PPC at the Political Archive
… von Arnim’s passport was one of the highlights I could see at the archive in Berlin.

The most important phases of Harry von Arnim’s life:
1842 Final school exam (GB A-level), USA: High school);
1845 Examination for a doctorate in jurisprudence (Dr. jur, int.);
1846 Marriage to Elisabeth (Elise) von Prillwitz (1827 – 1854), a daughter of
Prince August of Prussia (1779 – 1843) from the morganatic marriage to
MarieAuguste Arendt (1801 – 1834), who was raised to the Prussian
peerage with the name of “ von Prillwitz”.
1847 Trainee lawyer exam
1850 Beginning of his diplomatic career;
1851 Passing his diplomatic exam;
1853 – 56 Secretary at the embassy in Rome;
1854 Death of his first wife Elisabeth;
1856 Appointed as counsellor to a legation;
1857 Second marriage to Sophie Countess vonArnim from the house Boitzenburg;
1860 Appointed as chamberlain; from 1862 Ambassador / legate in Lisbon, then in Kassel and Munich;
1864 Prussian ambassador / legate at the Holy See in Rome, and from
1868 onwards North German ambassador / legate at the Holy See in Rome;
1870 Raised to the Prussian rank of a count with the right of primogeniture;
March 18th, 1871 Appointed as an authorized representative and plenipotentiary for the
affairs of a peace agreement after the German-French War in Brussels and later in Frankfurt am Main.;
Aug. 23rd, 1871 Appointed as ambassador / legate to the French Republic in Paris;
Dec. 1871 Appointed as imperial ambassador in Paris;
Sept. 1872 Appointed as “Wirklicher Geheimer Rat” (GB: privy councillor), Excellency;
March 2nd 1874 Recalled from his post as ambassador in France;
March 1874 (disciplinary) transfer as an ambassador to Constantinopel; the new post,
though, was not taken up as after an objection Harry Arnim is to stay in
Paris until the arrival of his successor.
May 15th, 1874 Harry von Arnim was temporarily retired from Sept 1st 1874 onwards.
Dec 1874 Criminal proceedings before the city court of Berlin, sentenced to 3 months in prison;
1875 Harry Arnim moved residence to different places abroad and had his
lawyers /advocates represent him in the following criminal proceedings;
June 1875 Court-case (in second instance) before the royal Supreme Court in Berlin,
sentenced to nine months in prison;
Nov 1875 Forwarding /sending out the first copies of his brochure ( ascribed to have
been written by Harry Arnim) “Pro Nihilo”, which contains vehement
accusations against Bismarck and the Emperor.
1876/77 Disciplinary court case, removal from office due to professional misconduct;
March 1876 Beginning of new criminal proceedings before the royal Supreme Court;
being charged with treason and lèse-majesté as well as insult against Lord
Bismarck, basically on account of his remarks in the brochure “Pro Nihilo”;
Oct. 1876 Sentenced to five years in prison due to the above mentioned charges.
The complaint lodged against this sentence is dismissed.
July 1877 A plea for clemency is rejected by the emperor.
Harry Arnim never returns to Germany until his death. He is a severe
diabetic and cannot be treated in Germany due to the fact that he is under
threat of being imprisoned immediately.
May 19th 1881 Harry von Arnim dies in Nizza at the age of 56.

March 18th, 1871 Appointed as an authorized representative and plenipotentiary for the
affairs of a peace agreement after the German-French War in Brussels.

Tags: Archive, Belgium, Diplomatic, France, Germany, Switzerland