This one-volume special edition of Eberhard Weis' extensive biography of Montgelas is presented here. It covers Montgelas' youth, the beginning of his ministerial career in Bavaria, his roles as Foreign, Interior, and Finance Minister, up to his dismissal in 1817, and provides an outlook on his later life until his death in 1838. This work portrays the founder of the modern Bavarian state and one of the most significant ministers of the German reform era. "With this biography, Eberhard Weis firmly and indisputably secures a prominent place for Montgelas in Bavarian history. At the same time, he paints a highly vivid panorama of Bavaria in its transition from an absolutist estate state to a modern community. Anyone who wants to understand how Bavaria became what it is should pick up this book." Dirk Götschmann, Süddeutsche Zeitung.