An example of an 18th-century #German sovereign for whom the very idea of ​​having to pay his debts seemed strange is Landgrave Ernst Louis of Hesse-Darmstadt. Suffering from delusions of grandeur, he followed the example of other German princes in building numerous castles, all the while striving to have his own Versailles. He built more than a dozen, including a gigantic palace in which, as the emperor dismissively put it, he could have lived with all the electors and their courtiers. The Landgrave's #money was supplied by the Frankfurt #banker Jacob Bernus, to whom he owed over 1 million guilders. And like many others, Bernus had to learn that, under the legal conditions of the time, no power existed in Germany that could compel a dishonest sovereign to fulfill his obligations, personally signed and sealed by him. Even a court ruling issued in Vienna and entered into force, followed by the emperor's order to the Electors of Trier and the Palatinate to enforce it and force the Landgrave to pay, could not help him. The Electors remained unmoved, and the Landgrave died in 1739 without paying a penny. Bernus could also receive nothing from the copper tithes and income from the Landgrave's iron works received as collateral. And Ernst Louis's successor, Louis VIII, refused to pay, claiming he was not responsible for his predecessor's personal debts. Meanwhile, as crown prince, he expressed his consent to loans from Bernus and, in some cases, even solemnly promised to pay his father's debts in the event of his father's death. True, Louis VIII found it increasingly difficult after this to raise money from Frankfurt capitalists, and this sovereign was constantly in need of money, searching for it everywhere, begging at every Frankfurt fair, taking savings from his subjects, including court lackeys, musicians, and foresters. Only in 1778 did the next Elector, Louis IX, agree to pay the heirs and creditors of Jacob Bernus approximately 28% of the debt without interest and in 3% bonds. It is not surprising that in the mid-18th century they also said: do not lend to someone stronger, and if you do, look at the amount as lost, and they added: nobles make promises, but only peasants keep them. npub1y2q9ds6qp7ms0mr882ju0g9dwvy4llje93tpwe0f4nmtczxty4uq7a37av #bitcoin #btc 📝 6ff568fb…