Auerswald was born in Marienwerder in
West Prussia (today,
Kwidzyn in Poland). He was a member of a
Meissen family of nobility, first mentioned in 1263, from Auerswalde, now part of
Lichtenau, Saxony. His father was the official , while his brothers were the general
Hans Adolf Erdmann von Auerswald (1792–1848) and the politician (1797–1870). A friend of Crown Prince
William, much of Auerswald's youth was spent in
Königsberg. After the completion of his education, he entered
the 1st Leibhusarenregiment of the
Royal Prussian Army. In 1812 as part of
Napoleon's invasion of Russia, Auerswald participated in campaigns in
Livonia and
Courland under the command of
Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg. He also served, from 1813 to 1815, during the
wars against
Napoleon. Auerswald remained in the military until 1821, when he was discharged as a
Rittmeister of cavalry. Auerswald married his cousin, Countess Adela Dohna-Lauck, in 1817. After his discharge from the military, he acquired an estate in the of
East Prussia, where he was appointed
Landrat (district administrator) in 1824. Auerswald became
General-Landschaftsrath of the
Province of Prussia in 1835 and
Oberbürgermeister (lord mayor) of Königsberg in 1835. Auerswald was a member of the knighthood of the East Prussian provincial diet, sometimes in the role of parliamentary marshal (
Landtagsmarschall). During a diet paying homage to King
Frederick William IV of Prussia, Auerswald was one of the politicians who reminded the new king of the 1815 promise of his predecessor,
Frederick William III, to grant a constitution. Auerswald was named the
Regierungspräsident of
Regierungsbezirk Trier in 1842. ,
David Hansemann,
Maximilian von Schwerin-Putzar, Rudolf von Auerswald,
Franz Leo Benedikt Waldeck,
Friedrich Römer;
Front row (l-r):
Friedrich Christoph Dahlmann,
Ludolf Camphausen,
Hermann von Beckerath,
Hermann Schulze-Delitzsch and
Karl Welcker After the outbreak of the
March Revolution in 1848,
Minister-president Ludolf Camphausen named Auerswald the
Oberpräsident of the
Province of Prussia at Königsberg. After Camphausen resigned, Auerswald succeeded him as minister-president on 25 June, as well as
foreign minister. A constitution for the
Kingdom of Prussia was proposed during Auerswald's term; its model was the liberal
Belgian Constitution of 1831, which had strongly influenced Rhenish liberalism. However, it was not accepted by the
Prussian National Assembly, which created its own constitutional committee instead. Auerswald's ministry collapsed on 8 September when the National Assembly called for the government to demand the resignation of conservative members of the military. After his resignation, Auerswald returned to his post as
Oberpräsident in Königsberg. After the dissolution of the National Assembly, the imposition of the
constitution of the Kingdom of Prussia and the vote for a new
parliament of Prussia led Auerswald to return to national politics. He served as president of the First Chamber (later the
Prussian House of Lords) until 1850. Auerswald also participated in the
Erfurt Parliament. In 1850, he was appointed
Oberpräsident of the
Rhine Province, but was forced to resign a year later for remarks critical of the conservative government. Auerswald then spent almost two years out of public office, traveling to
Paris,
Italy, and
North Africa. Auerswald became a member of the Second Chamber (the
Prussian House of Representatives) in 1853 as part of the liberal opposition, owing to his friendship with Crown Prince William. After William's assumption of the Prussian
regency and the end of the
Manteuffel government, William named
Karl Anton, Prince of Hohenzollern, as minister-president. Auerswald served as a minister without portfolio, although he led the government in all but name. Hopes for a more liberal era ended, however, in the face of resistance from the civil service, the court of Regent William and, especially, the House of Representatives. The military budgetary crisis of 1860 brought Auerswald in opposition to his own liberal party, but he sought a middle ground between William and parliament. The inability to form a compromise caused a splintering of the liberals in 1861. The lack of a liberal majority led to the resignation of Auerswald and a number of ministers in March 1862. The next government was led by
Otto von Bismarck. Auerswald resigned from politics completely. Despite his liberal views and the defeat of the Prussian liberals, he was not disgraced, and a court position as
Oberburggraf of
Marienburg (Malbork) was created for him. Auerswald died in
Berlin,
Brandenburg. ==See also==