Government of the Duchy of Saxony-Meiningen
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:
- Ducal House, Foreign Affairs and Federal Matters and Mercy Matters
- Judiciary
- Interior
- 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
- Christian Ferdinand von Könitz from January 21, 1829 to January 1832
- Karl August von Baumbach from January 21, 1829 to April 22, 1831
- Dietrich von Stein from January 21, 1829 to April 25, 1831
- Karl Adolf von Fischern from January 21, 1829 to 1835
- Friedrich Krafft from June 4, 1830 to June 1840
Koenitz, Baumbach and Stein were not replaced, so Krafft was the only member in 1835.
- Albert Vahlkampf from 1837 to August 1838
- Georg Adam Debertshäuser from September 1837 to March 1846
- Karl Adolf von Fischern from 1840 to September 8, 1848
- Friedrich Krafft from December 1843 to November 1, 1847
- Friedrich von Werthern from August 1845 to September 8, 1848
- Hermann Friedrich Brandis from November 1847 to September 8, 1848
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
- Georg Karl Wilhelm Philipp von Donop (1823–1829)
- Christian Ferdinand von Könitz (1829–1832)
- Karl August von Baumbach (1832–1844)
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:
- Ducal home and exterior
- Interior
- Judiciary
- Church and school supplies
- 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
- Hanns Carl Wilhelm Haubold von Speßhardt from September 14, 1848 to October 23, 1849
- Rudolf Hermann von Wechmar from October 24, 1849 to May 12, 1854
- Andreas Paul Adolph von Harbou from May 12, 1854 to September 1861
- Anton Ferdinand von Krosigk from September 1861 to October 1, 1864
- Vacant from October 1, 1864 to July 27, 1865
- Friedrich von Uttenhoven from July 27, 1865 to August 18, 1866
- Gustav von Buch from August 18 to September 20, 1866
- Anton Ferdinand von Krosigk from October 20, 1866 to 1873
- Albrecht von Giseke from 1873 to 1890
- Wilhelm Friedrich von Heim from 1890 to 1902
- Rudolf von Ziller from 1902 to October 5, 1912
- Karl Schaller from October 14, 1912 to November 12, 1918
literature
- Ulrich Heß: Research on the constitutional and administrative history of the Duchy of Saxony-Coburg-Meiningen 1680 - 1829 . Volume 3: Authorities and civil servants. 1954.
- Ulrich Hess: Secret Council and Cabinet in the Ernestine States of Thuringia. Weimar 1962, pp. 269-282.
- Friedrich Facius : The conducting ministers of the Thuringian states 1815-1918. In: Klaus Schwabe (Ed.): The governments of the German medium and small states. 1815–1933 (= German leadership classes in modern times. Volume 14 = Büdinger research on social history. Volume 18). Boldt, Boppard am Rhein 1983, ISBN 3-7646-1830-2 .