Otto Christoph von Podewils

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Otto Christoph von Podewils

Otto Christoph Graf von Podewils (born April 16, 1719 in Kolberg , † March 12, 1781 in Gusow ) was a royal Prussian envoy and budget minister.

family

Otto Christoph Graf von Podewils came from the well-known noble family of Podewils , who lived in Pomerania .

His parents were the royal Prussian government advisor Adam von Podewils (* 1687; † 1731), heir to Wusterwitz and Diana Magdalena von Wachholtz (* 1698; † 1752), daughter of the Brandenburg Chamberlain Georg Christoph von Wachholtz (* 1646; † 1716) and the general daughter Maria Sophie Augusta von Dewitz (* 1679, † 1698).

Podewils married Sophie Amalie Albertine von der Marwitz (* 1718; † 1784) the daughter of General Heinrich Karl von der Marwitz (* 1680; † 1744) and the Albertine Eleonore von Wittenhorst (* 1693; † 1721).

The marriage had two sons:

Life

At the age of about 20, Podewils entered the Prussian civil service and was entrusted with foreign affairs. After returning from a two-year stay as Secretary of Legation in St. Petersburg , he was on November 6, 1741 Breslau on the occasion of the homage of Frederick the Great by the Silesian estates, together with his cousins Heinrich von Podewils (* 1696, † 1760), Lord of the Manor on Krag and royal Prussian real secret minister of state, Adam Joachim von Podewils (* 1697; † 1764), heir to Varzin and later royal Prussian major general , as well as Otto Friedrich Christoph von Podewils (* 1702; † 1760), heir to Wussow in the hereditary Prussian count raised.

Afterwards Podewils was the Prussian envoy in The Hague . He met the king several times in this capacity to report or to receive orders, including in Aachen and Kleve in 1742 or in Bad Pyrmont in 1744. Frederick II was very satisfied with Podewil's work, so that Podewils accompanied the king at this meeting for several days.

After the Second Silesian War , the king appointed him budget minister in 1746 and sent him to Vienna as a diplomat. Here, on the orders of the king, Podewils had to draft the characteristics of the Viennese court society, the imperial couple, the ministers and others, in addition to the difficult and delicate diplomatic activities. In 1748 Podewils was already thinking of retreating, but it was only after a stroke in 1750 that Empress Maria Theresa released him with a farewell audience in 1751, and he was able to return to Prussia. While his diplomatic mission was almost insoluble in view of the resentment that existed between Prussia and Habsburg , Podewils was distinguished by his captivating subtlety and depth of observation when drawing up the characteristics of the Viennese court society.

Gusow Castle with the wings laid out by Podewils

Podewils withdrew with his family to his property in the Brandenburg region, had the Gusower Castle rebuilt and expanded and the park in its current size, but still in baroque form, based on the French model.

Together with his wife, who is equally interested in many things, Podewils built up an extensive library. The Count's couple also created valuable collections - with paintings by Antoine Pesne , Rembrandt , Cranach and Martin van Meytens , or scientific and technical instruments and natural objects such as shells, stones, plants and prepared animals. Antiquities found in Gusow and Platkow, such as urns and grave goods, were also examined and stored.

The scholar Johann III Bernoulli also visited Gusow Castle on his travels and reported extensively on the history, economy as well as the castle and park.

“In the courtyard of the castle itself, you can go through a beautiful long driveway between cabbage and tree gardens, and over a bridge; the beautiful building has largely been redesigned by the Itzigen owner and has been restored to its current splendid state. "

With Bernoulli, Podewils also made a trip to Western Pomerania. Around the year 1780 Podewils was already severely restricted due to illness, so that his remaining son had to stand by him more often. With the death of the widow and mother in 1784, the son inherited Gusow and Platkow.

Fonts

  • The Viennese court in the years 1746, 1747 and 1748: diplomatic relations of Count von Podewils, authorized minister in Vienna to Friedrich II. King of Prussia, cabinet letter from the king.
  • Friedrich the Great and Maria Theresa: diplomatic reports. Publishing house R. v. Decker, 1937 (online)

literature

  • Lars A. Severin: The family of the Prussian counts v. Podewils (1741–1812) and the Crangen-Wusterwitz (1617–1812) line that died out with them. In: Brandenburgisches Genealogisches Jahrbuch. Volume 6, 2012, pp. 32-46

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Maximilian Gritzner : Chronological register of the Brandenburg-Prussian class increases and acts of grace from 1600-1873. Berlin 1874, p. 24.
  2. ^ Johann (III) Bernoulli: Travels through Brandenburg, Pomerania, Prussia, Curland, Russia and Pohlen in the years 1777 and 1778. Volume I, Leipzig 1779
personal data
SURNAME Podewils, Otto Christoph von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Podewils, Kasper Otto Christoph von; Podewils, Kasper Otto von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prussian diplomat and budget minister
DATE OF BIRTH April 16, 1719
PLACE OF BIRTH Kolberg
DATE OF DEATH March 12, 1781
Place of death Gusow