Frederik Gottschalck von Haxthausen
Encyclopedia
Frederik Gottschalk von Haxthausen (1750 in Copenhagen
, Denmark
– 1825 in Christiania
, Norway
) was a Norwegian
army officer, councillor of state, cabinet membera and the country's first minister of finance.
Haxthausen came to Norway in 1773 as a first lieutenant of Søndenfjeldske regiment, and rose to the rank of captain and company commander in 1779 and major in 1788. In 1789 he was appointed generalkrigskommissær, the officer in charge of national conscription, and in 1802 became the director of the War Academy (Krigsskolen). In 1806 he became the commanding officer of Akershus fortress
, a charge he held until 1814.
He spent the years 1808–1810 in Denmark
as head of the war commissariate, but retained nonetheless all of his Norwegian posts. Haxthausen had a major influence on Prince Christian Frederick
as viceroy
(stattholder) of Norway from 1813, joined the interim government of Christian Frederick in March 1814, and on 19 May 1814 he became Minister of Finance in the first cabinet of independent Norway.
During the Swedish campaign against Norway
in 1814 he served as a lieutenant general, but was wrongly accused of being a traitor, and on 19 August, 5 days after the Convention of Moss
, his house and garden was attacked by a mob. Haxthausen had to flee the town and withdrew from all his positions. In 1816 an impeachment
process cleared him.
After 1814, the Akershus fortress went out of operative military use, so that Haxthausen was the last operative commander of the fortress.
In 1879, a street of Oslo
in the Frogner
area close to his home was named after Haxthausen.
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...
, Denmark
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...
– 1825 in Christiania
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
) was a Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
army officer, councillor of state, cabinet membera and the country's first minister of finance.
Haxthausen came to Norway in 1773 as a first lieutenant of Søndenfjeldske regiment, and rose to the rank of captain and company commander in 1779 and major in 1788. In 1789 he was appointed generalkrigskommissær, the officer in charge of national conscription, and in 1802 became the director of the War Academy (Krigsskolen). In 1806 he became the commanding officer of Akershus fortress
Akershus Fortress
Akershus Fortress or Akershus Castle is a medieval castle that was built to protect Oslo, the capital of Norway. It has also been used as a prison.- Construction :...
, a charge he held until 1814.
He spent the years 1808–1810 in Denmark
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...
as head of the war commissariate, but retained nonetheless all of his Norwegian posts. Haxthausen had a major influence on Prince Christian Frederick
Christian VIII of Denmark
Christian VIII , was king of Denmark from 1839 to 1848 and, as Christian Frederick, king of Norway in 1814. He was the eldest son of Hereditary Prince Frederick of Denmark and Norway and Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, born in 1786 at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen...
as viceroy
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
(stattholder) of Norway from 1813, joined the interim government of Christian Frederick in March 1814, and on 19 May 1814 he became Minister of Finance in the first cabinet of independent Norway.
During the Swedish campaign against Norway
Swedish campaign against Norway (1814)
The Swedish-Norwegian War, also known as the Campaign against Norway, was fought between Sweden and Norway in the summer of 1814. The war resulted in Norway entering into union with Sweden, but with its own constitution and parliament.-Background:...
in 1814 he served as a lieutenant general, but was wrongly accused of being a traitor, and on 19 August, 5 days after the Convention of Moss
Convention of Moss
The Convention of Moss was a cease fire agreement, signed August 14, 1814, between the Swedish King and the Norwegian Storting. It followed the Swedish-Norwegian War due to Norway's claim to sovereignty...
, his house and garden was attacked by a mob. Haxthausen had to flee the town and withdrew from all his positions. In 1816 an impeachment
Impeachment
Impeachment is a formal process in which an official is accused of unlawful activity, the outcome of which, depending on the country, may include the removal of that official from office as well as other punishment....
process cleared him.
After 1814, the Akershus fortress went out of operative military use, so that Haxthausen was the last operative commander of the fortress.
In 1879, a street of Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
in the Frogner
Frogner
Frogner is a borough of the city of Oslo, Norway. In addition to traditional Frogner, the borough incorporates Bygdøy, Uranienborg and Majorstuen....
area close to his home was named after Haxthausen.
Sources
- Aschehougs konversasjonsleksikon, Vol. 9, Oslo (1957), H.Aschehoug & co.
- Oslo byleksikon