Kolbe von Wartenberg, Johann Casimir

Origin

Johann Casimir Kolbe von Wartenberg came from a noble family of Kolbe, leading their ancestry from the XII century and bearing as part of their surname the name of the Wartenberg fortress that once belonged to them and was destroyed in 1522, not far from the place of the same name in the German Palatinate ^[1] , often often the last part Wartenberg was mentioned as the main one (for example, in the encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron ^[2] ). His father (and a full namesake) was Privy Councilor and Chamber Junker of the Elector Palatinate Frederick V , who fled during the Thirty Years War to the French Metz, where Johann Casimir Jr. was born in marriage to Judith von Flersheim [ German]. ^{1] [3]} .

Years in the Palatinate

Kolbe, who received a fairly modest education and was left without a father at the age of 19, was forced to completely rely on himself and entered the service of Count Ludwig Heinrich Pfalz-Zimmernsky early, during which he became secret adviser, and after his death he also became chief-stalmeister at his wife Maria Nassauskaya ^[4] .

While still at the Palatinate-Zimmern courtyard, during his trips to Berlin, Kolbe — a born courtier who knew a lot about organizing leisure activities for the most august people and was always bored with court encirclement — attracted the attention of the Brandenburg elector Friedrich Wilhelm ^[5] , who invited him to his place to the service ^[4] . However, only in 1688 - after the death of Countess Maria, with whom he apparently had an affair, Kolbe moved to the capital of Brandenburg ^[6] .

Serving in Brandenburg-Prussia

Kolbe, who, according to Fontane , began as a majordo ^[7] and in essence cared only for the elector’s entertainment, quickly climbed the hierarchical stairs of Brandenburg-Prussia: only a few years later he was appointed first treasurer, probst of the cathedral in Hafelberg , and received high posts in Berlin and Oranienburg ^[8] . The helpful and loyal Kolbe became increasingly trustworthy in the elector, supporting all his plans, including the adoption of the royal title, which could not but impress Friedrich against the backdrop of Dunkelmann , who was then the first minister and who believed that Brandenburg-Prussia would not be means contain a wasteful royal court ^[8] .

In order to finance the exorbitant expenses of the royal court, which included 300 staff (including three “Moor cameras”, two “dwarf cameras” and one court jester), Kolbe introduced more and more excise taxes and taxes: on tea consumption, coffee, cocoa and salt, on wigs, hats, boots, stockings, carriages, and even a “girlhood tax” ( German: Jungfernsteuer ) in the amount of two pennies that every month before their marriage had to pay all unmarried women age from 20 to 40 years ^{[9] [10]} . It is no accident that the rule of Wartenberg and his “comrades-in-arms” and was called by the people “triple pain” ( German das dreifache Weh ), which beat the initial letters of their surnames: W ^[9] . Kolbe’s income reached 150 thousand thalers per year and exceeded the amount spent on the maintenance of the Prussian king and queen combined ^[6] . Only the diamonds that belonged to his wife were estimated at half a million thalers ^[6] (for comparison: the annual income of the blacksmith at that time was 20 thalers, and the soldier's salary was 10 ^[11] ). Moreover, many of the initiatives of his predecessors, such as the construction of the Navy or colonial trade, which had been given a lot of effort and money by the previous Elector and his Minister of the Sea, Raule , were completely alien to Kolbe and gradually came to complete desolation ^[12]

Family

In 1696, Kolbe married Katharina Ricker ( German: Catharina Ricker ), the eldest daughter of a beer owner in Emmerich and the widow of one of the Berlin valets ^[13] , who married two daughters and four sons ^[14] , the eldest of whom served to the Prussian major general ^[15] . Katarina, who for many years was the official metressa ( German Mätresse ) of Frederick I, said that it would be easier to count the shells on the beach of Scheveningen than her gallant adventures, but the king was not among them ^[16] . After the death of her husband, she moved to Paris , where she unsuccessfully tried to get the attention of Louis XIV ^[17] , and then to The Hague , where she died in 1734 ^[16] .

At the top of power

The mere listing of the ranks and positions that Kolbe gathered indicates his position in the Prussian state hierarchy: palace captain of Berlin ( German: Schlosshauptmann von Berlin ), chief chamberlain , senior treasurer, supreme minister of state, chief stallmeister, general director of economics ( German General-Oeconomie-Director ), general director of state estates ( German Generaldirektor der Domänen ), senior captain of all royal box offices ( German Oberhauptmann aller Schatulämter ), postmaster general , Marshal of Prussia, chancellor and knight of the Order of the Black Eagle , overseer of all to Oreol academies ^{[18] [6]} . But perhaps Kolbe’s most important post was unofficial: the favorite of Frederick III, who enjoyed his unlimited trust and was awarded, for example, the honor of carrying the train of his mantle during coronation in Königsberg ^[19] . The rescript dated October 18, 1699 ^[19] , prepared by Kolbe-Wartenberg himself, is indicative, in which Friedrich, among other things, declared:

“As the elector is sure that Wartenberg cares for His benefits with all faithfulness and zeal, but he cannot, being accompanied by Our highest person and accompanying Her on continuous trips, check everything himself, for he has to complete many things in time, if something happens something to the detriment of Our benefit, he will not be guilty of that, and therefore We give the highest word and promise to Wartenberg and his heirs that when damage is caused to us in the management of Our estates and funds, it is not he who signed the right document for to meet the needs, and the officials whose names are always on the document should indicate " ^[20] .

Through the efforts of Frederick in 1695, Kolbe received the title of imperial freicherr (roughly corresponding to the position of the baron ) from Emperor Leopold I , and on October 26, 1699, the title of count ^[21] . The county of Wartenberg consisted of more than a dozen different estates ^[22] , Kolbe himself lived in the Wartenberg palace ( German Palais Wartenberg ) built for him according to the plans of the architect Schluter , and his wife lived in the Montbijou palace expanded for her ^[23] .

Opal and the Last Years of Life

Kolbe's exceptional proximity to the king served as a reason for numerous intrigues, aimed at removing him from power. However, Frederick, who appreciated Kolbe not only as a diplomat and statesman, but also as a personal friend ^[24] , listened attentively to all the charges and punished the complainants themselves: thus losing their location and their posts , Field Marshal Marshal , Commissar-General and other high society representatives of Prussia ^[25] . And yet, one of his enemies - the heir to the throne and future king Friedrich Wilhelm I - Kolbe failed to replay: in order to somehow resist the increased influence of the Crown Prince, Kolbe contributed to Frederick's third marriage - with the Duchess Sophia Louise ^[26] . But in 1710 , after Wittgenstein’s manipulations with the insurance fund from fires were revealed and he was sent under arrest to the Spandau citadel , the king was forced to leave Kolbe himself, on whose instructions Wittgenstein acted ^[13] .

With tears in his eyes, the king said goodbye to his favorite, sending Kolbe and his wife to their estate in the Palatinate, gave him his ring in the end and appointed an annual salary of 20 thousand thalers ^{[24] [8]} . Soon, Friedrich, who had a hard time parting with the former favorite, conveyed the offer to return to the court without his wife, to which Kolbe refused. ^[4] On July 4, 1712, Johann Casimir Kolbe von Wartenberg died in Frankfurt am Main ^[1] .

Frederick commanded that the mortal remains of his favorite be taken and reburied in the ^[27] .

Comparing the activities of the prime minister, Kolbe and Dankelman, their contemporaries already “a thousand times” more honored the latter ^[4] . Kolbe was perhaps a unique case in the history of Brandenburg-Prussia, when a favorite who was not brilliant in his abilities, who was no more than a successful courtier, irresponsibly completed the affairs of his state for many years in a row ^[5] . Kolbe’s only “merit” is the negative example of government that he gave, which made such a strong impression on the future “soldier king” Frederick William I that he immediately after the accession to the throne began to fight corruption and disorder, deeply rooted in the Prussian kingdom ^{[ 5]} . Kolbe’s estimates almost unanimously come to the conclusion that he used his high position for his own enrichment, with little concern for the prosperity of Prussia, the finances and management of which he completely upset ^[28] . In addition, it is noted that he was not active enough in foreign policy matters, and when appointing senior government posts he was guided not by competence, but by the loyalty of his subordinates, while not disdaining intrigues and even violence ^[29] .

Kolbe, the author of two books published during his lifetime, the first of which, “The Fatherly Instruction to His Children” ( German: Väterliche Instruction an seine Kinder ), was reprinted several times ^[30] , served as a prototype for the cowardly and chatty marshal von Kalba in Schiller ’s drama “ Cunning and Love ” ^[28] .