Victor Friedrich von Solms-Sonnenwalde

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Victor Friedrich Graf von Solms-Sonnenwalde , also Viktor (born September 16, 1730 , † December 24, 1783 ) was a Prussian diplomat and under Friedrich II. Prussian envoy in Stockholm and Saint Petersburg .

Life

He was the son of the Electorate Chamberlain Otto Wilhelm Graf zu Solms-Sonnenwalde and his wife Dorothea Sabine, née von Arnim . His maternal grandfather, Georg Dietloff von Arnim-Boitzenburg, was largely responsible for his upbringing. From March 20, 1747, Solms studied at the University of Frankfurt, and in 1749 at the one in Leipzig. After three years of study he entered the Prussian civil service, where he received the title of Legation Councilor .

At the suggestion of Ministers Podewils and Finckenstein , Frederick the Great appointed him extraordinary envoy to the Royal Court of Stockholm in 1755, where he replaced Helmuth Burchard von Maltzahn. During this time Friedrich II's sister, Luise Ulrike , was queen in Sweden.

He was recalled from Stockholm in 1757. In 1762 he was posted to the court of the tsars in Russia, where Peter III. had been overthrown by Katharina . There he replaced Goltz , who had enjoyed Peter's trust. Solms stayed 17 years as envoy in Saint Petersburg, where he established close contact with Katharina and her foreign minister, Panin. In 1764 he made possible an alliance between Russia and Prussia, was awarded the Alexander Nevsky Order in 1765 and also participated in the First Partition of Poland in 1772. For this he was awarded the Prussian Black Eagle Order .

For health reasons, Solms resigned as envoy in the late summer of 1779. This was preceded by unsuccessful requests for a salary increase, since he could not represent Prussia as Panin expected. As an out-of-service ambassador, King Friedrich II appointed him Oberhofmarschall. He also held the dignity of canons of Halberstadt and Havelberg.

family

On March 20, 1754 Solms married Wilhelmine Charlotte Countess von Dönhoff (1726–1794), daughter of Alexander von Dönhoff . The marriage had three children, one grandson was Wilhelm zu Solms-Sonnenwalde .

  • Wilhelm Christian (1755–1799) ∞ Friederike Christiane Elisabeth von Schlippenbach (1767–1843)
  • Luise (1759–1811) ∞ Georg von Arnim (1747–1828)
  • ?

Sources and references

predecessor Office successor
Helmuth Burchard von Maltzahn Prussian envoy to Sweden
1755–1757
Johann Heinrich Friedrich von Cocceji (from 1764)
Wilhelm Bernhard von der Goltz Prussian envoy to Russia
1762–1779
Johann Eustach von Görtz