Oberrat (Duchy of Courland and Semgallia)

Coat of arms of the Duchy of Courland and Zemgale

Oberrat was the name of the four highest dignitaries who represented the Supreme Council in the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia . They were aristocrats , had to be in possession of Courland estates or lands and owned the Courland indigenous people . The Duchy of Courland and Zemgale existed from 1561 to 1795, after the third partition of Poland it was captured by the Russian Empire and a new hierarchy was installed.

Instances of administration

The structure of the administration of the duchy was, according to the "Formula Regiminis" (government formula) of 1617, divided into three levels: captains, chief captains and senior councilors.

Eight captains

The lowest level were eight main people in, even from the time of the Teutonic Knights coming, castles resided and fixed seats and the ducal estates and cities managed in their respective district.

Four chiefs

This was followed by the rank of chief captains, two each from Courland and Semgallia , which the duke selected from the captains. They were responsible for the administration of the four chief teams in Courland ( Goldingen and Tuckum ) and in Semgallia ( Mitau and Selberg ). In addition, they exercised the official supervision of all state institutions in their area of ​​responsibility and were the court presidents of the Oberhauptmannschaftsgericht as courts of first instance .

Four councilors

The four councilors were the highest dignitaries in the Duchy of Courland and Zemgale. They were chosen by the duke from among the chiefs and appointed for life.

• The Landhofmeister was also chairman of the ducal upper council and had extensive powers in the judicial and administrative area.
• The Chancellor headed the ducal administration and the chancellery . After the duchy was annexed to Russia in 1795, he was only a member of the High Court. He should be a "vir doctus" (scholar), Courland nobleman and landowner.
• The Oberburggraf had administrative , military and judicial tasks. They ruled over the castle territory .
• The Land Marshal was constitutionally the President of Parliament and the representative of the knighthood . He had to be a registered noble manor owner.

Supreme council

The four councilors formed the " privy councilor " or the "supreme council" of the duke. Sometimes the offices of Landhofmeister and Chancellor were filled in personal union. The Supreme Council represented the state government and the court of the duke . They represented the duke during his absence in the duchy as well as in the case of his minority , but also during the duceless period after his death. In addition, they represented the duke's aristocracy and were also dubbed “Elder Brothers”. They could call on the duke to observe freedom , privileges and civil rights without fear of sanctions . With the assumption of power and annexation of Courland by Tsarist Russia , the senior councilors were abolished, "however, the court of higher courts remained and the senior councilors continued to exercise their titles, although they no longer had their respective administrative tasks."

Senior councilors (chancellor and court master) between 1562 and 1795

• Jost Clodt von Jürgensburg (1517–1572) was the first Chancellor of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia from 1562 to 1566
• Michael von Brunnow († 1583); 1566 to 1583 under Duke Gotthard Kettler (1517–1587) Chancellor in Courland. Gotthard Kettler was the last Landmeister of the Teutonic Order in Livonia from 1559 and the first Duke of Courland and Semgallia from 1561 .
• Michael von Manteuffel (~ 1572–1625); 1617–1625 chancellor and ducal councilor.
• Matthias von der Recke (1565–1638); 1617 to 1638 country steward
• Friedrich Johann von der Recke (1606–1671); 1649 to 1671 country steward
• Melchior von Fölckersam (1601–1665); Chancellor from 1650 to 1665.
• Christoph Heinrich von Puttkamer († 1701); Chancellor from 1681 to 1701 and from 1683 chancellor and court master.
• Friedrich von Brackel (1634–1708); 1701 to 1703 chancellor and from 1703 to 1708 chancellor and court master. In his time, the Landhofmeister Christoph Heinrich von Puttkamer (1683–1701), the Chancellor and later Landhofmeister Friedrich von Brackel (1683–1703), the Oberburggraf Wilhelm Friedrich von Taube (1678–1690) and the Landmarschall Dietrich von Altenbockum (1679– 1686).
• Heinrich Christian von den Brincken (1648–1729); 1703 to 1709 chancellor and from 1709 to 1727 court master.
• Ernst von der Brüggen (1639–1713); 1709 chancellor
• Ewald von der Osten-Sacken (died 1718), 1709–1718 chancellor
• Johann Heinrich von Keyserlingk (1680–1734), 1711 to 1712 and 1717 to 1718 land marshal and then from 1718 to 1727 chancellor.
• Adam Kazimierz Kościuszko ; 1727–1729 country steward.
• Casimir Christoph von Brackel (1686–1742), the son of Friedrich von Brackel (see above); Chancellor from 1727 to 1729 and then chancellor and court master until his resignation in 1731.
• Heinrich Georg von Mirbach (1674–1736, was chancellor from 1729 to 1731 and court master from 1731 to 1736.)
• Christoph Friedrich von der Osten-Sacken , called Sacken auf Appricken (* 1697, † 1759); 1731–1736 chancellor, 1736–1759 court master, 1740–1758 co-regent.
• Hermann Christoph Finck von Finckenstein (1693–1758); 1736–1758 chancellor
• Otto Christopher von der Howen (1699–1775); Chancellor from 1758 to 1759 and court master from 1759 to 1763 and 1763 to 1775.
• Dietrich von Keyserling (1713-1793); Chancellor of Courland from 1759 to 1763.
• Heinrich Christian von Offenberg (1696–1781); 1733 to 1748 head captain of Tuckum, 1748 to 1758 land marshal, 1758 to 1763 head burggrave and from 1763 to 1767 land steward.
• Johann Ernst von Kopmann (1725–1786); Chancellor from 1763 to 1776 and court master from 1776 to 1786.
• Ernst Johann von Taube (1740–1794); Chancellor from 1776 to 1788 and chancellor and court master from 1788 to 1794.
• Georg Christoph von Lüdinghausen-Wolff (1751–1807); 1794 to 1796 and from 1797 to 1801 chancellor and then from 1801 to 1807 court master.
• Christian Ernst von Oelsen (1729–1787); 1769 to 1772 head captain of Tuckum, from 1772 to 1786 head captain von Mitau (and castle commandant), 1786 land marshal, then chief bailiff and from 1786 to 1787 land steward.
• Carl Ferdinand von Orgies-Rutenberg (1741–1801); 1787 Oberhauptmann von Tuckum, 1787 to 1794 last ducal chancellor and from 1794 to 1795 last land steward of the duchy.

literature

• Bogusław Dybaś: District Administrator, Senior Councilor, Starosta. The noble dignitaries in the Livonian provinces of the Polish-Lithuanian Republic of Livonia . In: Stephan Wendehorst (ed.): The anatomy of early modern empires. Rule management beyond state and nation (= Library Old Reich , vol. 5). Walter de Gruyter, Berlin 2015, ISBN 978-3-486-57911-6 , pp. 211–226.

Web links

• Baltic Historical Commission - Baltic Legal Dictionary
• Courland: Chairmen of the Ducal (from 26 Apr 1795 Provisional) Government (styled Landhofmeister) (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Heinrich Ludwig Birkel: Formula Regiminis de Anno MDCXVII. Pacta Subjectionis inter Regem Sigismundum Augustum et Magistrum Gotthardum Kettler, inita Vilnae the XXVIII. Novembris Anni MDLXI. et Privilegium Sigismundi Augusti date Vilnae Nobilitati Livoniae ... MDLXI = government formula from the year 1617. Submission contracts between King Sigismund August and the army master Gotthard Kettler, concluded in Vilna on November 28th 1561. And the privilege that King Sigismund August 1561, six days after the feast of St. Catharine, in Vilna to the Lieflland nobility . JF Steffenhagen and Son, Mitau 1807, pp. 1–57, here pp. 2–13 ( digitized version of the University of Dorpat).
2. ↑ Latest Lȧnder- und Völkerkunde: A geographic reading book for all classes ..., Volume 3 of Latest Lȧnder- und Völkerkunde: A geographic reading book for all classes, published by the geographical institute, 1807, original from the University of Michigan , digitized 24. March 2006 [1]
3. ↑ Bogusław Dybas: District Administrator, Senior Researcher, Starosta. The noble dignitaries in the Livonian provinces of the Polish-Lithuanian Republic of Livonia . In: Stephan Wendehorst (ed.): The anatomy of early modern empires. Rule management beyond state and nation (= Library Old Reich , vol. 5). Walter de Gruyter, Berlin 2015, pp. 211–226, here p. 221.
4. ↑ Landhofmeister. In: German legal dictionary (DRW) [2]
5. ↑ Chancellor. In: Baltic Legal Dictionary [3]
6. ↑ Land Marshal. In: Baltic Legal Dictionary [4]
7. ↑ The Duke's Secret, or Supreme Council. In: August Wilhelm Hupel, Statistical-Topographical News from the Duchies of Courland and Semgalln. Along with other shorter essays: The Nordic Miscellaneen 9th and 10th Item, Volume 9 of The Nordic Miscellaneen ... Item / by August Wilhelm Hupel, Verlag Johann Friedrich Hartknoch, 1785, original from the National Library of the Czech Republic , digitized 23 Nov. 2015 [ 5]
8. ↑ Councilors. In: Baltic Legal Dictionary [6]
9. ↑ Clodt von Jürgensburg, Jost in the German biography
10. ^ Baltic Historical Commission (ed.): Entry on Michael von Brunnow. In: BBLD - Baltic Biographical Lexicon digital
11. ↑ Melchior von Flöckersamb. In: Herder Institute for Historical Research on East Central Europe - Institute of the Leibniz Association [7] and Fölckersam, Melchior from in the German biography
12. ↑ Christoph Heinrich von Puttkamer. In: [8] [9]
13. ↑ Die Vier Oberräte (footnote 5), in: Almut Bues (ed.), A difficult inheritance: the negotiations after the death of Duke Jakobs von Kurland 1682/83, volume 1 of sources and studies, German Historical Institute Warsaw , Otto Harrassowitz Verlag , 1995, ISBN 3447036206 [10]
14. ^ Baltic Historical Commission (ed.): Entry on Heinrich Christian von den Brincken. In: BBLD - Baltic Biographical Lexicon digital
15. ^ Baltic Historical Commission (ed.): Entry on Johann Heinrich von Keyserling. In: BBLD - Baltic Biographical Lexicon digital
16. ↑ Landhofmeister in Courland [11]
17. ↑ Presidente del Governo Ducale (dal 26/4/1795 Provvisorio) 1562/1796 (Landhofmeister) [12]
18. ^ Baltic Historical Commission (ed.): Entry on Heinrich Georg von Mirbach. In: BBLD - Baltic Biographical Lexicon digital
19. ^ Baltic Historical Commission (ed.): Entry on Otto Christoph von der Howen. In: BBLD - Baltic Biographical Lexicon digital
20. ^ Baltic Historical Commission (ed.): Entry on Dietrich Graf von Keyserlingk. In: BBLD - Baltic Biographical Lexicon digital
21. ^ Baltic Historical Commission (ed.): Entry on Heinrich Christian von Offenberg. In: BBLD - Baltic Biographical Lexicon digital
22. ^ Baltic Historical Commission (ed.): Entry on Johann Ernst von Klopmann. In: BBLD - Baltic Biographical Lexicon digital
23. ^ Baltic Historical Commission (ed.): Entry on Ernst Johann von Taube. In: BBLD - Baltic Biographical Lexicon digital
24. ^ Baltic Historical Commission (ed.): Entry on Georg Christoph von Lüdinghausen. In: BBLD - Baltic Biographical Lexicon digital
25. ^ Baltic Historical Commission (ed.): Entry on Christian Ernst von Oelsen. In: BBLD - Baltic Biographical Lexicon digital
26. ^ Baltic Historical Commission (ed.): Entry on Carl Ferdinand von Orgies. In: BBLD - Baltic Biographical Lexicon digital