Carsten Anker

Carsten Anker, Carsten Tank Anker, born as Ancher, name change 1778 ( born November 17 1747 in Halden (now Halden ), † March 13 1824 in the glass factory in Gjøvik municipality ) was a Norwegian merchant and politician.

Family

Carsten anchor belonged to the wealthy timber merchant family Ancher: His parents were the merchant and owner of an ironworks Erik Ancher (1709-1785) and his wife Anne Cathrine tank ( 1723-1761 ). The father had his operation, together with the half- cousin of his wife Mads Værn only in Halden. In 1749 they bought the Moss Eisenwarenfabrik. Here Carsten Anker grew up with his older brother Peter at anchor.

On July 2, 1784 Carsten Anker and Hedevig Conradine Ernestine Christine Wegener married ( born April 7, 1763 † December 14, 1846 ), daughter of Lieutenant General Wilhelm Theodor (us) Wegener ( 1724-1792 ) and his wife Christiana Henrietta Dorothea Walter ( † 1771).

Life

In the years 1759-1765 the brothers were together with four cousins ​​on a long trip abroad. The first contacts with Great Britain came into being, which later became of great importance. After returning home he went into the business of the Father. He already enjoyed great prestige and was sent early age of 24 Stockholm, to negotiate with the government about the rafting on the shared border river Klarälven. But just at this time of the coup of Gustavus III. held, suspected of the Danish ambassador that behind the trip also political motives could be, and anchors had to return without success.

As the transactions of the father went bad, anchor decided to take the path of bureaucratic career. He was secretary and from 1774 to 1781 member of the " Generallandøconomi -og Commerce College " and then the mine Board. This also led to certain titles at 1776 he was Counselor, 1784, he was functionary, and in 1778 he was raised together with his brother and three cousins ​​under the name "anchor" in the Danish nobility. 1777 to 1782 he was a member of the Norwegian factory Commission and from 1782 to 1792 member of " Det kongelige octroyerede Danske, Norske, Slesvigske above Holstenske Forenede trade above Canal Compagnie " (Royal publicly licensed Danish, Norwegian, Schleswigsche and Holstein united trade and channel company ). Among his many areas of responsibility in this position were also the Norwegian glass factories.

Gradually substitute anchor from officials to the merchant. In 1792 he became director of " Det Danske Kongelige Octroyerede Asiatiske Kompagni " and spent in that capacity for three years in London to negotiate with the East -India Company. So he came up with the leading personalities of the British aristocracy in conjunction. At the same time he had good contacts with the senior people in the Norwegian merchant beings. In 1794 he bought the large Eidsvoll metallurgical plant. In 1811 he left the " Dansk - Asiatisk - Compagni " and returned to Norway.

His influence on the history of Norway and the Norwegian policy is due to its special relationship with Prince Christian Frederick. They were good friends. After the divorce of the Prince of Friederike Charlotte of Mecklenburg -Schwerin was to anchor his most important adviser. He persuaded the prince to go to Norway in 1813. The prince became governor of Norway. They often met at the home anchor in Eidsvoll.

1813 Prince Christian was planning to send anchor due to its good contacts with the British aristocracy in a diplomatic mission to the United Kingdom. But out of the trip was nothing at first.

On 24 January 1814, the Prince first learned about the Kieler peace, which was concluded on 14 January 1814. On his trip to Trondheim then began he stayed for three days at Eidsvoll and drafted a proclamation that he wanted to publish as an elected king of Norway on the occasion of his accession to the throne. On February 15, he returned to Eidsvoll. There was a meeting of the political elite of Norway, the " notables " on the convocation of a national assembly was decided that Norway should be a constitution. After this meeting, a diplomatic mission anchor to the UK was envisaged again. Anchor was appointed Councillor and Head of the Department of Industry and Mining. In reality, he took the duties of a Secretary of State. He should advertise in the UK for the independence of Norway. On 24 March 1814, he arrived in London. There he negotiated first with Under Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hamilton, then with British Prime Minister Lord Liverpool. This rejected the desire for independence of Norway flatly. Anchor remained in spite of this failure in London to promote his cause further. He even came in debtors' prison for debts from the time in which he had stood at the head of Asia-Pacific Business Company. He succeeded after all, that the Norwegian desire for independence came on the agenda of the Parliament, on 10 May in the House of Lords, two days later in the House. Although both the House of Lords as was vehemently spoken in the House for the cause of Norway, the government felt the agreement with Sweden bound, if only because of the support of Sweden during the Napoleonic wars. In early July came Prince Hardenberg of Prussia and Prince Metternich of Austria to London. Negotiations with these ended with a rejection of the Norwegian plans.

In Eidsvoll the Prince opened in the house of the anchor on 10th April 1814, the national assembly, the Norway declared an independent state. However, the independence did not last long, and under pressure from the Great Powers was the Swedish king Karl XIII. elected to the Norwegian King Charles II. Anchor was unable to afford the Swedish king allegiance and made ​​the plan to let the Danish king to the bailiff in Larvik, which he still belonged, even after the Kiel Peace, appoint and Danish citizenship to acquire, but not implemented been. In 1816 he was also ambassador in Lisbon, but resigned this office to never.

After the death of Charles II in 1818 Karl Johann was as Norwegian King Charles III. King. He was generous to the former adversaries. Anker received his dismissal with a high board, Order and the offer to become minister. He made ​​peace with the new government, but public office he no longer wanted to hold, except for the management of the state glass factories, which had lain since time immemorial in his hands. His private property, which he had pledged in 1815, he had to sell at the end, because business declined more and more. The Eidsvoll glass factory was sold a year after his death to the pledgee. The main building, where the Imperial Diet was held, bought in 1837 with the surrounding park, private individuals and in 1851 transferred to the State. It now forms the core of the memory center " Eidsvoll in 1814 ."

Anchor died on an inspection tour to the glass factory in Biri and was initially buried at the local cemetery. He was later reburied in a grave in the park verk of Eidsvoll.

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