Johann Kasimir Kolbe von Wartenberg
Johann Kasimir Kolbe,
Life
In his youth he was Oberstallmeister and
On the fall of first minister Eberhard von Danckelmann in 1697 he became minister and finance minister and quickly eliminated his competitors Hans Albrecht von Barfus and Paul von Fuchs via targeted intrigue and filled important court posts with his henchmen. On 18 January 1701, at Frederick's coronation in Königsberg, it was Johann who was allowed to place the purple cloak on him, and in the same year he became prime minister. His course was marked by a proliferation in the offices he was awarded - along with those already mentioned, he also held the offices of marshal of the kingdom of Prussia, protector of the Royal Academy, chancellor of the Order of the Black Eagle, Oberstallmeister, Oberaufseher of the royal castles, Oberhauptmann of all the Schatullenämter, postmaster general. Moreover, he did not hold these offices one after the other, but instead all at once, in a kind of personal union, thus making him able to fill the court with systematic corruption and enrich himself shamelessly.
He was also assisted by his wife
In 1704 the king successfully petitioned the
As the population's troubles mounted, crown-prince Frederick William intervened and Johann's cabal fell. In 1711 Johann was released from government service and retired to his estates.
Sources
- (in German) Siegfried Isaacsohn: Johann Kasimir Kolbe, Graf von Wartenberg. In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Bd. 16, Leipzig 1882, S. 463–65.
- (in German) Johann Kasimir Kolbe von Wartenberg. Article in: Meyers Konversations-Lexikon, 4. Aufl. 1888–1890, Bd. 16, S. 403 f.
- (in German) Uwe Kieling, Johannes Althoff: Das Nikolaiviertel. Spuren der Geschichte im ältesten Berlin. Berlin-Edition, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-8148-0080-X, S. 74–78.