Heinrich von Bünau
Heinrich, Graf von Bünau or Count of Bünau (b 2 June 1697 in Weissenfels; d 7 April 1762 in Ossmannstedt) was a German statesman and historian.
Life
He was the son of the Chancellor of the Elector of Saxony, Heinrich von Bünau (1665-1745), who was created an Imperial Count on 24 March 1742. After studying at the University of Leipzig he entered the service of the Electors of Saxony and became an assessor in the Upper Court at Leipzig. Later he became Senior Consistorial President and Privy Councillor (Wirklicher Geheimrat).
He received advancement through the good offices of the Cabinet Minister of the Electors of Saxony, Count von Hoym, the uncle of his second wife. After Hoym had been ousted by Count Brühl, Heinrich von Bünau was relegated in 1734 to the position of Senior Overseer of the County of Mansfeld in Eisleben.
In 1741 however he entered the service of the Emperor Charles VII, who made him an Imperial Privy Councillor (Reichshofrat), the first Protestant to fill that role, and employed him as an ambassador in the area of Upper and Lower Saxony. After the death of the emperor, he withdrew (in 1745) to his estate at Nöthnitz near Dresden to pursue his scientific and historical studies.
In 1751 he was appointed Guardian Governor of the Duchy of Saxe-Eisenach during the minority of Duke Constantin, for whom in 1756 he became Prime Minister in Weimar. In 1759, after the death of the Duke, he entered on his retirement and spent the evening of his life on his estate at Ossmannstedt near Weimar.
Heinrich, Count of Bünau, was lord of Dahlen, Domsen, Nöthnitz, Göllnitz, Ossmannstedt and Gross-Tauschwitz.
Library
His private library comprised some 42,000 volumes. It was housed at first in Dresden, then on his estate at Nöthnitz, and was publicly available. The archaeologist Johann Joachim Winckelmann from Stendal worked there between 1748 and 1754 as secretary.
Note
A private ordinance of the von Bünau family obliged them to use only the forenames Günther, Heinrich and Rudolph, and therefore within this much ramified family there are numerous people with the name Heinrich von Bünau. This has often led to confusion between them in previous research: for example, in the history of the Saxon state, Heinrich, Count of Bünau, has often been confused with his father of the same name, who was Chancellor at the Court of Dresden.
Works
- "Probe einer genauer und umständlichen Teutschen Kayser- und Reichshistorie oder Leben und Thaten Friedrichs I. Römischen Kaysers" (1722) (Attempt at a Comprehensive History of the German Emperor and Empire, or, The Life and Deeds of Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor)
- "Genaue und umständliche teutsche Kayser- und Reichshistorie aus den bewährtesten Geschichtsschreibern und Urkunden zusammengetragen" in 4 volumes (1728–1743) (Exact and Comprehensive History of the German Emperor and Empire compiled from the Most Valued Historians and Documents)
- "Historie des Kriegs zwischen Frankreich, England und Teutschland" in 4 volumes (1763–1767) (History of the War between France, England and Germany - ie, the Seven Years War)
References
(in German):
- Sahrer v. Sahr: Heinrich, Graf von Bünau (1869)
- Carl Justi: Winckelmann und seine Zeitgenossen, vol 1 (3rd ed., 1922)
- Karl Czok: August der Starke und Kursachsen (2nd ed., Leipzig 1988, pp. 124f (with illustration)