philosopher
Hermann Samuel Reimarus and a native of Hamburg.
[Pierre André Bois, ''Adolph Freiherr Knigge (1752-1796): de la "nouvelle religion" aux Droits de l'Homme'', O. Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden, 1990, p.444, 469]
During the
March 1799 Campaign, the took charge of Tuscany on orders from his superiors.
During the period, he was admitted to the
Institut de France, in the
Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques.
Reinhard replaced Talleyrand as Minister, under Director
Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès, and served in this capacity until after
Napoleon Bonaparte's
Coup of 18 Brumaire 1799 (when Talleyrand again came to the office).
In 1800, he was Minister Plenipotentiary to the
Helvetic Republic, and, in 1801, to the
Cisalpine Republic;
in 1802, he was assigned to the same position in the
Lower Saxon Circle, where, after 1804, he represented the
French Empire.
In 1803, when the Institut underwent reorganizing, he was moved to the
Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres.
Moldavian assignment and Russian imprisonment
Reinhard's assignment to
Moldavia in late 1805-early 1806
was, according to
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
n historian
Neagu Djuvara, unprecedented in that Reihard had occupied the high positions before being dispatched to
Iaşi.
Djuvara indicated that the measure was indicative of the
Danubian Principalities' growth in importance at the time when Napoleon maneuvered against the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
.
Reportedly, Reinhard unsuccessfully protested the measure, believing it to be equivalent to a demotion, and, as a result of this, his office was added the function of
Resident.
The latter move allegedly caused controversy in the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
, Moldavia's
suzerain, since it seemed to imply that France gave additional recognition to Moldavia's ruler,
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
Alexander Mourousis.
After settling in
Iaşi, the consul and his wife traveled extensively throughout Moldavia and into
Wallachia and
Austrian-ruled
Transylvania.
Letters addressed by Madame Reihard to her mother, later gathered in a volume, provide detail on the two countries' societies: after they visited
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
Constantine Ypsilantis in his
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
residence, the newly renovated
Curtea Nouă, she recorded that the palace was unappealing and poorly maintained;
amazed that houses in Bucharest lacked writing desks, they were advised to hold writing material on their lap;
also according to Christine Reihard, roads in northern Wallachia presented serious challenges to travelers.
She left additional detail on the state of
Roma slaves, claiming that, before 1806, an unnamed
boyar from the
Sturdza family had employed a group of Roma at a factory on his estate, but that the project was abandoned when the employees expressed suffering over not being allowed their traditional freedom of movement and trade.
Reportedly unbeknown to Consul Reihard,
the
French Ambassador to the Porte Horace Sébastiani, persuaded
Sultan Selim III that Princes Mourousis and Ypsilantis were secretly plotting an alliance with Russia.
Consequently, Selim sent orders for the rulers to be deposed, provoking the
Russo-Turkish War of 1806–1812.
This exposed Reihard and his family to risk, and, after the
Imperial Russian Army, commanded by
Ivan Ivanovich Michelson and
Mikhail Andreyevich Miloradovich, stormed into Moldavia, they were arrested.
The latter action, going against international law, saw the Reinhards transportation to regions of southern Russia, where they spent the following winter before being released with official apologies.
Return
Upon the family's return to
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, Charles Reinhard, made a
baron of the Empire,
was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary to the
Kingdom of Westphalia, and, in May 1814, was Head of Chancellery at the French Department of Foreign Affairs (serving until Napoleon's fall and the 1814
Bourbon Restoration).
He kept a low profile during the
Hundred Days,
and, after
King
King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
Louis XVIII regained his throne, was made a
comte,
awarded a position in the
Conseil d'État, and received the office of Minister Plenipotentiary to the
German Confederation in
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
(December 1815 – 1829).
Following a brief hiatus before the
July Revolution
The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution (), Second French Revolution, or ("Three Glorious ays), was a second French Revolution after French Revolution, the first of 1789–99. It led to the overthrow of King Cha ...
, Reinhard represented
Louis-Philippe in the
Kingdom of Saxony.
The
July Monarchy admitted him a
Peer in October 1832.
Also in that year, Charles Reinhard regained the
Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques.
He died in Paris five years later.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reinhard, Charles
1761 births
1837 deaths
Burials at Montmartre Cemetery
People from Schorndorf
Comtes Reinhard
French Protestants
French people of German descent
Foreign ministers of France
Members of the Chamber of Peers of the July Monarchy
First French Empire
French diplomats
French essayists
18th-century French politicians
People of the French Revolution
French male essayists
Members of the Académie des sciences morales et politiques
Members of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres