Ezekiel, Freiherr von Spanheim
Encyclopedia
Ezekiel, Freiherr von Spanheim (also Ézéchiel, and known as Baron Spanheim) (7 December 1629–7 November 1710) was a Swiss diplomat and scholar.
. After 1642 he studied philology and theology at the University of Leyden, and in 1650 returned to Geneva.
In 1656 Spanheim became tutor to the son of Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine
. Political theory led him into a diplomatic career. The Elector sent him in 1661 to Rome to investigate intrigues of the Roman Catholic Electors. After his return in 1665 the Elector employed him as ambassador at various courts, finally in England where after 1679 he was charged also with the affairs of the Elector of Brandenburg.
In 1680 he entered the service of electoral Brandenbuig as minister of state. As ambassador of the Great Elector he spent nine years at the court of Paris, and subsequently devoted some years to studies in Berlin
; but after
the Peace of Ryswyk in 1697 he returned as ambassador to France where he remained until 1702.
In 1702 he went on his final diplomatic mission, as first Prussian ambassador to England. He died in London, and was buried in Westminster Abbey
.
and of the Emperor Julian (Leipzig, 1696).
Life
He was the eldest son of Friedrich Spanheim the Elder, born at GenevaGeneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
. After 1642 he studied philology and theology at the University of Leyden, and in 1650 returned to Geneva.
In 1656 Spanheim became tutor to the son of Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine
Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine
Charles Louis, , Elector Palatine KG was the second son of Frederick V of the Palatinate, the "Winter King" of Bohemia, and his wife, Princess Elizabeth, daughter of King James I of England ....
. Political theory led him into a diplomatic career. The Elector sent him in 1661 to Rome to investigate intrigues of the Roman Catholic Electors. After his return in 1665 the Elector employed him as ambassador at various courts, finally in England where after 1679 he was charged also with the affairs of the Elector of Brandenburg.
In 1680 he entered the service of electoral Brandenbuig as minister of state. As ambassador of the Great Elector he spent nine years at the court of Paris, and subsequently devoted some years to studies in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
; but after
the Peace of Ryswyk in 1697 he returned as ambassador to France where he remained until 1702.
In 1702 he went on his final diplomatic mission, as first Prussian ambassador to England. He died in London, and was buried in Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
.
Works
His major works are Disputationes de usu et præstantia numismatum antiquorum (Rome, 1664; in 2 vols., London and Amsterdam, 1706-17) and Orbis Romanus (London, 1704; Halle, 1738). He also edited with Petavius the Opera of Cyril of AlexandriaCyril of Alexandria
Cyril of Alexandria was the Patriarch of Alexandria from 412 to 444. He came to power when the city was at its height of influence and power within the Roman Empire. Cyril wrote extensively and was a leading protagonist in the Christological controversies of the later 4th and 5th centuries...
and of the Emperor Julian (Leipzig, 1696).