Ernst Heinrich von Schimmelmann
| Ernst Heinrich von Schimmelmann | |
|---|---|
Ernst Schimmelmann portrayed by Christian Albrecht Jensen (1827)
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| Born |
4 December 1747 Dresden, Saxony (Germany |
| Died |
9 February 1831 (aged 83) Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Resting place | Schimmelmann-Mausoleum, Wandsbek Markt, Hamburg |
| Nationality | German-Danish |
| Occupation | Businessman, politician, estate owner |
| Known for | Minister of Finance Minister of Foreign Affairs Abolishin of slavery in Denmark Arts patronage |
| Spouse(s) | Charlotte Schimmelmann |
| Relatives | Heinrich Carl von Schimmelmann (his father) |
| Awards | Order of the Elephant |
Ernst Heinrich von Schimmelmann (4 December 1747 – 9 February 1831) was a German-Danish politician, businessman and patron of the arts. His father was Heinrich Carl von Schimmelmann.
Ernst von Schimmelmann was born in Dresden to Baron Heinrich Carl von Schimmelmann and Caroline von Schimmelmann. His father was a successful merchant who made a fortune in war and became affiliated with the Danish government after moving to Hamburg and buying the Ahrensburg in Holstein. Ernst studied economics in Europe and worked for his father.
From 1782 Ernst von Schimmelmann became a key figure in Denmark's financial administration, part of a so-called Trefoil of Counts which was completed by A. P. Bernstorff and Christian Ditlev Reventlow. Due to disputes with the Minister of State, Ove Høegh-Guldberg, he had to resign in 1783 but the following year he took part in the coup d'état against Høegh-Guldberg and was appointed Minister of Finance in the new government, a post he held until 1813. From 1824 to 1831 he was Minister of Foreign Affairs. In 1790 he was awarded the Order of the Elephant, the highest Danish decoration, for his work.
He contributed to the abolition of slave trade in Denmark by showing in a report, how Danish slave trade was inhumane and led to deficits. In the report, he also accounted for how better treatment of slaves in the Danish West Indies could reduce the large child mortality, which each year substantially reduced the slave population. Schimmelmann was not against slavery, but rather the ghastly Atlantic slave trade. Ernst Heinrich von Schimmelmann was a slave owner himself, owning a large sugar plantation on the island Saint Croix and being a shareholder in a company that transported slaves from the Gold Coast. He has been formally portrayed with his Negro slave in Copenhagen, where his family held several slaves.
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