Ernst Franz Ludwig Marschall von Bieberstein
Ernst Marschall von Bieberstein | |
---|---|
Born | Ernst Franz Ludwig Marschall von Bieberstein 2 August 1770 |
Died | 22 January 1834 | (aged 63)
Alma mater | Karlsschule (military academy), Stuttgart |
Occupation(s) | Government legal officer ("Regierungsassessor") Diplomat Government chief minister ("Staatsminister") Head of government ("Regierungspräsident") |
Employer | Duchy of Nassau (1806–1866) |
Spouse | Karoline von Veltheim (1783–1840) |
Children | at least 11 |
Parent(s) | Conrad Otto Christoph Marschall von Bieberstein (1726–1796) Johanna Theresia Henriette von Wolff (1738–1783) |
Ernst Marschall von Bieberstein (2 August 1770 - 22 January 1834) served as Chief Minister (Staatsminister) of the Duchy of Nassau between 1806 and 1834.[1] Between 1806 he was one of two chief ministers of Nassau, but after the resignation of Hans Christoph Ernst von Gagern (apparently as an unintended consequence of a new imperial decree), Marschall von Bieberstein became in effect the sole leading politician in Nassau in 1809. During his early years he pursued a liberal course, but as conservatism returned to favour after the fall of Napoleon, his approach became strikingly more "restorationist".[1][2]
Family provenance
Ernst (Franz Ludwig) Freiherr Marschall von Bieberstein was born into a protestant family at
Ernst Marschall von Bieberstein had at least two elder brothers. Karl Wilhelm Marschall von Bieberstein (1763 – 1817) became a leading politician in the Grand Duchy of Baden.[6] Friedrich August Marschall von Bieberstein (1768 – 1816) became a pioneering botanist.[7] All three brothers attended the Karlsschule (military academy) in Stuttgart, which was at that time the capital of Württemberg.[1]
Life
School
Ernst attended the Karlsschule from 1782 till 1791. Along with a sound military training he also followed and successfully passed details courses in
Public service
In June 1791 Ernst Marschall von Bieberstein entered military service as a lieutenant in the district militia ("Kreiskontingent") under the command of
Regierungspräsident
After The creation of the enlarged
Reformer
Marschall von Bieberstein was still a relatively young man when he took over the government, and his early years in office are marked by a comprehensive strategy of financial, social and economic reform, all designed to create a modern and more unified state. On 1 January 1808 he was able to implement the abolition of serfdom and of "manumission fees" (whereby serfdom levies were compensated by the state), bringing the duchy more closely into line with its former territories on the left bank (which had been part of revolutionary France since 1798).[12] A year later tax privileges for the nobility were diminished.[1] In December 1809 there followed an edict abolishing all "demeaning physical punishments" ("... entehrenden Leibesstrafen"), a striking testimony to governmental respect for the human rights of the prince's subjects in Nassau, more than a century before such an approach became mainstream in much of western Europe.[12] Marschall von Bieberstein's government also changed the rules so as to permit legal cases against the tax authorities.[12] Inter-denominational marriages between Catholics and Lutherans were no longer prohibited. Some years later, in 1817, based on the detailed work of the lawyer-educationalist Carl Ibell, and with the enthusiastic (and very necessary) backing of Marschall von Bieberstein, education provision was removed from church control and interdenominational schooling was introduced.[1][13] A wide range of administrative reforms included the imposition of "trading tax" ("Gewerbesteuer") on all persons deemed to earn a living through "work and industry" (§ 31 of the Edict on Taxes of February 1809) which included government officers, lawyers, physicians and private tutors.[13] In February 1812 a further edict provided for the abolition of a plethora old direct taxes, among the more eye-catching are of which were "soldier tax", "voluntary grants" ("Verwilligungsgelder"), "road maintenance estimates" ("Chaussee-Schatzung"), "hussar estimates" ("Husaren-Schatzung"), "monthly-money" ("Monatgeld"), knight taxes, "river development money" ("Rheinbaugelder"), "squire money" and "kitchen money".[13]
A national health service was introduced in 1818.[1][14] Ernst Marschall von Bieberstein participated closely in reforms of the justice system, of financial policy and of the economy over which, as "Regierungspräsident", he presided. To that can be added his introduction of free trade in 1815 and business liberalisation policies introduced in 1819.[1][13] Up to that point, there can be little doubt as to his commitment to the economic liberalism advocated by eighteenth century enlightenment thinkers.
Marschall von Bieberstein enthusiastically accepted the proposal from Baron vom Stein for a Nassau Constitution, which he implemented, formally, in 1814. Viewed in retrospect it becomes hard to understand just what a radical step (or, for constitutional conservatives, threat) this de facto guarantee of fundamental rights and liberties would have represented, both in 1814 and subsequently.[15] Back in 1806, when Marschall von Stein had been running Nassau's foreign policy, his conciliatory approach towards France had generated tension and, at times, acrimony between himself and Baron vom Stein, at that time a senior Prussian government minister. After the Prussians suffered a crushing military defeat in 1806 at the hands of Napoleon, however, French pressure led eventually to vom Stein's exile from Prussia in 1808. As the fortunes of war turned after 1812 vom Stein was able to move around a little more freely, and by the time the Nassau Constitution was implemented in 1814 relations between vom Stein and Marschall von Bieberstein were much improved, and the two men seem to have worked closely together on the constitution project.[1][15] Improved relations between the two men proved particularly important at the Congress of Vienna which between November 1814 and June 1815 set the template for Europe after Napoleon. Although vom Stein's ambitions for Europe were, for the most part, ignored or turned down by the leading protagonists at the Congress of Vienna, Stein's support for the Duchy of Nassau was important to Marschall von Bieberstein, who attended the congress of behalf of his prince. Marschall von Bieberstein was able to secure rejection by the congress of the initial wishes of the Prussian delegation that Nassau should simply be annexed to Prussia. In the event, Nassau was able to retain its sovereignty for another half century, till 1866.[16] It was as a mark of gratitude concerning his diplomatic achievements at the Congress of Vienna that in 1815/16 Marschall von Bieberstein was given the moated chateau and surrounding lands at Hahnstätten which today carries the "Bieberstein" name.[17]
Restorationist
About-turn
By 1815 the trauma of war and demonisation of Napoleon had done much to discredit political modernisation among a new generation of political leaders and across Europe more widely. The mood at the Congress of Vienna was best exemplified by the cautious conservatism of the Prince Metternich and the Viscount Castlereagh. Among these government heads, Marschall von Bieberstein was exceptional in having already been at the head of a government for almost as long as Frederick William III had been a king and Alexander I had been a tsar. Yet Marschall von Bieberstein remained in charge of the government of Nassau. His principal objective was always the preservation of the duchy. It was evidently in order to facilitate that objective, in 1818/19 he turned away from reform. Ernst Marschall von Bieberstein became a conservative.[18][19] By backing the so-called "Metternichische Restauration", Marschall von Bieberstein aligned himself with a powerful Austrian Foreign Minister (who after 1821 combined his ministerial responsibilities with the office of Imperial Chancellor). The abrupt change of political focus also reflected a widespread opposition to further reform across Nassau and indeed across the German Confederation more generally.[1]
Fear of revolution: invoking Metternich
On 23 March 1819 the well-known writer
Despite the
Karlsbad decrees
A
"Domaine dispute" and the aftermath of the July Revolution
During the early 1830s Marschall von Bieberstein survived in office during the so-called
Sovereignty
The central mission to preserve the
Death
Ernst Marschall von Biebertein died in office at the start of 1834, half a year short of what would have been his sixty-fourth birthday. Commentators nevertheless contend that the authoritarian régime that he established after
Evaluation
In traditional
Personal
On 25 May 1802 Ernst Marschall von Bieberstein married Karoline von Veltheim (1783–1840).[30] She was a daughter of a senior diplomatic official ( "Geheim Legationsrat"), Johann Friedrich von Veltheim (1731–1800) of Destedt (location of the von Veltheim's family home, at which the marriage ceremony took place).[1] It is known that the couple had (at least) eleven children (four sons and seven daughter) of whom some are listed here:[1][31]
- Adolfine (1803-?) who in 1828 married Heinrich Friedrich Carl von Rettberg (?–1844), an army officer ("Herzöglich nassauischer Oberst und Flügeladjutant")
- Luise Caroline (1804–1884) who in 1827 married Friedrich von Wintzingerode (1799–1870)[30]
- Auguste Therese(1805–1883) who in 1830 married Friedrich Ernst Ludwig Heinrich von und zu Gilsa (1799–1859), a government offier ("Herzöglich nassauischer Kammerherr und Oberjägermeister")[30]
- Friedrich Wilhelm (1806–1865), a land owner, government officer and member of parliament (" Nassauischer Kammerherr, Domänenrat und Landtagsabgeordneter")[30]
- Dorothea Natalie (1808–1888) who in 1834, following the death two years earlier of his first wife, her younger sister, married the politician Emil August von Dungern (1802–1862)[32]
- Charlotte Friederike (1810–1832) who in 1829 married the politician Emil August von Dungern (1802–1862)[30]
- Ernst August Friedrich Hans (1816–1860), government officer and member of parliament ("Nassauischer Kammerherr, Domänenrat und Landtagsabgeordneter")[30]
- Marie Luise (1819–1904) who in 1846 married Adolf Marschall von Bieberstein (1806–1891), a government officer and politician who was also her first cousin. (They shared two of their four grandparents in common.) Their three children nevertheless appear to have lived long and conventionally healthy lives.[33]
Notes
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Hans-Werner Hahn [in German] (1990). "Marschall von Bieberstein, Ernst: nassauischer Minister, * 2.8.1770 Wallerstein (Schwaben), † 22.1.1834 Wiesbaden". Neue Deutsche Biographie. Historische Kommission bei der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften (HiKo), München. pp. 254–256. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
- )
- ^ a b "Marshal of Bieber stone, Conrad Otto Christoph". lagis-hessen.de. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
- ^ Thomas Föhl (compiler). "Johanna Theresia Henriette Marschall von Bieberstein (von Wolff)". Stammbaum. Geni.com. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
- ^ Joachim Marschall von Bieberstein (compiler). "Familie Marschall von Bieberstein". Retrieved 15 January 2020.
- ^ Friedrich von Weech (1884). "Marschall von Biberstein, Karl Wilhelm Freiherr". Marschall von Biberstein, Karl Wilhelm Freiherr, großherzoglich badischer Staatsminister, geboren zu Stuttgart am ... Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie. Vol. 20. Historische Kommission bei der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften (HiKo), München. pp. 433–434. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
- ^ "Friedrich August Marschall von Bieberstein (1768-1826)". Arborétum Mlyňany SAV. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
- )
- )
- S2CID 155502574. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 11 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 386, 387.
- ^ a b c Werner Schubert (editor-compiler). "Regierungsakten der Herzogtums Nassau 1803-1814". Em. o. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Gerhard Köbler, Zentrissimum integrativer europäischer Legistik, Universität Innsbruck. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
{{cite web}}
:|author=
has generic name (help) - ^ a b c d Rolf Faber [in German] (5 August 2017). "Wiesbadener Stadtgeschichte: 1817 wird das Herzogtums Nassau zum Pionier der Gemeinschaftsschule". VRM GmbH & Co. KG (Wiesbadener Kurier), Mainz. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- )
- ^ a b Daniel Bernsen (17 October 2014). "Der Freiherr vom Stein: kein Demokrat, aber ein "Wegbereiter der Demokratie"?". Medien im Geschichtsunterricht. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ISBN 978-3-89971-791-4.
- ^ "Freiherr Ernst Franz Ludwig Marschall von Bieberstein, das Hahnstätter Wasserschloss und der Botanische Garten Schloss Bieberstein". Botanischer Garten Schloss Bieberstein, Hahnstätten. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ISBN 978-3-11-094027-5. Retrieved 17 January 2020.)
{{cite book}}
:|author=
has generic name (help);|work=
ignored (help - ISBN 3-923150-06-7. Retrieved 17 January 2020.)
{{cite book}}
:|work=
ignored (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link - ^ Dr Karl Schwartz. "Lebensnachrichten über den Regierungspräsidenten Karl von Ibell mit Briefsauszügen als Beilagen". Nassauische Alterthumskunde und Geschichtsforschung. Wiesbaden 1875, Auf Kosten des Vereins (In Commission bei W.Roth). Retrieved 18 January 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Vor zweihundert Jahren: Die Karlsbader Beschlüsse". Hessisches Landesarchiv, Marburg. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
- ^ "Karlsbader Beschlüsse – Universitätsgesetz". Provisorischer Bundesbeschluß über die in Ansehung der Universitäten zu ergreifenden Maßregeln. Wolfgang Fricke i.A. "Heinrich Heine Denkmal". 20 September 1819. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
- ^ "Karlsbader Beschlüsse – Preßgesetz". Provisorische Bestimmungen hinsichtlich der Freiheit der Presse. Wolfgang Fricke i.A. "Heinrich Heine Denkmal". 20 September 1819. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
- ^ "Karlsbader Beschlüsse – Untersuchungsgesetz". Beschluß betreffend die Bestellung einer Centralbehörde zur nähern Untersuchung der in mehreren Bundesstaaten entdeckten revolutionären Umtriebe. Wolfgang Fricke i.A. "Heinrich Heine Denkmal". 20 September 1819. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
- ^ Christian Starck. "Die kurhessische Verfassung von 1831 im Rahmen des deutschen Konstitutionalismus" (PDF). Verein für hessische Geschichte und Landeskunde 1834 e.V., Neukirchen. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
- ^ Wolf-Heiner Struck (1969). "Herber, Johann Georg: Beamter und Politiker, * 30.1.1763 Winkel (Rheingau), † 11.3.1833 Eltville". Neue Deutsche Biographie. Historische Kommission bei der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften (HiKo), München. p. 576. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
- )
- ^ Die wichtigsten noch als gültig bestehenden Staatsverträge und Bündnisse nach ihren Hauptbeziehunghen. Gebrüder Borntraeger, Königsberg. 1836. pp. 285–288. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
{{cite book}}
:|work=
ignored (help) - ^ A. Meldola (Lehrer des kaufm. Rechnens / Teacher of commercial accounting) (1842). Vollständiges Handbuch für Kaufleute. Enthaltend: Die Münz-, Maas-, Gewicht,- Wechsel- und Staatspapierkunde, etc. p. 211.
- ^ a b c d e f "Marschall von Bieberstein, Ernst Franz Ludwig [ID = 3043] ... * 2.8.1770 Wallerstein, † 22.1.1834 Wiesbaden, evangelisch ... Jurist, Staatsminister". Hessische Biografie. Hessische Landesamt für geschichtliche Landeskunde (Landesgeschichtliches Informationssystem Hessen / LAGIS), Marburg. 12 December 2019. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
- ^ Thomas Föhl (compiler) (4 November 2019). "Karoline Marschall von Bieberstein, +11 kinder". Geni.com. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
- ^ "Dungern, Emil August Viktor Freiherr von [ID = 3133] ... * 29.10.1802 Weilburg, † 3.8.1862 Frankfurt am Main, evangelisch ... Minister, Bundestagsgesandter". Hessische Biografie. Hessische Landesamt für geschichtliche Landeskunde (Landesgeschichtliches Informationssystem Hessen / LAGIS), Marburg. 1 October 2019. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
- ^ Friedrich von Weech (author); Albert Krieger (editor-compiler) (1906). "Adolf Freiherr Marschall von Bieberstein". Badische Biographien. Badische Historische Kommission & Carl Winters Universitätsbuchhandlung, Heidelberg. pp. 543, 541–546. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
{{cite web}}
:|author1=
has generic name (help)