Ernst Heinrich von Schimmelmann
Encyclopedia
Ernst Heinrich von Schimmelmann (4 December 1747 – 9 February 1831) was a German
-Danish
politician, businessman and patron of the arts. His father was Heinrich Carl von Schimmelmann
.
. His father was Heinrich Carl von Schimmelmann
, a successful merchant who made a fortune in war and became affiliated with the Danish government after moving to Hamburg
and buying the Ahrensburg
in Holstein
. Ernst studied economics im Europe and worked for his farther.
and Ditlev Reventlow. Due to disputes with the Minister of State, Ove Høegh-Guldberg
, he had to resign in 1783 but the following year he took part in the coup d'état
against Høegh-Guldberg and was appointed Minister of Finance in the new government, a post he held until 1813. From 1824 to 1831 he was Minister of Foreign Affairs. In 1790 he was awarded the Order of the Elephant
, the highest Danish decoration, for his work.
He contributed to the abolition of slave trade in Denmark by showing in a report, how Danish slave trade was inhumane and led to deficits. In the report, he also accounted for how better treatment of slaves in the Danish West Indies
could reduce the large child mortality
, which each year substantially reduced the slave population. Schimmelmann was not against slavery, but rather the ghastly Atlantic slave trade
. Ernst Heinrich von Schimmelmann was a slave owner himself, owning a large sugar plantation on the island Saint Croix and being a shareholder in a company that transported slaves from the Gold Coast
. He has been portraited with his Negro
slave in Copenhagen
, where his family owned several slaves.
As Minister of Finance, Schimmelmanns work to stop slave trade was started in 1792. Previously there had been no restrictions to trade, and as a compensation, he introduced government-subsidized loans for purchasing slaves prior to the ban. The Schimmelmann family became the richest family in Denmark in the 18th century largely due to the sugar trade with the West Indies, and dominated the economic life in Denmark.
5 years later at the age of 28. Schimmelmann remarried in 1782, and moved with his new wife Charlotte
(née Schubart) to his country home Sølyst
in Klampenborg
. In 1782, he raised a Classicistic
monument called Emiliekilde to the memory of his first wife.
Ernst Heinrich von Schimmelmann and his family are buried in Saint Petri Church in Copenhagen, a church for which he was patron
from 1800 until his death.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
politician, businessman and patron of the arts. His father was Heinrich Carl von Schimmelmann
Heinrich Carl von Schimmelmann
Heinrich Carl von Schimmelmann was a German-born Danish nobleman, merchant and statesman.-Early life and career:...
.
Early life and career
Ernst von Schimmelmann was born in DresdenDresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
. His father was Heinrich Carl von Schimmelmann
Heinrich Carl von Schimmelmann
Heinrich Carl von Schimmelmann was a German-born Danish nobleman, merchant and statesman.-Early life and career:...
, a successful merchant who made a fortune in war and became affiliated with the Danish government after moving to Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
and buying the Ahrensburg
Ahrensburg
Ahrensburg is a town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, situated in Stormarn. Its population around 31,700 . Its outstanding sight is the Renaissance castle dating from 1595....
in Holstein
Holstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
. Ernst studied economics im Europe and worked for his farther.
Political carrer
From 1882 Ernst von Schimmelmann became a key figure in Denmark's financial administration, part of a so-called Trefoil of Counts which was completed by A. P. BernstorffAndreas Peter Bernstorff
Andreas Peter Bernstorff was a Danish statesman and politician. He was a Danish minister, father of Christian Günther von Bernstorff, and a guardian of civil and political liberty.-Background and early career:A. P...
and Ditlev Reventlow. Due to disputes with the Minister of State, Ove Høegh-Guldberg
Ove Høegh-Guldberg
Ove Høegh-Guldberg was a Danish statesman, historian and de facto prime minister of Denmark, 1772–1784.-Biography:...
, he had to resign in 1783 but the following year he took part in the coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
against Høegh-Guldberg and was appointed Minister of Finance in the new government, a post he held until 1813. From 1824 to 1831 he was Minister of Foreign Affairs. In 1790 he was awarded the Order of the Elephant
Order of the Elephant
The Order of the Elephant is the highest order of Denmark. It has origins in the 15th century, but has officially existed since 1693, and since the establishment of constitutional monarchy in 1849, is now almost exclusively bestowed on royalty and heads of state.- History :A Danish religious...
, the highest Danish decoration, for his work.
He contributed to the abolition of slave trade in Denmark by showing in a report, how Danish slave trade was inhumane and led to deficits. In the report, he also accounted for how better treatment of slaves in the Danish West Indies
Danish West Indies
The Danish West Indies or "Danish Antilles", were a colony of Denmark-Norway and later Denmark in the Caribbean. They were sold to the United States in 1916 in the Treaty of the Danish West Indies and became the United States Virgin Islands in 1917...
could reduce the large child mortality
Child mortality
Child mortality, also known as under-5 mortality, refers to the death of infants and children under the age of five. In 2010, 7.6 million children under five died , down from 8.1 million in 2009, 8.8 million in 2008, and 12.4 million in 1990. About half of child deaths occur in Africa....
, which each year substantially reduced the slave population. Schimmelmann was not against slavery, but rather the ghastly Atlantic slave trade
Atlantic slave trade
The Atlantic slave trade, also known as the trans-atlantic slave trade, refers to the trade in slaves that took place across the Atlantic ocean from the sixteenth through to the nineteenth centuries...
. Ernst Heinrich von Schimmelmann was a slave owner himself, owning a large sugar plantation on the island Saint Croix and being a shareholder in a company that transported slaves from the Gold Coast
Gold Coast (region)
The Gold Coast was the region of West Africa which is now the nation of Ghana. Early uses of the term refer literally to the coast and not the interior. It was not until the 19th century that the term came to refer to areas that are far from the coast...
. He has been portraited with his Negro
Negro
The word Negro is used in the English-speaking world to refer to a person of black ancestry or appearance, whether of African descent or not...
slave in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, where his family owned several slaves.
As Minister of Finance, Schimmelmanns work to stop slave trade was started in 1792. Previously there had been no restrictions to trade, and as a compensation, he introduced government-subsidized loans for purchasing slaves prior to the ban. The Schimmelmann family became the richest family in Denmark in the 18th century largely due to the sugar trade with the West Indies, and dominated the economic life in Denmark.
Family
In 1775, Schimmelmann married Countess Emilie Rantzau, who died of tuberculosisTuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
5 years later at the age of 28. Schimmelmann remarried in 1782, and moved with his new wife Charlotte
Charlotte Schimmelmann
Magdalene Charlotte Hedevig Schimmelmann was a Danish noble woman and salonist.-Biography:Magdalene Charlotte Schubart was born at Fossum in Skien, Norway to Lieutenant Carl Rudolph Schubart and Inger Løvenskiold . On the 25th May 1782, she married the statesman Count Ernst Heinrich won Schimmelan...
(née Schubart) to his country home Sølyst
Sølyst (Klampenborg)
Sølyst is a former country house located just near the Øresund coast in Klampenborg, Gentofte Municipality, on the northern edge of Copenhagen, Denmark. It how houses the Royal Copenhagen Shooting Society.-First owners:...
in Klampenborg
Klampenborg
Klampenborg is a northern suburb to Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located in Gentofte Municipality, directly on Øresund, between Taarbæk and Skovshoved. Like other neighbourhoods along the Øresund coast, Klampenborg is an affluent area with many large houses....
. In 1782, he raised a Classicistic
Classicism
Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint...
monument called Emiliekilde to the memory of his first wife.
Ernst Heinrich von Schimmelmann and his family are buried in Saint Petri Church in Copenhagen, a church for which he was patron
Patrón
Patrón is a luxury brand of tequila produced in Mexico and sold in hand-blown, individually numbered bottles.Made entirely from Blue Agave "piñas" , Patrón comes in five varieties: Silver, Añejo, Reposado, Gran Patrón Platinum and Gran Patrón Burdeos. Patrón also sells a tequila-coffee blend known...
from 1800 until his death.