Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff
| Johann Hartwig von Bernstorff | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Noble family | Bernstorff |
| Father | Joachim Engelke von Bernstorff |
| Born |
12 May 1712 Hanover, Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Holy Roman Empire |
| Died | 18 February 1772 (aged 59) Hamburg, Holy Roman Empire |
| Occupation | statesman and diplomat |
Count Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff (German: Johann Hartwig Ernst Graf von Bernstorff; 13 May 1712 – 18 February 1772) was a German-Danish statesman and a member of the Bernstorff noble family of Mecklenburg. He was the son of Joachim Engelke Freiherr von Bernstorff, chamberlain to the Elector of Hanover.
His grandfather, Andreas Gottlieb von Bernstorff (1640–1726), had been one of the ablest ministers of George I and the head of the German Chancery. Under his guidance, Johann was very carefully educated, acquiring amongst other things that intimate knowledge of the leading European languages, especially French, which ever afterwards distinguished him. He was introduced into the Danish service by his relations, the brothers Plessen, who were ministers of state under Christian VI.
In 1732, he was sent on a diplomatic mission to the court of Dresden, and from 1738 he represented Holstein at the Eternal Diet of Regensburg. From 1744 to 1750, he represented Denmark at Paris, whence he returned in 1754 to Denmark as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Supported by the powerful favorite Adam Gottlob Moltke, and highly respected by Frederick V, he occupied for twenty-one years the highest position in the government, and in the Council of State his opinion was decisive. But his chief concern was foreign policy.
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