Wilhelm von Edelsheim (politician)

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Wilhelm von Edelsheim - photo of an oil painting by Raphael Mengs

Wilhelm Freiherr von Edelsheim (born November 13, 1737 in Hanau ; † December 6, 1793 in Karlsruhe ) was a Baden diplomat and politician. 1788–1793 he was President of the Privy Council and thus head of government of the reunited Margraviate of Baden .

origin

He comes from the Franconian family of Edelsheim and was born as the son of Philipp Reinhard von Edelsheim and Friederike Freiin von Zeschlin. His brother was Georg Ludwig von Edelsheim , who later became Minister of State for Baden .

Life

He received legal training at the University of Göttingen and then worked at the Imperial Court of Justice in Wetzlar.

In 1758 he entered the service of the Margrave of Baden-Durlach , Karl Friedrich , as a councilor . 1763–1767 and 1772–1774 he devoted himself to the management of family estates until this task was taken over by his younger brother, Georg Ludwig. 1767-1769 he was commissioned by the Marquis in Vienna to Baden Baden- diplomatically to secure succession.

In 1774 Edelsheim moved to Karlsruhe and was appointed the real secret councilor and minister for foreign affairs.

In 1776 he successfully negotiated with Pfalz-Zweibrücken about the division of the rear county of Sponheim .

On the question of a German prince Federal against the overpowering Austria Edelsheim 1,778 voted against it, but then changed his mind in 1782 and was one of the fathers of the 1785 closed Federal .

In March 1784 the Roman bath ruins were discovered in Badenweiler . After visiting the facility in the summer, Edelsheim made sure that sufficient funds were available for the excavations and that measures were taken to protect the remains of the wall from the weather and from theft.

Edelsheim was the Baden envoy at the coronation of Emperors Leopold II (October 9, 1790) and Franz II (July 14, 1792).

In 1793 Edelsheim concluded the subsidy agreement with Great Britain.

Edelsheim is portrayed as a person with diverse interests and excellent general education. Through his work at the Karlsruhe court, he also came into contact with many outstanding personalities who visited the Margrave Karl Friedrich. This also included the French physiocrats Mirabeau and Du Pont , as well as Lavater , Klopstock and Herder . He also had to do with Goethe in connection with the preparations for the royal league.

Edelsheim died of a stroke in the second year of the First Coalition War, which ushered in a critical period for Baden. The death of the accomplished diplomat was a heavy loss for Baden.

Honors

In 1897 the city of Karlsruhe named Edelsheimstrasse after Wilhelm von Edelsheim.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ s. Edmund von der Becke-Klüchtzner, Stamm-Tafeln of the nobility of the Grand Duchy of Baden: a newly edited book of nobility , Baden-Baden, 1886 online ( Memento of the original from September 8, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / diglit.ub.uni-heidelberg.de
  2. ↑ s. Political correspondence of Karl Friedrich von Baden 1783-1806 . Edited by B. Erdmannsdörffer, Volume 1 (1783–1792), Heidelberg 1888; P. 29 ff. Online in the Internet archive
  3. ↑ s. Franz Xaver Kraus : The art monuments of the Grand Duchy of Baden , Tübingen and Leipzig, 1901, fifth volume - Lörrach district; Pp. 82-83 online
  4. ↑ s. Universal encyclopedia of the Grand Duchy of Baden , Karlsruhe 1847, Col. 314
  5. ^ Edelsheimstrasse - Stadtwiki Karlsruhe. Retrieved on November 7, 2018 (German (Sie-Salutation)).
personal data
SURNAME Edelsheim, Wilhelm von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Edelsheim, Wilhelm Freiherr von (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Baden diplomat and politician
DATE OF BIRTH November 13, 1737
PLACE OF BIRTH Hanau
DATE OF DEATH December 6, 1793
Place of death Karlsruhe