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Prime Minister of Switzerland | |
| Predecessor: | Lord Benjamin Wolfe |
| King: | Alexander I of Switzerland |
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Minister of Law | |
| Predecessor: | Sir Mighty Wolfe |
| Successor: | Lord Benjamin Wolfe |
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Minister of Defense | |
| Predecessor: | Sir Will Kohleschmied |
| Successor: | Sir Mighty Wolfe |
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Minister of Home | |
| Predecessor: | Princess Seraphina Kroshbon |
| Successor: | Lady Kate Kohleschmied |
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Director of Home | |
| Predecessor: | Princess Seraphina Kroshbon |
| Successor: | Lady Kate Kohleschmied |
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Personal Details | |
| Born: | 16 November 1706 (Aged 53) |
| Nationality: | Swiss, Austrian |
| Political party: | Swiss People's Party (until 1754) |
| Spouse: | Lady Kate Kohleschmied |
| Alma mater: | University of Vienna |
| Profession: | Statesman, Bureaucrat, Nobleman |
| Religion: | Roman Catholicism |
Lord Gellert Kohleschmied (16 November 1706) was Prime Minister of Switzerland and Count of Crete. He has served as the Kingdom's head of government since 27 November 1752, at the resignation of Lord Benjamin Wolfe, until the failed coup attempt by his wife Lady Kate Kohleschmied on Alexander I of Switzerland. In addition to these titles, Kohleschmied was also Chief Advisor to Alexander and acted as the day-to-day chief executive of the Kingdom.
He had formerly served as Minister of Law from 1754 till 1759, Minister of Defense from 1751 to 1754, Minister of Home in 1751, and Director of Home before that. As one of the King's principal advisors, Gellert has retained immense influence in the Swiss government, and has come to be the de facto leader of the House of Kohleschmied in the illness of his eldest brother.
Boasting one of the longest careers in Swiss history, Gellert has been one of the few individuals to have held every single ministerial portfolio in either an acting or official manner, and as such is considered to be one of the most experienced leaders in Switzerland. As a result of King Alexander's advanced age in 1760, Gellert began to act as the day-to-day leader of the Kingdom, and was granted a wide range of powers by the King.
Early Life[]
Gellert Kohleschmied was born as the youngest child in the Kohleschmied family of Vienna, an influential and wealthy family that had acted as diplomats for the Habsburgs for some years in the late 17th century. He had two older brothers, Jozef, eight years his senior, and Harold, two years his senior. He was popular in his youth, and seen as the protege of his elder brother Jozef, in contrast to Harold who was very unpopular in Vienna and viewed as a social outcast. In 1716, Jozef would enter into military service with the Austrian Army, while Harold and Gellert would travel around Europe with their father, who was still a diplomat for the Habsburg Monarchy.
Like his two brothers he attended the University of Vienna, which he graduated from in 1726, around the same time that his brother Jozef, with his military and university colleagues Antonio Reinzunden and Tobias Tiechlatte, as well as Harold, would launch The Swiss Revolution (1727), a failed insurrection aimed at easing the absolutist monarchy of William I of Switzerland, which had seized the Swiss Kantons in 1721. The attempted revolution failed however, due to the intervention of the King's eldest son, Prince Alexander, and Jozef and his conspirators were arrested.
Political Career[]
Venice[]
With their father having died some years before and Jozef and Harold imprisoned, Gellert fled to Venice where he sought refuge with their cousin, the Doge of Venice. He was employed by the Doge as a military commander and was given a place in the Doge's court. In 1729, following their release from prison, Jozef and Harold would join him in Venice where their fortunes rapidly changed. Taking a liking to his distant nephews, the Doge would eventually settle on naming Jozef as his favoured heir (due to the position of Doge being an electable position, the Doge could not automatically grant this title). The Doge would die only months later, and Jozef was elected as the new Doge of Venice.
Shortly following this, William I of Switzerland died, passing the throne to his son, Alexander I of Switzerland, who had previously ended Jozef's revolution. The new King invited Jozef to the Royal Court in Berne, where he stated that he had agreed with the former revolutionary's ideas and wanted to invite Kohleschmied to become his successor as Prime Minister of Switzerland. After protracted negotiations, the two settled on an agreement later known as the "Doppio Pact" wherein a partnership was formed between them that would govern the Kingdom. Furthermore, the Republic of Venice was absorbed by the Kingdom of the Swiss and established as a semi-autonomous Duchy with Kohleschmied having authority over it in all senses except in regards to foreign affairs.
While Jozef moved to Berne to head the new Swiss government, he named his two brothers as the semi-official regents of Venice, naming Harold Chief Magistrate as well as giving him authority over trade, while Gellert was named Captain-General and given authority over the Duchy's defense. He would serve for the next nineteen years in this capacity.
Swiss Cabinet member[]
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On the 27th of November 1759, Prime Minister Wolfe announced his retirement from the position. Kohleschmied was subsequently appointed to the position by King Alexander, in the first absence of an election since 1748. In light of his appointment as Prime Minister, he was conferred a land grant by the King in the form of the isle of Crete, thus establishing his own cadet branch of the House of Kohleschmied, which was ruled by his cousin Jozef, and establishing Sir Gellert as a Lord.
Prime Minister[]
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