Johann Rudolf Wettstein

Johann Rudolf Wettstein (27 October 1594, Basel – 12 April 1666, Basel) was a Swiss diplomat and mayor of Basel, who achieved fame through his diplomatic skills, culminating in de iure Swiss independence from the Holy Roman Empire in 1648.

Early life and education Johann Rudolf Wettstein was born on 27 October 1594 as the youngest of five sons, and attended the "Schule auf Burg," the present-day secondary school located at the Münsterplatz in Basel. At the Gymnasium, he was taught the basics in Latin and history and he graduated with fourteen years of age. Afterwards he concluded a chancellery apprenticeship in Yverdon and Geneva where he learned the French language which would be useful in later career as a diplomat. With time he owed quite a sum to his wife's family and apparently for that reason he moved to Italy in 1616, where he served in the Venetian military.

Political career In 1620, after his return to Basel, Wettstein was elected to the city council. His career in the public service progressed with increasingly responsible positions becoming the Vogt of Farnsburg from 1624 to 1626 and of Riehen from 1626 to 1635. In 1635 he became senior guild master in the city of Basel, and by June 1645 he was elected its Mayor, In 1661 he supported the purchase of the extensive collections included in the Amerbach- Cabinet with public funds.

Swiss independence Wettstein participated in the negotiations for the Peace of Westphalia in 1646/47 interested to gain juridical independence for the merchants of Basel from the Holy Roman Empire. As Wettstein travelled by ship to Münster in 1646, he was not invited, much less was he in possession of an accreditation by the Swiss Confederacy. and Habsburg renunciation of all claims to Swiss government. In memory of this achievement Basel minted a coin and the merchants of Basel donated a trophy. Following the Frankfurter trade fair in October 1650, the German Court in Speyer, ordered the seizure of certain goods from the merchants in Basel and after some negotiations in Viennas Hofburg, the two achieved their liberation. Ferdinand ordered the goods restitution to the merchants of Basel, together with the payment of a fine of 100 Marks in Gold.

Professional career He earned some money with his political duties, but those were not enough to finance his family's household. Wettstein though appeared to have made several financial investments. He is generally acknowledged as one of the most competent Swiss politicians of his era, as well as a march of the Basler Carnaval were named after Wettstein. In 1611 Johann Rudolf married Anna Maria Falkner. They were the parents of four sons and five daughters. Two daughters died early due to the plague. His wife died in 1647 while he was negotiating the Peace of Westphalia in Münster.