Dietrich Heinrich Ludwig von Ompteda
Encyclopedia
Dietrich Heinrich Ludwig von Ompteda (5 March 1746, Hoya
- 18 May 1803, Regensburg
) was a Hanoverian jurist and government minister.
with Johann Stephan Pütter
, with whom he became friends and who was already studying jurisprudence
at the University of Göttingen. On successfully completing his degree, in 1767 Dietrich became ordinary assessor (Beisitzer) to the Calenberger Hofgerichtes in Hanover
, rapidly rising to Hofrat in 1770, full Kriegsrat in 1774, Hofrichter to the Calenberger Hofgericht in 1778 and to Landrat and Schatzrat to the Principality of Calenberg in 1782. Aged only 37, in 1783 he became minister-plenipotentiary to the court of Charles Theodore
in Munich
(who as elector of the Electoral Palatinate also became elector of Bavaria
in 1777) and diplomatic representative to the perpetual diet at Regensburg
for George III (king of Great Britain and prince-elector of Hanover). He held both posts simultaneously until his death in Regensburg in 1803 aged 57. He also educated his nephew Christian Friedrich Wilhelm von Ompteda
, later an officer in the Napoleonic Wars. In the meantime he studied extensively and accumulated more than two thousand maps for the study of international law, a collection that was acquired two years after his death by the library of the university of Tartu
. He married a baroness (freiin) von der Horst, who in 1770 wrote a French poem in honour of the celebrated founder and curator of the Göttinger Hochschule, prime minister Gerlach Adolph von Münchhausen.
added a third volume to von Ompteda's magnum opus.
Other works by von Ompteda were published anonymously, since George III was regarded as very conservative and difficult and they dealt with the jurisdiction of the Holy Roman Empire
, which were sometimes drastically changed by Napoleon.
Hoya
Hoya is a genus of 200-300 species of tropical plants in the family Apocynaceae , fomerly considered to be in the Asclepiadaceae...
- 18 May 1803, Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
) was a Hanoverian jurist and government minister.
Life
Dietrich Heinrich Ludwig von Ompteda was born in 1746 on his father's estate of Wulmstorf in the Hoya region. His parents were the hofmeister and oberhauptmann Dietrich August von Ompteda and his wife Beata Magdalena (née von Horn). After an education befitting his noble birth, he studied from 1761 to 1763 at the Ritterakademie LüneburgLüneburg
Lüneburg is a town in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is located about southeast of fellow Hanseatic city Hamburg. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, and one of Hamburg's inner suburbs...
with Johann Stephan Pütter
Johann Stephan Pütter
Johann Stephan Pütter was a German law lecturer and publicist. He was professor of law at the university of Göttingen from 1746 until his death. He exerted great influence on the law institutions of his time...
, with whom he became friends and who was already studying jurisprudence
Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal theorists , hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions...
at the University of Göttingen. On successfully completing his degree, in 1767 Dietrich became ordinary assessor (Beisitzer) to the Calenberger Hofgerichtes in Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
, rapidly rising to Hofrat in 1770, full Kriegsrat in 1774, Hofrichter to the Calenberger Hofgericht in 1778 and to Landrat and Schatzrat to the Principality of Calenberg in 1782. Aged only 37, in 1783 he became minister-plenipotentiary to the court of Charles Theodore
Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria
Charles Theodore, Prince-Elector, Count Palatine and Duke of Bavaria reigned as Prince-Elector and Count palatine from 1742, as Duke of Jülich and Berg from 1742 and also as Prince-Elector and Duke of Bavaria from 1777, until his death...
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
(who as elector of the Electoral Palatinate also became elector of Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
in 1777) and diplomatic representative to the perpetual diet at Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
for George III (king of Great Britain and prince-elector of Hanover). He held both posts simultaneously until his death in Regensburg in 1803 aged 57. He also educated his nephew Christian Friedrich Wilhelm von Ompteda
Christian Friedrich Wilhelm von Ompteda
Christian Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Ompteda was a Hanoverian officer of the Napoleonic Wars.- Life :...
, later an officer in the Napoleonic Wars. In the meantime he studied extensively and accumulated more than two thousand maps for the study of international law, a collection that was acquired two years after his death by the library of the university of Tartu
University of Tartu
The University of Tartu is a classical university in the city of Tartu, Estonia. University of Tartu is the national university of Estonia; it is the biggest and highest-ranked university in Estonia...
. He married a baroness (freiin) von der Horst, who in 1770 wrote a French poem in honour of the celebrated founder and curator of the Göttinger Hochschule, prime minister Gerlach Adolph von Münchhausen.
Works
In his 1785 two-volume magnum opus Literatur des gesamten sowohl natürlichen als positiven Völkerrechts (Literature on the entirety of international law, both natural and positive), von Ompteda significantly expanded on the system of international law begun by von Günther, which previously had only treated the laws of war and peace. Von Ompteda added a third sphere, Rechte und Verbindlichkeiten der Völker (Rights and liabilities of the peoples), which overrode the laws of war and peace and was only rarely influenced by them. In 1817, long after von Ompteda's death, Karl Albert von KamptzKarl Albert von Kamptz
Karl Albert Christoph Heinrich Freiherr von Kamptz was a German jurist.- Bibliography :...
added a third volume to von Ompteda's magnum opus.
Other works by von Ompteda were published anonymously, since George III was regarded as very conservative and difficult and they dealt with the jurisdiction of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
, which were sometimes drastically changed by Napoleon.
List
- Dietrich Heinrich Ludwig von Ompteda: Literatur des ges. sowohl natürlichen als positiven Völkerrechts. Regensburg 1785 (dem kursächsischen Comtialgesandten Carl Anton Friedrich Graf von Hohenthal gewidmet)
- (anonymous): Beleuchtung der unparteiischen Gedanken über Einführung des Simultaneum in Fürstenau und Schlederhaufen. Regensburg 1780,
- (anonymous): Betrachtungen über die Materie der Senate des kaiserlichen und Reichskammergerichts. Regensburg 1788,
- (anonymous): Verzeichniss deren seit Anfang gegenwärtigen Reichstages an selbigen gelangten Receß-Beschwerden gegen kaiserlichen Reichshofrath. 1788,
- Dietrich Heinrich Ludwig von Ompteda: Geschichte der vormaligen ordentlichen Gerichtskammergerichts-Visitationen und der 200 jährigen fruchtlosen Bemühungen zu deren Wiederherstellung. Regensburg 1792
- Karl Albert von Kamptz: Neue Literatur des Völkerrechts von 1784-1794, als Ergänzung und Fortsetzung des Werks des Gesandten von Ompteda. Berlin 1817