Franz Dominicus Brentano

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Francesco Domenico Maria Josef Brentano di Tremezzo , called Franz Brentano (born November 17, 1765 in Frankfurt am Main ; † June 28, 1844 there ) was a Frankfurt merchant and the second son of Peter Anton Brentano from his first marriage to Paula Brentano-Gnosso ( 1744-1770).

Life

After the death of his father on March 9, 1797, Franz Brentano became head of the Brentano family and thus also of the Frankfurt trading and banking house Brentano. He also took over from his father his dignity of an electoral secret council and resident, whose scope of power and importance soon declined due to the annexation of Napoleon on the left bank of the Rhine.

Franz Dominicus Brentano, portrait by Joseph Stieler, 1808

As a 32-year-old he married on July 23, 1798 in Vienna , the 18-year-old Antonie Birkenstock (1780-1869), only daughter of the Imperial Court Counselor and wealthy art collector Johann Melchior Birkenstock and his deceased wife Caroline Josepha of Hay (1755-1788 ). The couple had six children:

  • Mathilde (born July 3, 1799 Frankfurt; † April 5, 1800 ibid)
  • Georg Franz Melchior (born January 13, 1801 Frankfurt; † March 1, 1852 ibid), married Lilla Pfeifer on January 5, 1836 (born June 19, 1813 Offenbach a. Main; † July 7, 1868 Gröbersdorf i. Riesengebirge), Sister of the Cologne sugar manufacturer ( Pfeifer & Langen ) Emil Pfeifer . The two, who called themselves Brentano-Pfeifer after their marriage, had 7 children: Agnes (1837–1916) - see also Otto von Brentano di Tremezzo , Johanna (1839–1885), the painter Franz (1840–1888), Maria (1842–1867), Josefa (1844–1875), Emil (1845–1890) and Louise (1848–1866)
  • Maximiliane Euphrosine Kunigunde (born November 8, 1802 Frankfurt; † September 1, 1861 Brunnen / Switzerland), married Landolin Friedrich Karl Freiherr von Blittersdorf (1792–1861) on December 30, 1825
  • Josefa Ludovica (born June 29, 1804 in Frankfurt; † February 2, 1875 ibid), married Anton Theodor Brentano-Tozza (1809–1895) on May 28, 1832
  • Franziska Elisabeth, called Fanny (born June 26, 1806 in Frankfurt; † October 16, 1837 ibid)
  • Karl Joseph (born March 8, 1813 Frankfurt; † May 18, 1850 ibid)

Since autumn 1806 he and his family lived in the so-called Brentano house in Winkel in the Rheingau . Johann Wolfgang von Goethe , the Brothers Grimm and Freiherr vom Stein were among the many guests from politics and culture who came to the house .

From 1809 to 1812 his wife lived with their children in Vienna in their father's house in the suburb of Landstrasse, Erdberggasse 98. In the spring of 1810 she made the acquaintance of Ludwig van Beethoven here . In 1816 Franz Brentano became Senator of the Free City of Frankfurt , the second Catholic after his brother-in-law Georg Friedrich von Guaita . From 1827 he was a lay judge in Frankfurt.

In 1820, based on plans by Karl Friedrich Schinkel, he had a spacious, classicist palace built on Neue Mainzer Strasse , which the city of Frankfurt bought in 1869 and had to be demolished for a street breakthrough.

His house has always been a focal point in the city's intellectual and social life. In the course of time, his guests included the Prince Primate Carl Theodor von Dalberg , Goethe , the Boisserée brothers , the Grimm brothers and Freiherr vom Stein .

Brentano was a generous patron and benefactor who, among other things, promoted the Catholic school system in Frankfurt. In addition, he supported Beethoven several times with generous loans. His descendants bequeathed his extensive collection of drawings to the Städel in 1895 .

literature

  • Heinrich Philip Bartels: Chronicle of the Pfeifer family , around 1975 (only published in the family circle)
  • Klaus Günzel, The Brentanos. A German Family History , 3rd edition, Düsseldorf and Zurich, Artemis & Winkler, 1998, ISBN 3-7608-1089-6
  • Wolfgang Klötzer (Hrsg.): Frankfurter Biographie . Personal history lexicon . First volume. A – L (=  publications of the Frankfurt Historical Commission . Volume XIX , no. 1 ). Waldemar Kramer, Frankfurt am Main 1994, ISBN 3-7829-0444-3 .
  • Jochen Lengemann : MdL Hessen. 1808-1996. Biographical index (= political and parliamentary history of the state of Hesse. Vol. 14 = publications of the Historical Commission for Hesse. Vol. 48, 7). Elwert, Marburg 1996, ISBN 3-7708-1071-6 , p. 89.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Brentano, Franz Dominicus
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Brentano, Franz; Brentano di Tremezzo, Francesco Domenico Maria Josef (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Frankfurt merchant
DATE OF BIRTH November 17, 1765
PLACE OF BIRTH Frankfurt am Main
DATE OF DEATH June 28, 1844
Place of death Frankfurt am Main