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

. 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

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

, 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