Jean Baptiste Feronce von Rotenkreutz

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Jean Baptiste Feronce von Rotenkreutz (born October 23, 1723 in Leipzig , † July 19, 1799 in Braunschweig ) was a statesman in the Principality of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel . His most important achievement was the restructuring of the state finances, among other things by leasing soldiers to Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War .

Live and act

After training at a French boarding school in Geneva , where his family came from, Jean Baptiste Feronce studied at the universities of Jena , Halle and Göttingen . After several years in the Netherlands and France , especially in Paris , he was first secretary of the legation to the Russian ambassador at the Electoral Saxon court in Dresden and after his recall in February 1747 made his way to The Hague to apply for a diplomatic position . On this trip he stayed in Braunschweig for some time and became acquainted with the then Privy Councilor von Cramm , who recommended him to Duke Karl I of Braunschweig .

On April 29, 1748 Feronce became the Braunschweig Legation Secretary, accompanied Lieutenant General Stammer to the Peace Congress in Aachen , stayed there for 18 months and was promoted to Legation Council after his return in 1750. In the Seven Years' War he concluded a subsidy contract in 1759 , through which the principality rented a contingent of troops to Great Britain. For this he was appointed secret legation councilor on October 14, 1761 and ennobled under the name of Rotenkreutz . In 1762, as an authorized envoy in London , he prepared the marriage of the then Hereditary Prince Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand to the British Princess Augusta of Hanover .

After the death of Minister Heinrich Bernhard Schrader von Schliestedt , Feronce was appointed Privy Councilor and Minister of Finance on August 1, 1773 . In this office he ensured a comprehensive restructuring of the disrupted state finances (see below). At his death in 1799 he was President of the War and Finance College. His marriage to someone born in von Lüttichau remained childless. His grave stone at the Braunschweig Bartholomäus chapel was destroyed in the Second World War.

Reorganization of public finances

Due to the extravagance of Duke Karl I, which was still supported by his Minister Schliestedt, the Principality of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel was in debt with almost 12 million thalers when Feronce took office as Finance Minister on August 1, 1773 and threatened with the establishment of a Reich debt repayment commission , which meant national bankruptcy.

In order to save the reputation of the ruling house and the country, Hereditary Prince Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand took over the co-government of the country and, with Feronce's help, was able to convince his father that not the slightest amount could be paid out without his co-signing. The expenses for administration and court were drastically cut.

Feronce was able to negotiate a loan of 500,000 thalers with the Prussian bank in Berlin and took the risk of canceling the 5–6% very high interest state bonds in the amount of several million if their owners were to reduce the interest rate to 3 % would not agree. Surprised by the principality's apparently threatened solvency, most of the creditors agreed to the lower interest rate.

When Duke Karl died in 1780, the orderly financial system had already repaid 5 million thalers of debts, and when the new Duke Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand said that King Friedrich II's congratulations on taking office had been a bit cool, he asked Berlin whether he would the 900,000 thaler still owed will be allowed to pay over the next nine days.

With the reduction of taxes and new trust in the state, trade and commerce grew again and the Duchy of Braunschweig developed into a model state.

Soldier trade

See also main article: Soldiers trade .

In the Seven Years' War (1756-63), in which Braunschweig was not involved, Feronce concluded a subsidy contract with England in 1759 , through which the duchy, measured by the size of the country, made a considerable contingent of troops available for an annual fee.

Great Britain also recruited German troops for the American War of Independence (1775–83) and concluded treaties with various German states. In the contract of January 9, 1776 with the British Colonel William Faucit, Duke Charles I provided a total of 4,300 infantry and light cavalry men. The soldiers were paid by Great Britain and the duchy also received the same amount (64,500 thalers annually) as a subsidy payment. After the soldiers returned, the duchy received twice that amount (129,000 thalers) for two years. In addition, the duchy received advertising money of 30 thalers per man and compensation of 40 thalers for each person killed or three wounded.

Feronce concluded another treaty on February 22, 1788 with the States General of the Netherlands . The duchy rented 3,000 infantry and cavalry with ten field guns. However, since overseas deployments in the colonies resulted in high losses due to the long sea voyage, climatic differences and tropical diseases, the use was restricted to European territory.

Honors and afterlife

Jean Baptiste Feronce v. Rotenkreutz was awarded as a knight of the Danish Dannebrog Order .

He recognized Carl Friedrich Gauß's talent early on and recommended him to Duke Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand so that he could attend higher schools and academies.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Horst-Rüdiger Jarck (Ed.): Braunschweigisches Biographisches Lexikon. 8th to 18th centuries , Braunschweig 2006, p. 218
personal data
SURNAME Feronce von Rotenkreutz, Jean Baptiste
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Feronce, Jean Baptiste (until 1761)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Minister of the Duchy of Braunschweig
DATE OF BIRTH October 23, 1723
PLACE OF BIRTH Leipzig
DATE OF DEATH July 19, 1799
Place of death Braunschweig