Johann Wilhelm Lombard

Johann Wilhelm Lombard (born April 1, 1767 in Berlin , † April 28, 1812 in Nice ) was a member of the Prussian cabinet. He had great influence on Friedrich Wilhelm III in matters of foreign policy . of Prussia.

Life

He came from a Huguenot family. His father was a hairdresser. After graduating from school in March 1786, he himself entered the Prussian civil service as a cabinet chancellery, examined in writing by Frederick the Great . On February 26, 1790, he married Dorothe Gilly, the daughter of the famous builder David Gilly .

After his accession to the throne, Friedrich Wilhelm II promoted him to cabinet secretary in December 1786. Lombard became the king's confidante and accompanied him to Silesia in 1789 , to the Reichenbach Congress in 1790 and on the campaign against France in 1792 . At the cannonade of Valmy he was captured by the French. The negotiations over his exchange resulted in a ceasefire, which after ten days resulted in the withdrawal of the Prussians from France. In 1800 he was appointed secret cabinet councilor and entrusted with Prussian foreign policy. Although Christian von Haugwitz acted as Prussian foreign minister from 1802 , the pro-French Lombard is considered to be the real designer of foreign policy at the time. In 1803 he negotiated with Napoleon in Brussels. Because of his French-friendly attitude, he was sharply attacked by Karl August von Hardenberg and Freiherr von Stein, among others .

Lombard changed his political stance and wrote the War Manifesto in 1806. Nevertheless, he was made responsible for the defeat in the battle of Jena and Auerstedt. He was arrested on the orders of Queen Luise . The king later ordered his release. Under pressure from Tsar Alexander I , he was released.

In addition to his political activities, Lombard was active as the author of numerous poems and prose texts. He also worked as a translator. Until 1809 he kept the office of secretary of the Prussian Academy of Sciences .

Works

• Johann Wilhelm Lombard: Materials on the history of the years 1805, 1800, and 1807. Approved by a Prussian to his compatriots. Nicolai, Frankfurt 1808.

literature

• Hermann Hüffer : The Cabinet Government in Prussia and Johann Wilhelm Lombard , subtitle A contribution to the history of the Prussian state, mainly in the years 1797 to 1810, with two portraits in collotype. Published by Duncker and Humblot, Leipzig 1891.
• Hermann Hüffer:  Lombard, Johann Wilhelm . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 19, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1884, pp. 141-149.
• Christa Mack: Johann Wilhelm Lombard. In: Gerhard Taddey (Hrsg.): Lexicon of German history . People, events, institutions. From the turn of the times to the end of the 2nd World War. 2nd, revised edition. Kröner, Stuttgart 1983, ISBN 3-520-80002-0 , p. 752.
• Thomas Stamm:  Lombard, Johann Wilhelm. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 15, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1987, ISBN 3-428-00196-6 , p. 142 f. ( Digitized version ).