Andrew Mitchell (diplomat)

Sir Andrew Mitchell (1708–1771), painting by Allan Ramsay

Sir Andrew Mitchell (born April 15, 1708 in Edinburgh , † January 28, 1771 in Berlin ) was a British diplomat who distinguished himself primarily through his work at the court of Frederick II during the Seven Years' War . At the beginning of the war he made a significant contribution to the functioning of the alliance between Great Britain and Prussia and accompanied Frederick II during most of his campaigns.

Life

Origin and early marriage

Mitchell was one of three siblings and the only surviving son of William Mitchell (1670–1727), who came from a wealthy family of Lairds , and his first wife Margaret Stewart, née. Cunningham († approx. 1723), daughter of the Lord Provost of Edinburgh and widow of a lawyer. His father played an important role in the Scottish Church , was successively minister at Canongate Kirk and St Giles' Cathedral , one of the royal chaplains and had presided over several general meetings.

In order to further consolidate the family's wealth and influence, Mitchell was married to his cousin Barbara Mitchell (1710-1726) - heiress of the Thainston family estate in Aberdeenshire - on July 22, 1722 at the age of fourteen . The marriage was short-lived, as his wife died giving birth to a daughter who, however, did not survive childhood either. Mitchell remained unmarried for the rest of his life. The inheritance from his father and wife, as well as membership of the Aberdeen estates, ensured him income and influence. His ties to the Forbes clan in particular would play a role later in his career.

Study and travel

In 1723 Mitchell began studying law at Edinburgh University , and in 1725 was a trainee lawyer. In the summer of 1729, however, he traveled to London and from there went on his Grand Tour , which took him to Germany and the Netherlands . He studied law for another two semesters at the University of Leiden . After a stay in Paris in July 1731, he traveled south through France to Italy in 1732 , where he stayed in Rome for eighteen months . After another visit to Paris, he returned to London in 1735. During his travels he had acquired a good knowledge of French and Italian and met numerous writers and philosophers. In particular , he had a lasting friendship with Montesquieu , whom he had met in London in 1729.

In England Mitchell resumed his studies and was admitted to the bar in Edinburgh in 1736, and two years later as a lawyer for England and Wales ("English bar") . In 1736 he became a member of the Royal Society and in 1740 a member of its council.

Political career

In 1741 Mitchell broke off his legal career, turned to politics and became private secretary of John Hay, 4th Marquess of Tweeddale (1695–1762). When he became Secretary of State for Scotland in 1742 , he made Mitchell his undersecretary. Initially not particularly challenged at this post, this changed with the Second Jacobite Rebellion in 1745. Even after Tweeddales and thus his dismissal in 1746, Mitchell remained a sought-after political advisor when it came to pacifying Scotland. Through his relationship with the Forbes, Mitchell was able to expand his political commitment. Sir Arthur Forbes renounced his candidacy in Aberdeenshire and for him Mitchell entered parliament in 1754, the following year he was elected to Elgin Burghs . He represented this constituency until his death in 1771.

diplomat

Mitchell saw his position as a MP primarily as an entry into a career in the civil service, but found that advancing as a Scot was not easy. He therefore went into the diplomatic service and was sent as a negotiator to the Austrian Netherlands between 1752 and 1755 , where he conducted relatively fruitless negotiations on modifications to the Barrier Treaty issued in 1715 .

Although he was now directly subordinate to the Prime Minister, the Duke of Newcastle , Mitchell's hopes for a career in the domestic market were not fulfilled. In April 1756, through the intermediary of the Earl of Holderness, he received the offer to become permanent envoy to the Prussian court in Berlin and accepted.

Mitchell was the most successful British diplomat in Berlin throughout the 18th century. Because of his direct, by no means submissive and humorous manner, as well as his common interest in literature, he gained the appreciation of Frederick II and soon became one of his closer friends. He accompanied the king on his campaigns as long as his own health allowed.

He kept the post until his death. In 1760 he rose from minister to minister-plenipotentiary and in 1766 to envoy-extraordinary and-plenipotentiary .

Seven Years War

In the early years of the Seven Years' War Mitchell made a decisive contribution to the functioning of the alliance between England and Prussia. From 1758 to 1762 Prussia received 670,000 pounds of subsidies annually , and an observation army financed from British funds secured Prussian territory in the west. Nevertheless, the relationship between the states was a suspicious one. Mitchell tried to smooth the tension, which brought him on the English side the charge of sympathizing too much with Prussia. This meant that his influence was largely limited and the important decisions were mainly made in London. From 1762 onwards, diplomatic relations became increasingly cool, subsidy payments were suspended and Friedrich felt abandoned by his ally. Mitchell remained in his post and maintained the king's esteem, but had become politically insignificant.

Last years

Mitchell spent the last decade of his life in Berlin and only returned to England a few times when diplomatic relations with Prussia temporarily reached low points. His hope for a post at home was not fulfilled. After all, he was but as a Knight Companion of the Order of the Bath in the applicable knighthood and got 1765 an annuity of £ 500 awarded. In Berlin he had made friends with numerous great minds, in whose company he spent his time. The friendship with Friedrich II remained with him. He died on 28 January 1771 at a pleurisy and was in the February 1 Dorotheenstädtischer church buried. A marble monument was erected for him by some of his friends - among them Prince Heinrich .

literature

• Hamish M. Scott: Mitchell, Sir Andrew. In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography . Vol. 38. Oxford University Press, Oxford / New York 2004, ISBN 0-19-861388-1 , pp. 389-391.
• Francis Espinasse: Mitchell, Sir Andrew . In: Dictionary of National Biography . 38. Smith, Elder & Co., London 1894, pp. 63-64.

further reading

• Patrick Francis Doran: Andrew Mitchell and Anglo-Prussian Diplomatic Relations during the Seven Years War. Garland, New York / London 1986, ISBN 0-8240-1915-6 .