Gehejmekonseil

The Gehejmekonseil was the highest royal council in the Kingdom of Denmark from around 1665 until its dissolution in 1770 .

King Friedrich III. called the Gehejmekonseil into being after the Reichsrat had been abolished in favor of an absolute monarchy in the Sovereignty Act of 1661 and the Royal Act of 1665 . Initially, the Gehejmekonseil was an informal, exclusively advisory body. On April 21, 1670 the body was officially by Friedrich III. founded.

The Gehejmekonseil consisted of four to seven members, mostly leading officials . Over time, the Gehejmekonseil gained more and more power. It changed from an advisory to an advisory body that met independently if the king was not there. In minor matters, the Gehejmekonseil was soon able to decide for itself; all other proposals had to be submitted to the king. The most important matters were discussed with the full council in the presence of the king. In the reign of Christian VII at the latest , the king was still involved pro forma in the decision-making process.

On December 27, 1770, Johann Friedrich Struensee dissolved the Gehejmekonseil . After Struensee's fall, the Gehejmekonseil was re-established as the Privy Council of State in 1772.

Web links

• Gunnar E. Lind: Gehejmekonseilet , in: Den Store Danske , Gyldendal Copenhagen, last accessed on April 12, 2019.