Government of the Duchy of Saxony-Meiningen

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The government of the Duchy of Saxony-Meiningen was the executive branch of the Duchy of Saxony-Meiningen from 1826 to 1918.

Preliminary remark

The Duchy of Saxony-Meiningen changed fundamentally in terms of government and administration in 1826 with the acquisition of territory from the Hildburghausen Partition Treaty . This article therefore describes the development between 1826 and the end of the duchy in 1918. The history of the government of the duchy is divided into two main periods: the period between the administrative reforms in the late 1820s and the March Revolution in 1848 and the period between 1848 and 1918.

1826 to 1848

After the area was expanded, a new administrative structure had to be created from the previous three administrations. In November 1826, the previous Secret Ministry in Meiningen was declared the highest administrative body of the duchy. This was more of a formal statement. The Hildburghausen secret council remained in existence and continued to work as before. The Meiningen colleges remained responsible for the old Meiningen areas and also took on responsibility for the Principality of Saalfeld. Of the six departments of the Saalfeld administration, the construction and military departments were dissolved and Meiningen was transferred, the others remained.

In May 1827 the forestry of all three parts of the country was centralized as a first step and subordinated to the chamber forest management in Meiningen.

On August 7, 1827, Duke Bernhard Freund set up an organizational commission to work out an administrative reform. In addition to the President of the Meiningen government, Friedrich Krafft , this included experienced officials from all parts of the country and Professor Karl Ernst Schmidt from Jena .

According to the Commission's proposal, the government was in two stages. The state ministry was at the forefront, including the state colleges, to which the state government also belonged.

The State Ministry

The result of the commission's work was implemented on January 21, 1829 in the form of six edicts from the Duke. In the second edict of that day, the state ministry was established as the highest authority. It was organized as a collegial authority. The work was described in the chancellery rules that were part of the edict.

It was divided into four departments:

  1. Ducal House, Foreign Affairs and Federal Matters and Mercy Matters
  2. Judiciary
  3. Interior
  4. Finances

On April 28, 1847, a fifth department was set up "for measures to be taken to alleviate the state of emergency". This department had the task of fighting the economic hardship that had arisen after the devastating forest fire in the duchy and was dissolved again on December 22, 1847.

The departments were not always occupied. For a long time, several departments were held by one minister. There was no prime minister, at that time referred to as a leading or directing minister in other countries. The State Ministry did not have any joint meetings. The processes were coordinated in a circulation procedure . Ordinances received the force of law through the signature of the Duke. On January 21, 1829, the State Ministry began work. The state ministry remained in this form until September 1848.

Members

Koenitz, Baumbach and Stein were not replaced, so Krafft was the only member in 1835.

Secret council college

The secret college was a council of state that comprised "trusted and experienced servants." Members were those officials who had the title of Real Privy Councilor , the members of the State Ministry and other persons whose advice the Duke wanted. It was also established in the Second Edict. The Duke presided, or in his absence the President.

President

The secret council met seldom and was of no practical importance. It was repealed on September 15, 1848.

Five state colleges

According to the third edict, five regional colleges were established:

  • State government to Meiningen
  • Hildburghausen consistory for churches and school supplies
  • Meiningen Chamber for Finances, Domains, Forestry and Feudal Affairs
  • Audit Chamber of Meiningen Creation and control of the budget and auditing
  • Hildburghausen Higher Regional Court

The landscape board, which collected and administered the landscape taxes , also had the position of a state college.

State government

The state government was initially divided into two senates (sections):

  • Administrative Senate (medical deputation, building deputation, military deputation and deputation for national culture (agriculture, trade, mining)) and
  • Tax Senate

With the law on finance of April 27, 1831, the chamber was dissolved and the tasks of the landscape board were incorporated. This results in three senates

  • Administrative Senate
  • Finance Senate (previously: Chamber + Tax Senate + Landscape Management)
  • Forest Senate

At the head of the state government stood a president (since 1836: chief president). Each Senate was headed by a director.

1848 to 1918

After a popular gathering in the residence, Friedrich Karl Anton von Werthern resigned on September 8, 1848 and the liberal Colonel Hanns Carl Wilhelm Haubold von Speßhardt was appointed to the state ministry. A complete reorganization of the government was worked out within a few days and the top management was reorganized by decree of September 14, 1848. The core of the change was the abolition of the two-tier administration and the merging of the state government, consistory, accounting chamber and state ministry into the new state ministry. This consisted of five departments:

  1. Ducal home and exterior
  2. Interior
  3. Judiciary
  4. Church and school supplies
  5. Finances

At the head of the State Ministry was the State Minister, who was also responsible for the first department. The other departments were headed by a departmental board called the Council of State.

Even though the ordinance stipulated that the government should now hold cabinet meetings in which the Duke had no right to attend, only a few meetings took place and the circulation procedure remained the usual voting procedure. All official communication between the Duke and the Ministry was in writing.

With the November Revolution of 1918, the duchy and with it the State Ministry ended.

Minister of State

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