He does sound like a fascinating character! However, German wiki upon a quick check paints a somewhat darker picture of him - not in Sweden, where it agrees he did exactly what Charles wanted and that his death was judical murder - but before that, in Holstein.
"As leader of the finances, he made himself unpopular through the raising and ruthless procuration of ever new taxes. An austere household, on the other hand, he rejected in opposition to Magnus von Weddenkop. But his colleagues, too, had the favor of the Dowager Duchess (who was Charles' older sister Hedwiga, btw) and Görtz couldn't yet completely dominate policy. (...) After the death of the Dowager Duchess Hedwig Sophia 1708, Christian August took over the government, and Görtz gained additoinal influence. He had his rival Weddenkop arrested in 1709 and claimed his Hamburg property. After Görtz had the Görtz Palais built in Hamburg, Hamburgians mocked that due the dishonest personality of the builder, the inscription over the entrance should say "spolia holsatiae" ("Robbery Goods from Holstein"). Weddenkop got arrested in Tönning and wasn't freed until 1714 (against the strict orders of Görtz who had wanted him to be executed when transfered to the Danes). Weddenkop later got completely rehabilitated, got his property restituted and died in 1721 in Hamburg.
Like I said, German wiki entirely agrees that what happened later in Sweden to Görtz was a show trial. But it looks like he was familiar with the practice from doing it to others. BTW, German wiki also says Görtz' daughter Henriette got her father's estate back from Gustav III., but not until then. And it provides a Voltaire quote about him, adding Voltaire had met Görtz in person (presumably when Görtz was still a travelling diplomat?), and which says: "There never lived a man who was so smooth and bold, so inventive in misfortune, so decisive in his enterprises as he was. No plan frightened him, and he was ready to use every means."
(German wiki's source referencing - among others, our old buddy Reinhold Koser, Fritz source finder extraordinaire!)
ETA: all in all, it makes Görtz sound like two other 18th century finance ministers who were efficient, ruthless, very hated but essentially doing exactly what their boss, who as the ruling monarch couldn't be blamed, wanted them to, to wit, Brühl in Saxony and Joseph Süß Oppenheimer in Würtemberg. (The later died after a show trial, too, with an added dose of vicious antisemitism since he was a Jew.) German wiki says in Görtz' case, they even had to invent a law (against giving "bad advice") to justify it! Still, I imagine Weddenkop in Hamburg wasn't exactly heartbroken when hearing the news and experienced a "karma is a beautiful thing" moment.
Daughter of ETA: The Görtz Palais in Hamburg has its own wiki entry and a colorful history itself, to put it mildly. After Görtz' execution in 1719, it served as the Imperial Embassy in Hamburg. Why? Because Hamburgians, for what reason the entry doesn't say, had plundered and destroyed the original envoy's house and so the city of Hamburg offered this one in recompense. It remained the Imperial embassy until 1806 (end of HRE, hello, Napoleon) upon which it became the city hall for as long as the French occupation lasted. Then it became the headquarters of a newfounded Hamburg bank. And in the 20th century, it had its darkest chapter, since it became the local Gestapo Headquarter, which lasted until the firebombing of Hamburg, which destroyed the building except for the frontal facade. Post war, the facade was restored but the remaining building, built from scratch, is modern and used for offices.
Son of ETA: wow, Weddenkop's German wiki entry is even more negative about Görtz than Görtz' German wiki entry (and mentions Weddenkop's heirs were still sueing Görtz' heirs many years after his death.
Choice bits, in German for Mildred to practice: Wedderkop versuchte politisch das durch den Frieden von Traventhal gewonnene stabile und freundschaftliche Verhältnis zu Dänemark zu erhalten, geriet aber mit dieser Haltung zunehmend in Konflikt mit seinem aufsteigenden Widersacher Georg Heinrich von Görtz und dessen ausgeprägtem Machtbewusstsein, dem er schließlich zum Opfer fiel. Dieser hatte nach dem Tod von Herzog Friedrich IV. im Jahr 1702 das bessere Verhältnis zum Administrator des Herzogtums, Fürstbischof Christian August von Lübeck, gefunden, der ein ausschweifendes Leben, zugleich aber die Regierungsgeschäfte für den erst zweijährigen Herzog Karl-Friedrich führte. Aufwind bekam Wedderkop vorübergehend durch eine von Stockholm aus veranlasste Untersuchung der Finanzen des Herzogtums, die die Verschwendung des Administrators und die Ausplünderung des Landes durch Georg Heinrich von Görtz offenlegte.
And: Mit dem Tod von Hedwig Sophia von Schweden im Jahr 1708, der Witwe des 1702 in der Schlacht bei Klissow gefallenen Herzogs Friedrich IV., sah sich Wedderkop zunehmend schutzbedürftiger und zog sich sicherheitshalber in sein Palais am Neuen Wall in Hamburg zurück. Am 19. Dezember 1709 ließ Wedderkop sich aus nicht nachvollziehbaren Gründen dennoch zu einer Sitzung des Geheimen Rates nach Schloss Gottorf locken, wo der 72-Jährige freundlich empfangen, im Anschluss an ein Diner mit dem Administrator jedoch nachts verhaftet und auf die Festung Tönning gebracht wurde. Die Verhaftung erfolgte ohne Gerichtsurteil und gerichtliche Untersuchung. Da eigentlich keine belastenden Umstände gegen Wedderkop vorlagen, gestaltete sich der Prozess schwierig, wurde aber dennoch als ein Stück fragwürdiger Kabinettsjustiz 1713 mit einem Todesurteil gegen Wedderkop abgeschlossen. König Friedrich IV. von Dänemark belagerte 1713 mit seinen Verbündeten die in der Festung Tönning eingeschlossenen schwedischen Truppen unter Magnus Stenbock. Erst mit Übergabe der Festung kam Magnus von Wedderkop wieder frei. Die restlichen Lebensjahre verbrachte er in Hamburg im Haus Speersort 12/14 des Herzogs mit dem Versuch, seine Vermögensangelegenheiten zu ordnen, denn sein Palais am Neuen Wall war von Görtz beschlagnahmt worden. Am 1. Juli 1719 verlieh der Herzog von Holstein Wedderkop und seinen Erben als Ersatz für das erlittene Unrecht das Amt Tremsbüttel zur Nutznießung auf 30 Jahre.
Yep, Weddenkop definitely thought in 1719: "There is a God! Thank you, Lord. If ever someone had it coming..."
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Re: Great Northern War: Tragic minister Görtz
Date: 2021-11-09 05:01 am (UTC)"As leader of the finances, he made himself unpopular through the raising and ruthless procuration of ever new taxes. An austere household, on the other hand, he rejected in opposition to Magnus von Weddenkop. But his colleagues, too, had the favor of the Dowager Duchess (who was Charles' older sister Hedwiga, btw) and Görtz couldn't yet completely dominate policy. (...) After the death of the Dowager Duchess Hedwig Sophia 1708, Christian August took over the government, and Görtz gained additoinal influence. He had his rival Weddenkop arrested in 1709 and claimed his Hamburg property. After Görtz had the Görtz Palais built in Hamburg, Hamburgians mocked that due the dishonest personality of the builder, the inscription over the entrance should say "spolia holsatiae" ("Robbery Goods from Holstein"). Weddenkop got arrested in Tönning and wasn't freed until 1714 (against the strict orders of Görtz who had wanted him to be executed when transfered to the Danes). Weddenkop later got completely rehabilitated, got his property restituted and died in 1721 in Hamburg.
Like I said, German wiki entirely agrees that what happened later in Sweden to Görtz was a show trial. But it looks like he was familiar with the practice from doing it to others. BTW, German wiki also says Görtz' daughter Henriette got her father's estate back from Gustav III., but not until then. And it provides a Voltaire quote about him, adding Voltaire had met Görtz in person (presumably when Görtz was still a travelling diplomat?), and which says: "There never lived a man who was so smooth and bold, so inventive in misfortune, so decisive in his enterprises as he was. No plan frightened him, and he was ready to use every means."
(German wiki's source referencing - among others, our old buddy Reinhold Koser, Fritz source finder extraordinaire!)
ETA: all in all, it makes Görtz sound like two other 18th century finance ministers who were efficient, ruthless, very hated but essentially doing exactly what their boss, who as the ruling monarch couldn't be blamed, wanted them to, to wit, Brühl in Saxony and Joseph Süß Oppenheimer in Würtemberg. (The later died after a show trial, too, with an added dose of vicious antisemitism since he was a Jew.) German wiki says in Görtz' case, they even had to invent a law (against giving "bad advice") to justify it! Still, I imagine Weddenkop in Hamburg wasn't exactly heartbroken when hearing the news and experienced a "karma is a beautiful thing" moment.
Daughter of ETA: The Görtz Palais in Hamburg has its own wiki entry and a colorful history itself, to put it mildly. After Görtz' execution in 1719, it served as the Imperial Embassy in Hamburg. Why? Because Hamburgians, for what reason the entry doesn't say, had plundered and destroyed the original envoy's house and so the city of Hamburg offered this one in recompense. It remained the Imperial embassy until 1806 (end of HRE, hello, Napoleon) upon which it became the city hall for as long as the French occupation lasted. Then it became the headquarters of a newfounded Hamburg bank. And in the 20th century, it had its darkest chapter, since it became the local Gestapo Headquarter, which lasted until the firebombing of Hamburg, which destroyed the building except for the frontal facade. Post war, the facade was restored but the remaining building, built from scratch, is modern and used for offices.
Son of ETA: wow, Weddenkop's German wiki entry is even more negative about Görtz than Görtz' German wiki entry (and mentions Weddenkop's heirs were still sueing Görtz' heirs many years after his death.
Choice bits, in German for Mildred to practice: Wedderkop versuchte politisch das durch den Frieden von Traventhal gewonnene stabile und freundschaftliche Verhältnis zu Dänemark zu erhalten, geriet aber mit dieser Haltung zunehmend in Konflikt mit seinem aufsteigenden Widersacher Georg Heinrich von Görtz und dessen ausgeprägtem Machtbewusstsein, dem er schließlich zum Opfer fiel. Dieser hatte nach dem Tod von Herzog Friedrich IV. im Jahr 1702 das bessere Verhältnis zum Administrator des Herzogtums, Fürstbischof Christian August von Lübeck, gefunden, der ein ausschweifendes Leben, zugleich aber die Regierungsgeschäfte für den erst zweijährigen Herzog Karl-Friedrich führte. Aufwind bekam Wedderkop vorübergehend durch eine von Stockholm aus veranlasste Untersuchung der Finanzen des Herzogtums, die die Verschwendung des Administrators und die Ausplünderung des Landes durch Georg Heinrich von Görtz offenlegte.
And: Mit dem Tod von Hedwig Sophia von Schweden im Jahr 1708, der Witwe des 1702 in der Schlacht bei Klissow gefallenen Herzogs Friedrich IV., sah sich Wedderkop zunehmend schutzbedürftiger und zog sich sicherheitshalber in sein Palais am Neuen Wall in Hamburg zurück. Am 19. Dezember 1709 ließ Wedderkop sich aus nicht nachvollziehbaren Gründen dennoch zu einer Sitzung des Geheimen Rates nach Schloss Gottorf locken, wo der 72-Jährige freundlich empfangen, im Anschluss an ein Diner mit dem Administrator jedoch nachts verhaftet und auf die Festung Tönning gebracht wurde. Die Verhaftung erfolgte ohne Gerichtsurteil und gerichtliche Untersuchung. Da eigentlich keine belastenden Umstände gegen Wedderkop vorlagen, gestaltete sich der Prozess schwierig, wurde aber dennoch als ein Stück fragwürdiger Kabinettsjustiz 1713 mit einem Todesurteil gegen Wedderkop abgeschlossen. König Friedrich IV. von Dänemark belagerte 1713 mit seinen Verbündeten die in der Festung Tönning eingeschlossenen schwedischen Truppen unter Magnus Stenbock. Erst mit Übergabe der Festung kam Magnus von Wedderkop wieder frei. Die restlichen Lebensjahre verbrachte er in Hamburg im Haus Speersort 12/14 des Herzogs mit dem Versuch, seine Vermögensangelegenheiten zu ordnen, denn sein Palais am Neuen Wall war von Görtz beschlagnahmt worden. Am 1. Juli 1719 verlieh der Herzog von Holstein Wedderkop und seinen Erben als Ersatz für das erlittene Unrecht das Amt Tremsbüttel zur Nutznießung auf 30 Jahre.
Yep, Weddenkop definitely thought in 1719: "There is a God! Thank you, Lord. If ever someone had it coming..."