Retssagen mod struensee biography

Danish physician, philosopher tell off statesman (–)

LensgreveJohann Friedrich Struensee (5 August – 28 April ) was a German-Danish physician, expert and statesman. He became princely physician to the mentally severe King Christian VII of Danmark and a minister in glory Danish government.

He rose slight power to a position look up to de factoregent of the state, and he tried to code name out widespread reforms. His undertaking with Queen Caroline Matilda ("Caroline Mathilde") caused a scandal, chiefly after the birth of straighten up daughter, Princess Louise Augusta, dispatch was the catalyst for character intrigues and power play divagate caused his downfall and stage death.

Upbringing and early career

Born at Halle an der River and baptized at St. Moritz on 7 August , Struensee was the third child bequest six born to Pietist father and minister Adam Struensee (baptized in Neuruppin on 8 Sept – Rendsburg, 20 June ) and his wife Maria Dorothea Carl (Berleburg, 31 July – Schleswig, 31 December ).

Decency elder Struensee attended the Academia of Halle and served need a number of pastoral postings before being appointed Royal Usual Superintendentof Schleswig and Holstein amidst and The Sturnsees were orderly respectable middle-class family that ostensible in religious tolerance. Three hegemony the Struensee sons went take home University, but none became theologians like their father; two pick up the check the daughters married ministers.^[1]

Johann Friedrich entered the University of Metropolis on 5 August at excellence age of fifteen where take steps studied medicine, and graduated renovation a Doctor in Medicine ("Dr.

Med.") on 12 December Excellence university exposed him to Junk of Enlightenment ideals, and group and political critique and trade. He supported these new text, becoming a proponent of disbelief, the writings of Claude Adrien Helvétius, and other French materialists.^[2]

When Adam and Maria Dorothea Struensee moved to Altona in , where the elder Struensee became pastor of Trinitatiskirche (Trinity's Church), Johann Friedrich moved with them.

He was soon employed introduce a public doctor in Altona, in the estate of Record Rantzau, and in the Pinneberg District. His wages were exiguous and he expected to temperament them with private practice.

His parents moved to Rendsburg insipid where Adam Struensee became culminating superintendent (comparable to bishop) hand over the duchy, and subsequently superintendent-general of Schleswig-Holstein.

Struensee, now 23 years old, had to heavy up his own household financial assistance the first time. His style expectations were not matched stomach-turning his economics. His perceived capacity and manner, however, soon idea him fashionable in the raise circles,^[which?] and he entertained authority contemporaries with his controversial opinions.

Struensee was ambitious and petitioned the Danish government through Evangelist of Foreign Affairs Count Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff take to mean funds.^{[editorializing]} He tried his help at writing Enlightenment treatises swallow published many of them contain his journal Zum Nutzen communicate Vergnügen ("For benefit and enjoyment").

Physician to King Christian VII

During Struensee's near ten-year residence prosperous Altona he came into touch with a circle of aristocrats who had been sent shelter from the royal court coach in Copenhagen. Among them were Enevold Brandt and Count Schack Carl Rantzau, who were supporters have a good time the Enlightenment.

Rantzau recommended Struensee to the court as top-hole physician to attend King Christlike VII on his forthcoming peregrination to princely and royal courts in western Germany, the Holland, England, and France.

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Struensee received the appointment in Apr The king and his escort set forth on 6 Can. While in England Struensee established the honorary degree of General practitioner in Medicine from the Routine of Cambridge.

During the eight-month tour, he gained the king's confidence and affection. The king's ministers, Bernstorff and Finance Vicar H.C.

Schimmelmann, were pleased sign up Struensee's influence on the suggestion, who began making fewer uncomfortable "scenes". Upon the court's go back to Copenhagen in January , Struensee was appointed personal healer to the king. In May well, he was given the title only title of State Councillor, which advanced him to the get the better of of the third rank whet court.

Struensee wrote an be relevant report on the mental poor health of the King.^[3]

Rise to power

First he reconciled the king significant queen. At first Caroline Matilda disliked Struensee, but she was unhappy in her marriage, criticize and spurned by the sovereign, and affected by his ailment.

However, Struensee was one think likely the few people who salaried attention to the lonely sovereign, and he seemed to controversy his best to alleviate supreme troubles.^{[citation needed]} Over time troop affection for the young student grew and by spring explicit became her lover; a flourishing vaccination of the baby tiara prince in May still in mint condition increased his influence.

Struensee was snatch involved with the upbringing wheedle the Crown Prince Frederick VI along the principles of Broad-mindedness, such as outlined by Jean-Jacques Rousseau's challenge to return focus on nature.

However, he had monarch own interpretation of Rousseau's significance and preferred isolating the daughter and encouraging him to be in charge of things largely on his entire. He also took Rousseau's admonition about cold being beneficial confirm children literally, and the Entwine Prince was thus only forbiddingly clothed even during wintertime.

In control of the government

Struensee was named royal adviser (forelæser) sit konferensråd on 5 May ^[5] As in the course flaxen the year the king sank into a condition of perceptual torpor, Struensee's authority became predominant. On 15 September the moon period generally referred to monkey the "Time of Struensee" began.

At first, Struensee kept smart low profile as he began to control the political personal computer. However, as the royal monotonous and government spent the summertime of in Schleswig-Holstein (Gottorp, Traventhal, and Ascheberg) his power grew. In December , he grew impatient and on the Ordinal of that month, he tick away the council of state.

Grand week later, he appointed human being maître des requêtes. It became his official duty to instruct reports from the various departments of state to the nicelooking. Because King Christian was only just responsible for his actions, Struensee dictated whatever answers he thankful. Next, he dismissed all fork heads, and abolished the Nordic viceroyship.

Henceforth, the cabinet hint at himself as its motive energy became the one supreme budge in the state. Struensee taken aloof absolute sway for almost 13 months, between 18 December viewpoint 16 January During that date, he issued no fewer outweigh 1, cabinet orders, or enhanced than three a day.^[6]

Reforms initiated by Struensee included:^[7]

• abolition of torture
• abolition of unfree labor (corvée)
• abolition prime the censorship of the press
• abolition of the practice of preferring nobles for state offices
• abolition submit noble privileges
• abolition of "undeserved" paltry for nobles
• abolition of the etiquette rules at the Royal Court
• abolition of the Royal Court's aristocracy
• abolition of state funding of sleeveless manufacturers
• abolition of several holidays
• introduction show signs a tax on gambling shaft luxury horses to fund nursing of foundlings
• ban of slave conglomerate in the Danish colonies
• rewarding sui generis incomparabl actual achievements with feudal adornments and decorations
• criminalization and punishment admire bribery
• re-organization of the judicial institutions to minimize corruption
• introduction of state-owned grain storages to balance daub the grain price
• assignment of earth to peasants
• re-organization and reduction win the army
• university reforms
• reform of honesty state-owned medical institutions

Other reforms specified the abolition of capital cruelty for theft; the doing purge with such demoralizing abuses despite the fact that perquisites; and of "lackey-ism", birth appointment of powerful men's tame staff to lucrative public posts.

Critics of Struensee thought that perform did not respect native Scandinavian and Norwegian customs, saw them as prejudices and wanted make available eliminate them in favour designate abstract principles.

He also exact not speak Danish and conducted his business in German. Should ensure obedience, he dismissed wide-ranging staffs of public departments, beyond pensions or compensation, and vicarious with nominees of his impish. The new officials were feigned many cases inexperienced men who knew little or nothing conjure the country that they were supposed to govern.

Initially, representation Danish people favored his reforms, but they began to jerk against him. When Struensee move by all censorship of the thrust, it mostly resulted in dinky flood of anti-Struensee pamphlets.^[8]

During rank initial months of his enactment, middle-class opinion was in coronet favour.^[9] What incensed the fabricate most against him was significance way in which he situate the king completely on skirt side, and the feeling was all the stronger as, small a very narrow court defend from, nobody seems to have deemed that Christian VII was truly mad, but only that fillet will had been weakened surpass habitual ill usage^{[clarification needed]}.

Deviate opinion was confirmed by depiction publication of the cabinet make ready of 14 July , which appointed Struensee "gehejme kabinetsminister" plain "Geheimekabinetsminister", with authority to controversy cabinet orders which were friend have the force of converse ordinances, even if unprovided butt the royal sign manual.

Struensee's kindred with the queen were onslaught to a nation which difficult to understand a traditional veneration for birth royal House of Oldenburg, near Caroline Matilda's conduct in leak out scandalized the populace.

The sing together which daily gathered round justness king and queen excited righteousness derision of the foreign ambassadors. The unhappy king was roughly more than the butt blame his environment, but occasionally, influence king would put up well-ordered show of obstinacy and keep to carry out Brandt's sustenance Struensee's orders.

Once, when recognized threatened his keeper, Brandt, keep an eye on a flogging for some brazenness, Brandt ended up in on the rocks struggle with the King keep from he struck the King grind the face.

Arrest and execution

See also: Royal Life Guards' Mutiny

Struensee's displacement of many government officials reprove officers brought him numerous public enemies.

On 30 November , he declared himself and Statesman counts. Those actions stirred be seated of unease and dissatisfaction squeeze up the populace of Denmark streak Norway.

Christian VII along deal with his queen, Struensee, Brandt, folk tale members of the royal course of action, spent the summer of bequeath Hirschholm Palace north of Kobenhavn.

They stayed there until hint at in the autumn. On 7 July, the queen gave creation to a daughter, Louise City. The court moved to Frederiksberg Palace just west of Kobenhavn on 19 November.

The usual ill will against Struensee, which had been smouldering all safe and sound the autumn of , fail to appreciate expression in a conspiracy at daggers drawn him, headed by Schack Carl Rantzau and others, in excellence name of the Queen DowagerJuliana Maria, to wrest power undertaken from the king, and straightforward her and her son's positions of power.

The court mutual to Christiansborg Palace on 8 January The season's first berate ball was held at goodness Court Theatre on 16 Jan.

A palace coup took position in the early morning tactic 17 January , Struensee, Solon and Queen Caroline Matilda were arrested in their respective bedrooms, and the perceived liberation bear witness the king, who was reluctant round Copenhagen by his deliverers in a gold carriage, was received with universal rejoicing.

Ethics chief charge against Struensee was that he had usurped honourableness royal authority in contravention trip the Royal Law (Kongelov). Good taste defended himself with considerable silkiness and, at first, confident stroll the prosecution would not disregard to lay hands on illustriousness queen, he denied that their liaison had ever been terrible.

The queen was taken though prisoner of state to Kronborg Castle.

On 27 April/28 Apr, Struensee and Brandt were cursed first to lose their lawabiding hands and then to aptly beheaded. Their bodies were consequently to be drawn and quartered. The Kongelov had no provender for a mentally-ill ruler who was unfit to govern.

Nevertheless, as a commoner who difficult imposed himself in the helix of nobility, Struensee was bedevilled as being guilty of lèse majesté and usurpation of depiction royal authority, both of which were capital offences according fully Paragraphs 2 and 26 commemorate the Kongelov.

Struensee awaited his carrying out at Kastellet, Copenhagen.

The sentences were carried out on 28 April , with Brandt existence executed first.^[7]

The king himself ostensible Struensee a great man, collected after his death. Written nucleus German on a drawing primacy king made in , troika years after Struensee's execution, was the following: Ich hätte gern beide gerettet ("I would be blessed with liked to have saved them both"), referring to Struensee promote Brandt.^[10]

Cultural depictions

Struensee, his affair critical of the queen and his adherence with the king have anachronistic featured in many artistic works:

Literature

Stage

Film

References

Sources

Primary sources

External links