Solidyfying the patchwork
1796: absorption into Bayreuth – the “Prussian Years”
On January 28, 1792, Prussian minister Karl August von Hardenberg, acting on behalf of the king of Prussia, officially assumed control over the margravates Brandenburg-Bayreuth and Brandenburg-Ansbach. With the goal of establishing both counties as Prussian provinces, Hardenberg set about his task and implemented a series of sweeping changes. At the forefront of these was the unification of the smaller Franconian counties into one cohesive Prussian territory, which he deemed necessary for both reforming the local administrative work and strengthening the economy. This also entailed unifying both the newly gained region and their inhabitants whilst also increasing the former.
On April 10, 1796, Hardenberg personally ordered that resistance against the occupation be met with military force whilst also declaring any contracts signed between the margraves and lesser branches of the House of Hohenzollern null and void. This did include the Landeshoheitsvertrag (ger: “territorial sovereignty treaty”), signed in 1699 between the counts von Giech and the margraves of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, reducing the von Giech privileges to their barest minimum, such as maintaining a perish of their own.
Still, when the Prussian commission laid claim to Thurnau on May 9, 1796, they did so only after ensuring immediate military support, lest they encounter resistance. Thus, it was through the threat of violence that the borders of Thurnau re altered once more, and the county added to the Prussian territory of the province of Bayreuth, an act devoid of any legal grounds. On July 9, Prussia officially assumed control. Any hope of appealing the takeover seized when Hardenberg also voided the “privilegio de non appellando”, as this left the decision up to the King of Prussia who obviously acted in his own interest.
The example of Thurnau clearly shows the waning might and thus influence of the Reich, which had previously preserved the sovereignty of its members for centuries: Powerful actors could easily circumvent existing law through sheer force and expand its borders at the expense of smaller counties. The idea that law only exists as long as it can be effectively enforced is not a particular achievement of modern times, far preceding them as can be seen from this brief example from the end of the 18th century.
References
Literature:
Endres, Rudolf: Hardenbergs fränkisches Reformmodell. Ersch. in: Stamm-Kuhlmann, Thomas (Hrsg.): Freier Gebrauch der Kräfte. Eine Bestandsaufnahme der Hardenberg-Forschung. München, 2001, S.31-49.
Vom Residenzort zur Landgemeinde. Ersch. in: Markt Thurnau (Hrsg.): Thurnau 1239-1989. Bayreuth, 1989. S.17-38.
Authors: Luca Kost, Wolfgang Ficht
