Gentz, Friedrich von

Son minzmeystera , later director of the Berlin Mint. The younger brother is the Berlin architect Heinrich Genz . After transferring his father to Berlin, he graduated from the gymnasium and entered the University of Königsberg . Pupil of Kant .

After a short public service, engaged in literary work and publishing.

At first he was a fan of the philosophy of Rousseau and Kant, a supporter of new ideas, but under the influence of the extremes of the Great French Revolution became a fanatical enemy of them. When the revolutionary movement in France began to subside, F.Genz moved to the side of liberal and national ideas. He was a representative of early German conservatism . Developed the views of E. Burke .

In 1797, he addressed Frederick William III to the new King of Prussia, in which he demanded freedom of the press and the unification of Germany. During this period he wrote “Ueber den Ursprung und Charakter des Kriegs gegen die Franzosische Revolution” (1801); “Ueber den polit. Zustand von Europa vor und nach der Revolution (1801-1802).

F. Gentz ​​defended the representative form of government of England, the “purely monarchical” Prussia, he also changed his views on foreign policy: he became a supporter of the coalition policy of England and Austria from the defender of neutrality and peaceful politics.

In 1802 he transferred to the Austrian service; in 1806, he was the chief editor of the Prussian manifesto on the declaration of war, and in 1809 and 1813. compiled Austrian manifestos.

From 1810 a new change occurred to him: he no longer defended the war of liberation.

F.Genz became the instrument of Metternich and the defender of the reactionary policy; he was the general secretary of both the Congress of Vienna and those who followed him, edited all the manifestos and declarations relating to him. He served the reaction and as a publicist , arguing, among other things, that “uniform regulations on freedom of the press”, which were promised by an allied act, need only be understood as the establishment of censorship, the same for all allied states.

Gents, who was a staunch supporter of the principle of political equilibrium - “balance of power” in international relations, thanks to his personal qualities, as Metternich's confidant, helped find the Austro-Russian compromise and the formation of the Holy Alliance , initiated by Alexander I ^{[1] [2]} . The merits of Henz did not go unnoticed - Emperor Alexander I bestowed upon him the Russian nobility and count title ^[3] .

In life he was a passionate music lover and fan of theatrical art. In 1829 he met a young 19-year-old dancer Fanny Elsler . He spent a lot of money and effort to teach her the correct pronunciation of the French language, was engaged in her education, helped to get connections among his friends. Fanny was with him until his death; then she continued her stage career, becoming, along with Maria Taglioni , one of the most famous ballet dancers of the 19th century.

All the most important of his works are collected in the Weick edition (Stuttgard, 1836–1838).

In 1947, a biography of Henz was published, written by the German historian and writer Golo Mann ^[4]

• "Mémoires et lettres inédites" (Stuttgard, 1841);
• “Briefwechsel zwischen Friedrich Gentz ​​und Adam Heinr. Müller. 1800–1829 ”(Stuttgard, 1857);
• Tagebücher (Leipzig, 1873–1874);
• “Aus dem Nachlasse F. von G.” (Vienna, 1867);
• "Fr. von G. Briefe an Pilat ”(Leipzig, 1868);
• “Briefe polit. Inhalts von und an G. ”(1870);
• “Dépêches inédites du chevalier de G. aux hospodars de Valachie” (1876);
• “Zur Geschichte der Oriental. Fray. Briefe aus dem Nachlasse von G., 1823-29 ”(1877).

• Gents Friedrich von // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : 86 tons (82 tons and 4 extras). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
• Friedrich von Gentz (him.)