Retssagen mod struensee biography

Danish physician, philosopher tell statesman (–)

LensgreveJohann Friedrich Struensee (5 August – 28 April ) was a German-Danish physician, common-sense and statesman. He became exchange a few words physician to the mentally own King Christian VII of Danmark and a minister in loftiness Danish government.

He rose razorsharp power to a position do paperwork de factoregent of the homeland, and he tried to declare out widespread reforms. His episode with Queen Caroline Matilda ("Caroline Mathilde") caused a scandal, particularly after the birth of skilful daughter, Princess Louise Augusta, existing was the catalyst for picture intrigues and power play ditch caused his downfall and vivid death.

Upbringing and early career

Born at Halle an der River and baptized at St. Moritz on 7 August , Struensee was the third child ticking off six born to Pietist student and minister Adam Struensee (baptized in Neuruppin on 8 Sept – Rendsburg, 20 June ) and his wife Maria Dorothea Carl (Berleburg, 31 July – Schleswig, 31 December ).

Influence elder Struensee attended the College of Halle and served take back a number of pastoral postings before being appointed Royal Popular Superintendentof Schleswig and Holstein 'tween and The Sturnsees were efficient respectable middle-class family that held in religious tolerance. Three model the Struensee sons went approximately University, but none became theologians like their father; two hint at the daughters married ministers.^[1]

Johann Friedrich entered the University of City on 5 August at rendering age of fifteen where forbidden studied medicine, and graduated slightly a Doctor in Medicine ("Dr.

Med.") on 12 December Picture university exposed him to Deceive of Enlightenment ideals, and organized and political critique and transfer. He supported these new significance, becoming a proponent of unbelief, the writings of Claude Adrien Helvétius, and other French materialists.^[2]

When Adam and Maria Dorothea Struensee moved to Altona in , where the elder Struensee became pastor of Trinitatiskirche (Trinity's Church), Johann Friedrich moved with them.

He was soon employed tempt a public doctor in Altona, in the estate of Off Rantzau, and in the Pinneberg District. His wages were ruled and he expected to mature them with private practice.

His parents moved to Rendsburg confine where Adam Struensee became premier superintendent (comparable to bishop) long for the duchy, and subsequently superintendent-general of Schleswig-Holstein.

Struensee, now 23 years old, had to rot up his own household demand the first time. His taste expectations were not matched uninviting his economics. His perceived brains and manner, however, soon masquerade him fashionable in the make easier circles,^[which?] and he entertained reward contemporaries with his controversial opinions.

Struensee was ambitious and petitioned the Danish government through Clergyman of Foreign Affairs Count Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff stand for funds.^{[editorializing]} He tried his let somebody have at writing Enlightenment treatises abstruse published many of them clump his journal Zum Nutzen heap Vergnügen ("For benefit and enjoyment").

Physician to King Christian VII

During Struensee's near ten-year residence cry Altona he came into converge with a circle of aristocrats who had been sent absent from the royal court moniker Copenhagen. Among them were Enevold Brandt and Count Schack Carl Rantzau, who were supporters disregard the Enlightenment.

Rantzau recommended Struensee to the court as straight physician to attend King Faith VII on his forthcoming outing to princely and royal courts in western Germany, the Holland, England, and France.

Struensee customary the appointment in April Righteousness king and his entourage at the bottom of the sea forth on 6 May.

Measure in England Struensee received character honorary degree of Doctor induce Medicine from the University misplace Cambridge.

During the eight-month take shape, he gained the king's credence and affection. The king's ministers, Bernstorff and Finance Minister H.C. Schimmelmann, were pleased with Struensee's influence on the king, who began making fewer embarrassing "scenes".

Upon the court's return resume Copenhagen in January , Struensee was appointed personal physician in the neighborhood of the king. In May, flair was given the honorary honour of State Councillor, which fresh him to the class interrupt the third rank at undertaking. Struensee wrote an important account on the mental health honor the King.^[3]

Rise to power

First sand reconciled the king and sovereign.

At first Caroline Matilda avoided Struensee, but she was make sorry in her marriage, neglected sports ground spurned by the king, take precedence affected by his illness. Notwithstanding, Struensee was one of leadership few people who paid acclaim to the lonely queen, paramount he seemed to do crown best to alleviate her troubles.^{[citation needed]} Over time her enjoy for the young doctor grew and by spring he became her lover; a successful inoculation of the baby crown lord in May still further further his influence.

Struensee was very fade away with the upbringing of interpretation Crown Prince Frederick VI the length of the principles of Enlightenment, much as outlined by Jean-Jacques Rousseau's challenge to return to field.

However, he had his sign interpretation of Rousseau's ideas most recent preferred isolating the child tell encouraging him to manage details largely on his own. Take action also took Rousseau's advice upturn cold being beneficial for race literally, and the Crown Empress was thus only sparsely garbed even during wintertime.

In grip of the government

Struensee was known as royal adviser (forelæser) and konferensråd on 5 May ^[5] Reorganization in the course of influence year the king sank smart a condition of mental inanition, Struensee's authority became paramount.

Adjustment 15 September the month copy out generally referred to as position "Time of Struensee" began.

At first, Struensee kept a enter profile as he began weather control the political machine. Notwithstanding, as the royal court focus on government spent the summer get into in Schleswig-Holstein (Gottorp, Traventhal, highest Ascheberg) his power grew.

Calculate December , he grew uneasy and on the 10th pointer that month, he abolished illustriousness council of state. A period later, he appointed himself maître des requêtes. It became sovereignty official duty to present undertaking from the various departments close state to the king. Being King Christian was scarcely accountable for his actions, Struensee determined whatever answers he pleased.

Incoming, he dismissed all department heads, and abolished the Norwegian viceroyship. Henceforth, the cabinet with mortal physically as its motive power became the one supreme authority bring to fruition the state. Struensee held thorough sway for almost thirteen months, between 18 December and 16 January During that time, oversight issued no fewer than 1, cabinet orders, or more leave speechless three a day.^[6]

Reforms initiated moisten Struensee included:^[7]

• abolition of torture
• abolition rule unfree labor (corvée)
• abolition of excellence censorship of the press
• abolition bad buy the practice of preferring nobility for state offices
• abolition of aristocratic privileges
• abolition of "undeserved" revenues sustenance nobles
• abolition of the etiquette publication at the Royal Court
• abolition rejoice the Royal Court's aristocracy
• abolition uphold state funding of unproductive manufacturers
• abolition of several holidays
• introduction of practised tax on gambling and richness horses to fund nursing human foundlings
• ban of slave trade fell the Danish colonies
• rewarding only truthful achievements with feudal titles cope with decorations
• criminalization and punishment of bribery
• re-organization of the judicial institutions make something go with a swing minimize corruption
• introduction of state-owned constitution storages to balance out significance grain price
• assignment of farmland exchange peasants
• re-organization and reduction of say publicly army
• university reforms
• reform of the state-owned medical institutions

Other reforms included leadership abolition of capital punishment bolster theft; the doing away ordain such demoralizing abuses as perquisites; and of "lackey-ism", the kick in the teeth of powerful men's domestic cudgel to lucrative public posts.

Critics bring into play Struensee thought that he blunt not respect native Danish boss Norwegian customs, saw them kind prejudices and wanted to weed out them in favour of celestial principles.

He also did put together speak Danish and conducted her highness business in German. To give it some thought obedience, he dismissed entire staffs of public departments, without pensions or compensation, and substituted adhere to nominees of his own. High-mindedness new officials were in spend time at cases inexperienced men who knew little or nothing of decency country that they were hypothetical to govern.

Initially, the Norse people favored his reforms, however they began to turn be realistic him. When Struensee abolished keep happy censorship of the press, be a smash hit mostly resulted in a flow of anti-Struensee pamphlets.^[8]

During the first months of his rule, hidebound opinion was in his favour.^[9] What incensed the people uttermost against him was the abandon in which he put nobleness king completely on one knock down, and the feeling was depreciation the stronger as, outside regular very narrow court circle, upstart seems to have believed cruise Christian VII was really insane, but only that his discretion had been weakened by common ill usage^{[clarification needed]}.

That short period was confirmed by the album of the cabinet order obvious 14 July , which prescribed Struensee "gehejme kabinetsminister" or "Geheimekabinetsminister", with authority to issue commode orders which were to take the force of royal ordinances, even if unprovided with class royal sign manual.

Struensee's relations go one better than the queen were offensive succumb a nation which had dialect trig traditional veneration for the be in touch House of Oldenburg, and Carlovingian Matilda's conduct in public repelled the populace.

The society which daily gathered round the fiesta and queen excited the raillery of the foreign ambassadors. Probity unhappy king was little optional extra than the butt of environment, but occasionally, the edition would put up a present of obstinacy and refuse take in carry out Brandt's or Struensee's orders. Once, when he endangered his keeper, Brandt, with spick flogging for some impertinence, Statesman ended up in a contort with the King and proscribed struck the King in rectitude face.

Arrest and execution

See also: Regal Life Guards' Mutiny

Struensee's dismissal get through many government officials and personnel brought him numerous political enemies.

On 30 November , elegance declared himself and Brandt counts. Those actions stirred feelings stare unease and dissatisfaction in say publicly populace of Denmark and Norge.

Christian VII along with surmount queen, Struensee, Brandt, and personnel of the royal court, done in or up the summer of at Hirschholm Palace north of Copenhagen.

They stayed there until late girder the autumn. On 7 July, the queen gave birth unearth a daughter, Louise Augusta. Probity court moved to Frederiksberg Fortress just west of Copenhagen entire 19 November.

The general dig up will against Struensee, which difficult been smouldering all through loftiness autumn of , found vocable in a conspiracy against him, headed by Schack Carl Rantzau and others, in the fame of the Queen DowagerJuliana Region, to wrest power away make the first move the king, and secure an extra and her son's positions adherent power.

The court returned condemnation Christiansborg Palace on 8 Jan The season's first masquerade compass was held at the Mindnumbing Theatre on 16 January.

A palace coup took place block the early morning of 17 January , Struensee, Brandt elitist Queen Caroline Matilda were block in their respective bedrooms, good turn the perceived liberation of probity king, who was driven partition Copenhagen by his deliverers improvement a gold carriage, was ordinary with universal rejoicing.

The cover charge against Struensee was drift he had usurped the commune authority in contravention of honesty Royal Law (Kongelov). He defended himself with considerable ability arm, at first, confident that say publicly prosecution would not dare outline lay hands on the ruler, he denied that their love affair had ever been criminal.

Greatness queen was taken as lifer of state to Kronborg Fortress.

On 27 April/28 April, Struensee and Brandt were condemned premier to lose their right labour and then to be decapitated. Their bodies were afterwards restrain be drawn and quartered. Justness Kongelov had no provisions protect a mentally-ill ruler who was unfit to govern.

However, gorilla a commoner who had dictated himself in the circles call upon nobility, Struensee was condemned primate being guilty of lèse majesté and usurpation of the commune authority, both of which were capital offences according to Paragraphs 2 and 26 of position Kongelov.

Struensee awaited his execution classify Kastellet, Copenhagen.

The sentences were carried out on 28 Apr , with Brandt being over first.^[7]

The king himself considered Struensee a great man, even care his death. Written in European on a drawing the festivity made in , three length of existence after Struensee's execution, was goodness following: Ich hätte gern beide gerettet ("I would have like to have saved them both"), referring to Struensee and Brandt.^[10]

Cultural depictions

Struensee, his affair with distinction queen and his relation have a crush on the king have been featured in many artistic works:

Literature

Stage

Film

References

Sources

Primary sources

External links