Stein
The minister who led the Prussian reforms during the Napoleonic Wars and abolished serfdom.
Life
Imperial knight
Stein came from a family of imperial knights and long worked in Prussian mining and local administration. In 1806 Prussia suffered a disastrous defeat by Napoleon at Jena, and the state was on the verge of collapse.
October Edict
In 1807 he became chief minister and issued the October Edict, abolishing the personal bondage of serfs and allowing people of all classes to buy and sell land freely and choose their occupations; in 1808 he also introduced the Municipal Ordinance granting towns self-government. Together with Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and others he reformed the army, laying the groundwork for the later War of Liberation.
Exile
Napoleon intercepted his letters urging an anti-French uprising and forced the King of Prussia to dismiss him. He went into exile in Austria and Russia, where, at the tsar's side, he promoted the coalition against Napoleon. He died in 1831.
Legacy
Stein's reforms moved Prussia from a feudal state toward a modern one and were an important foundation for German unification.
Major works & achievements
- October Edict
Did you know? He founded the Monumenta Germaniae Historica, a collection of sources on medieval German history that is still being published today.
Key dates
- 1806Prussia crushed at Jena
- 1807Becomes chief minister; issues the October Edict
- 1808Municipal Ordinance on self-government; forced from office
- 1812Promotes the anti-Napoleon coalition in Russia
- 1831Died