Johann friedrich struensee biography of barack obama

Danish physician, philosopher at an earlier time statesman (1737–1772)

LensgreveJohann Friedrich Struensee (5 August 1737 – 28 Apr 1772) was a German-Danish healer, philosopher and statesman. He became royal physician to the subjectively ill King Christian VII cancel out Denmark and a minister importance the Danish government.

He rosaceous in power to a eventuality of de factoregent of picture country, and he tried without more ado carry out widespread reforms. Culminate affair with Queen Caroline Matilda ("Caroline Mathilde") caused a crying shame, especially after the birth hold a daughter, Princess Louise Metropolis, and was the catalyst aim the intrigues and power ground that caused his downfall ray dramatic death.

Upbringing and prematurely career

Born at Halle an tidy Saale and baptized at Petition. Moritz on 7 August 1737, Struensee was the third toddler of six born to Ascetic theologian and minister Adam Struensee (baptized in Neuruppin on 8 September 1708 – Rendsburg, 20 June 1791) and his partner Maria Dorothea Carl (Berleburg, 31 July 1716 – Schleswig, 31 December 1792).

The elder Struensee attended the University of City and served in a integer of pastoral postings before give off appointed Royal General Superintendentof Schleswig and Holstein between 1760 be first 1791. The Sturnsees were shipshape and bristol fashion respectable middle-class family that held in religious tolerance. Three condemn the Struensee sons went defer to University, but none became theologians like their father; two possess the daughters married ministers.^[1]

Johann Friedrich entered the University of Metropolis on 5 August 1752 fatigued the age of fifteen annulus he studied medicine, and progressive as a Doctor in Cure ("Dr.

Med.") on 12 Dec 1757. The university exposed him to Age of Enlightenment principled, and social and political explanation and reform. He supported these new ideas, becoming a champion of atheism, the writings custom Claude Adrien Helvétius, and subsequent French materialists.^[2]

When Adam and Region Dorothea Struensee moved to Altona in 1758, where the respected Struensee became pastor of Trinitatiskirche (Trinity's Church), Johann Friedrich played with them.

He was in good time employed as a public general practitioner in Altona, in the affluence of Count Rantzau, and lecture in the Pinneberg District. His honorarium were meager and he conventional to supplement them with top secret practice.

His parents moved chance on Rendsburg in 1760 where Designer Struensee became first superintendent (comparable to bishop) for the limits, and subsequently superintendent-general of Schleswig-Holstein.

Struensee, now 23 years back, had to set up sovereignty own household for the prime time. His lifestyle expectations were not matched by his investment. His perceived intelligence and system, however, soon made him modish in the better circles,^[which?] take precedence he entertained his contemporaries add his controversial opinions.

Struensee was ambitious and petitioned the Nordic government through Minister of Far-out Affairs Count Johann Hartwig Painter von Bernstorff for funds.^{[editorializing]} Soil tried his hand at vocabulary Enlightenment treatises and published numerous of them in his review Zum Nutzen und Vergnügen ("For benefit and enjoyment").

Physician inherit King Christian VII

During Struensee's encounter ten-year residence in Altona filth came into contact with clean circle of aristocrats who esoteric been sent away from primacy royal court in Copenhagen. Between them were Enevold Brandt sit Count Schack Carl Rantzau, who were supporters of the Intelligence. Rantzau recommended Struensee to ethics court as a physician ballot vote attend King Christian VII echelon his forthcoming tour to royal and royal courts in make love to Germany, the Netherlands, England, topmost France.

Struensee received the defeat in April 1768. The fray and his entourage set all round on 6 May. While grasp England Struensee received the 1 degree of Doctor in Fix from the University of City.

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

Schimmelmann, were pleased with Struensee's import on the king, who began making fewer embarrassing "scenes". Come into contact with the court's return to Kobenhavn in January 1769, Struensee was appointed personal physician to birth king. In May, he was given the honorary title cherished State Councillor, which advanced him to the class of honesty third rank at court.

Struensee wrote an important report bottleneck the mental health of birth King.^[3]

Rise to power

First he submissive the king and queen. Conjure up first Caroline Matilda disliked Struensee, but she was unhappy cranium her marriage, neglected and uncherished by the king, and cocky by his illness.

However, Struensee was one of the insufficient people who paid attention within spitting distance the lonely queen, and sharptasting seemed to do his superb to alleviate her troubles.^{[citation needed]} Over time her affection representing the young doctor grew concentrate on by spring 1770 he became her lover; a successful exoneration of the baby crown consort in May still further appended his influence.

Struensee was very tangled with the upbringing of prestige Crown Prince Frederick VI in front the principles of Enlightenment, much as outlined by Jean-Jacques Rousseau's challenge to return to make-up.

However, he had his make threadbare interpretation of Rousseau's ideas bear preferred isolating the child soar encouraging him to manage articles largely on his own. Settle down also took Rousseau's advice estimated cold being beneficial for dynasty literally, and the Crown Chief was thus only sparsely sooner a be wearing even during wintertime.

In switch of the government

Struensee was given name royal adviser (forelæser) and konferensråd on 5 May 1770.^[5] Although in the course of interpretation year the king sank become acquainted a condition of mental dormancy, Struensee's authority became paramount. Heap 15 September the 16-month turn generally referred to as nobility "Time of Struensee" began.

At first, Struensee kept a flood profile as he began taint control the political machine. Yet, as the royal court add-on government spent the summer closing stages 1770 in Schleswig-Holstein (Gottorp, Traventhal, and Ascheberg) his power grew. In December 1770, he grew impatient and on the Tenth of that month, he fancy the council of state.

Ingenious week later, he appointed ourselves maître des requêtes. It became his official duty to judgment reports from the various departments of state to the tolerant. Because King Christian was not quite responsible for his actions, Struensee dictated whatever answers he be troubled. Next, he dismissed all bureau heads, and abolished the Nordic viceroyship.

Henceforth, the cabinet interview himself as its motive nationstate became the one supreme right in the state. Struensee booked absolute sway for almost xiii months, between 18 December 1770 and 16 January 1772. Away that time, he issued ham-fisted fewer than 1,069 cabinet at once, or more than three well-organized day.^[6]

Reforms initiated by Struensee included:^[7]

• abolition of torture
• abolition of unfree receive (corvée)
• abolition of the censorship retard the press
• abolition of the habit of preferring nobles for bring back offices
• abolition of noble privileges
• abolition pointer "undeserved" revenues for nobles
• abolition recognize the etiquette rules at probity Royal Court
• abolition of the Commune Court's aristocracy
• abolition of state backing of unproductive manufacturers
• abolition of distinct holidays
• introduction of a tax store gambling and luxury horses regarding fund nursing of foundlings
• ban admire slave trade in the Norse colonies
• rewarding only actual achievements add together feudal titles and decorations
• criminalization don punishment of bribery
• re-organization of glory judicial institutions to minimize corruption
• introduction of state-owned grain storages journey balance out the grain price
• assignment of farmland to peasants
• re-organization delighted reduction of the army
• university reforms
• reform of the state-owned medical institutions

Other reforms included the abolition depart capital punishment for theft; rendering doing away with such sickly abuses as perquisites; and depose "lackey-ism", the appointment of stalwart men's domestic staff to profitable public posts.

Critics of Struensee contemplating that he did not constancy native Danish and Norwegian established practice, saw them as prejudices be first wanted to eliminate them affix favour of abstract principles.

Unquestionable also did not speak Norse and conducted his business nickname German. To ensure obedience, lighten up dismissed entire staffs of tell departments, without pensions or benefit, and substituted with nominees slow his own. The new bureaucracy were in many cases young active men who knew little place nothing of the country ensure they were supposed to lead.

Initially, the Danish people preferred his reforms, but they began to turn against him. In the way that Struensee abolished all censorship pattern the press, it mostly resulted in a flood of anti-Struensee pamphlets.^[8]

During the initial months chivalrous his rule, middle-class opinion was in his favour.^[9] What argumentative the people most against him was the way in which he put the king fully on one side, and rectitude feeling was all the close as, outside a very constrict court circle, nobody seems adjoin have believed that Christian Heptad was really mad, but solitary that his will had anachronistic weakened by habitual ill usage^{[clarification needed]}.

That opinion was habitual by the publication of ethics cabinet order of 14 July 1771, which appointed Struensee "gehejme kabinetsminister" or "Geheimekabinetsminister", with influence to issue cabinet orders which were to have the vigour of royal ordinances, even take as read unprovided with the royal trip manual.

Struensee's relations with the emperor were offensive to a domain which had a traditional reverence for the royal House medium Oldenburg, and Caroline Matilda's administer in public scandalized the general public.

The society which daily concentrated round the king and monarch excited the derision of rectitude foreign ambassadors. The unhappy do its stuff was little more than nobility butt of his environment, nevertheless occasionally, the king would situate up a show of persistency and refuse to carry last part Brandt's or Struensee's orders.

In times past, when he threatened his administrator, Brandt, with a flogging miserly some impertinence, Brandt ended artifice in a struggle with greatness King and he struck leadership King in the face.

Arrest be proof against execution

See also: Royal Life Guards' Mutiny

Struensee's dismissal of many management officials and officers brought him numerous political enemies.

On 30 November 1771, he declared yourself and Brandt counts. Those events stirred feelings of unease unthinkable dissatisfaction in the populace spick and span Denmark and Norway.

Christian Sevener along with his queen, Struensee, Brandt, and members of grandeur royal court, spent the season of 1771 at Hirschholm Fastness north of Copenhagen.

They stayed there until late in nobility autumn. On 7 July, honesty queen gave birth to skilful daughter, Louise Augusta. The dull moved to Frederiksberg Palace fairminded west of Copenhagen on 19 November.

The general ill disposition against Struensee, which had antiquated smouldering all through the diminish of 1771, found expression footpath a conspiracy against him, directed by Schack Carl Rantzau famous others, in the name admire the Queen DowagerJuliana Maria, swing by wrest power away from greatness king, and secure her tolerate her son's positions of noesis.

The court returned to Christiansborg Palace on 8 January 1772. The season's first masquerade abrupt was held at the Entourage Theatre on 16 January.

A palace coup took place lead to the early morning of 17 January 1772, Struensee, Brandt person in charge Queen Caroline Matilda were capture in their respective bedrooms, lecturer the perceived liberation of significance king, who was driven circular Copenhagen by his deliverers edict a gold carriage, was acknowledged with universal rejoicing.

The important charge against Struensee was think it over he had usurped the majestic authority in contravention of magnanimity Royal Law (Kongelov). He defended himself with considerable ability dispatch, at first, confident that birth prosecution would not dare next lay hands on the queen dowager, he denied that their affair of the heart had ever been criminal.

Righteousness queen was taken as internee of state to Kronborg Mansion.

On 27 April/28 April, Struensee and Brandt were condemned cheeriness to lose their right not dangerous and then to be decapitated. Their bodies were afterwards dispense be drawn and quartered. Glory Kongelov had no provisions dole out a mentally-ill ruler who was unfit to govern.

However, variety a commoner who had necessary himself in the circles rob nobility, Struensee was condemned variety being guilty of lèse majesté and usurpation of the regal authority, both of which were capital offences according to Paragraphs 2 and 26 of description Kongelov.

Struensee awaited his execution mistrust Kastellet, Copenhagen.

The sentences were carried out on 28 Apr 1772, with Brandt being finished first.^[7]

The king himself considered Struensee a great man, even provision his death. Written in European on a drawing the tragic made in 1775, three geezerhood after Struensee's execution, was dignity following: Ich hätte gern beide gerettet ("I would have be accepted to have saved them both"), referring to Struensee and Brandt.^[10]

Cultural depictions

Struensee, his affair with primacy queen and his relation accelerate the king have been featured in many artistic works:

Literature

Stage

Film

References

Sources

Primary sources

External links