Baron Johann von Wessenberg-Ampringen
Encyclopedia
Baron Johann von Wessenberg-Ampringen was an Austria
n diplomat statesman.
Wessenberg was born in Dresden
, where his father worked as a tutor to the princes of the electoral
House of Wettin. Johann's younger brother Ignaz Heinrich von Wessenberg
later chose an ecclesiastical career and in 1801 was appointed Vicar general of the Bishopric of Constance
. In 1776 the family returned to Freiburg in Further Austria
.
Johann joined the Austrian civil service in 1794. He served as a diplomatic envoy during the War of the Second Coalition
supporting the forces of Archduke Charles
. From 1801 he worked as a secretary at the Austrian embassy in Berlin
led by Count Johann Philipp von Stadion
and in 1805 was appointed ambassador at Kassel
, where he witnessed the occupation by the French
troops under General Mortier
in 1806.
In 1808 Wessenberg returned to Berlin as ambassador at the Prussian court
. King Frederick William III
had fled from Napoleon
's forces to East Prussia
and Wessenberg had no opportunity to convince him to join the Fifth Coalition
against France. From 1811 to 1813 on he led the legation at Munich
and afterwards travelled as special envoy to London
, France and Milan
before in 1814 he was appointed second Austrian delegate (after Prince Metternich) at the Congress of Vienna
. Wessenberg efforts made a major contribution to the establishment of the German Confederation
. From 1830 he again served as ambassador at Den Haag, he also took part in the proceedings after the Belgian Revolution
that finally led to the 1839 Treaty of London.
After the Revolutions of 1848
, retired Wessenberg was appointed Minister President on July 18, he nevertheless was forced to flee with the court from the Vienna Uprising
to Olomouc
, whereafter he resigned on 21 November in favour of Prince Felix of Schwarzenberg
.
Wessenberg spent his last years at his family's estates in Freiburg, where he also died.
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
n diplomat statesman.
Wessenberg was born in Dresden
Dresden
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....
, where his father worked as a tutor to the princes of the electoral
Electorate of Saxony
The Electorate of Saxony , sometimes referred to as Upper Saxony, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was established when Emperor Charles IV raised the Ascanian duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg to the status of an Electorate by the Golden Bull of 1356...
House of Wettin. Johann's younger brother Ignaz Heinrich von Wessenberg
Ignaz Heinrich von Wessenberg
Ignaz Heinrich von Wessenberg was a German writer and scholar, and liberal Catholic churchman as well as Vicar general and administrator of the Diocese of Constance...
later chose an ecclesiastical career and in 1801 was appointed Vicar general of the Bishopric of Constance
Bishopric of Constance
The Bishopric of Constance was a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church and ecclesiastical state of the Holy Roman Empire that existed from about 585 until 1821. Its seat was Konstanz at the western end of Lake Constance in the south-west corner of Germany...
. In 1776 the family returned to Freiburg in Further Austria
Further Austria
Further Austria or Anterior Austria was the collective name for the old possessions of the House of Habsburg in the former Swabian stem duchy of south-western Germany, including territories in the Alsace region west of the Rhine and in Vorarlberg, after the focus of the Habsburgs had moved to the...
.
Johann joined the Austrian civil service in 1794. He served as a diplomatic envoy during the War of the Second Coalition
War of the Second Coalition
The "Second Coalition" was the second attempt by European monarchs, led by the Habsburg Monarchy of Austria and the Russian Empire, to contain or eliminate Revolutionary France. They formed a new alliance and attempted to roll back France's previous military conquests...
supporting the forces of Archduke Charles
Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen
Archduke Charles of Austria, Duke of Teschen was an Austrian field-marshal, the third son of emperor Leopold II and his wife Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain...
. From 1801 he worked as a secretary at the Austrian embassy 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...
led by Count Johann Philipp von Stadion
Johann Philipp Stadion, Count von Warthausen
Johann Philipp Carl Joseph, Graf von Stadion-Warthausen . Born in Mainz, he was a statesman, foreign minister, and diplomat who served the Habsburg empire during the Napoleonic Wars. He was also founder of the Austrian National Bank...
and in 1805 was appointed ambassador at Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
, where he witnessed the occupation by the French
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
troops under General Mortier
Édouard Adolphe Casimir Joseph Mortier
Édouard Adolphe Casimir Joseph Mortier, 1st Duc de Trévise was a French general and Marshal of France under Napoleon I.-Biography:...
in 1806.
In 1808 Wessenberg returned to Berlin as ambassador at the Prussian court
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
. King Frederick William III
Frederick William III of Prussia
Frederick William III was king of Prussia from 1797 to 1840. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel .-Early life:...
had fled from Napoleon
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
's forces to East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
and Wessenberg had no opportunity to convince him to join the Fifth Coalition
War of the Fifth Coalition
The War of the Fifth Coalition, fought in the year 1809, pitted a coalition of the Austrian Empire and the United Kingdom against Napoleon's French Empire and Bavaria. Major engagements between France and Austria, the main participants, unfolded over much of Central Europe from April to July, with...
against France. From 1811 to 1813 on he led the legation at Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and afterwards travelled as special envoy to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, France and Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
before in 1814 he was appointed second Austrian delegate (after Prince Metternich) at the Congress of Vienna
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September, 1814 to June, 1815. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars,...
. Wessenberg efforts made a major contribution to the establishment of the German Confederation
German Confederation
The German Confederation was the loose association of Central European states created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to coordinate the economies of separate German-speaking countries. It acted as a buffer between the powerful states of Austria and Prussia...
. From 1830 he again served as ambassador at Den Haag, he also took part in the proceedings after the Belgian Revolution
Belgian Revolution
The Belgian Revolution was the conflict which led to the secession of the Southern provinces from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and established an independent Kingdom of Belgium....
that finally led to the 1839 Treaty of London.
After the Revolutions of 1848
Revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas
From March 1848 through July 1849, the Habsburg Austrian Empire was threatened by revolutionary movements. Much of the revolutionary activity was of a nationalist character: the empire, ruled from Vienna, included Austrian Germans, Hungarians, Slovenes, Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Ruthenians,...
, retired Wessenberg was appointed Minister President on July 18, he nevertheless was forced to flee with the court from the Vienna Uprising
Vienna Uprising
The Vienna Uprising or October Revolution of October 1848 was the last uprising in the Austrian Revolution of 1848....
to Olomouc
Olomouc
Olomouc is a city in Moravia, in the east of the Czech Republic. The city is located on the Morava river and is the ecclesiastical metropolis and historical capital city of Moravia. Nowadays, it is an administrative centre of the Olomouc Region and sixth largest city in the Czech Republic...
, whereafter he resigned on 21 November in favour of Prince Felix of Schwarzenberg
Prince Felix of Schwarzenberg
Prinz Felix zu Schwarzenberg was an Austrian statesman who restored the Habsburg Empire as a European power following the disorders of 1848....
.
Wessenberg spent his last years at his family's estates in Freiburg, where he also died.