Georg von Vincke
Encyclopedia
Georg von Vincke was a Prussian politician, officer, landowner and aristocrat of the Vincke family.
, the son to Ludwig von Vincke.
He studied law at the University of Berlin and the University of Göttingen, served one volunteer year in the army, and then worked at courts in Berlin
, Minden
and Münster
. From 1837 to 1848 he was District President of Hagen
. In 1843 he was a member of the Westphalian Provincial Assembly and in 1847 in the United Diet (Vereinigter Landtag). From 20 May 1848 to 24 May 1849 he was a member for 13 Westphalian constituencies in the Frankfurt Parliament
, where he joined the Café Milani faction. He served in several other representative institutions.
At first he was a supporter of the conservative factions, but from 1852 he increasingly supported the left, and was one of the main opponents of Otto Theodor von Manteuffel. From 1867 to 1869 Vincke was a deputy in the parliament of the North German Confederation
.
He is regarded as one of the greatest Prussian orators of his time.
In 1852 he duel
ed with Otto von Bismarck
; the duel ended without injury to either man.
He was known for his anti-Polish stance, and his unusually direct and candid statement in the German parliament – "The existence of the Prussia
n state depends on the Polish state never existing again" – was widely quoted by, among others, The Times
in March 1863 (at the time of the Polish January Uprising
) and by Karl Marx
in his work on German–Polish relations
.
Biography
He was born at HagenHagen
Hagen is the 39th-largest city in Germany, located in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the eastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne, Volme and Ennepe meet the river Ruhr...
, the son to Ludwig von Vincke.
He studied law at the University of Berlin and the University of Göttingen, served one volunteer year in the army, and then worked at courts in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Minden
Minden
Minden is a town of about 83,000 inhabitants in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The town extends along both sides of the river Weser. It is the capital of the Kreis of Minden-Lübbecke, which is part of the region of Detmold. Minden is the historic political centre of the...
and Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
. From 1837 to 1848 he was District President of Hagen
Hagen
Hagen is the 39th-largest city in Germany, located in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the eastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne, Volme and Ennepe meet the river Ruhr...
. In 1843 he was a member of the Westphalian Provincial Assembly and in 1847 in the United Diet (Vereinigter Landtag). From 20 May 1848 to 24 May 1849 he was a member for 13 Westphalian constituencies in the Frankfurt Parliament
Frankfurt Parliament
The Frankfurt Assembly was the first freely elected parliament for all of Germany. Session was held from May 18, 1848 to May 31, 1849 in the Paulskirche at Frankfurt am Main...
, where he joined the Café Milani faction. He served in several other representative institutions.
At first he was a supporter of the conservative factions, but from 1852 he increasingly supported the left, and was one of the main opponents of Otto Theodor von Manteuffel. From 1867 to 1869 Vincke was a deputy in the parliament of the North German Confederation
North German Confederation
The North German Confederation 1866–71, was a federation of 22 independent states of northern Germany. It was formed by a constitution accepted by the member states in 1867 and controlled military and foreign policy. It included the new Reichstag, a parliament elected by universal manhood...
.
He is regarded as one of the greatest Prussian orators of his time.
In 1852 he duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
ed with Otto von Bismarck
Otto von Bismarck
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of...
; the duel ended without injury to either man.
He was known for his anti-Polish stance, and his unusually direct and candid statement in the German parliament – "The existence of the Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n state depends on the Polish state never existing again" – was widely quoted by, among others, The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
in March 1863 (at the time of the Polish January Uprising
January Uprising
The January Uprising was an uprising in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against the Russian Empire...
) and by Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
in his work on German–Polish relations
German–Polish relations
German–Polish relations have a long and complicated history. From the 10th century on, the Kingdom of Poland had relations with the Holy Roman Empire, which were however soon overshadowed by the Polish-Teutonic wars, as a result of which, Prussia became a fief of the Kingdom of Poland. Prussia...
.