Field Marshal von Knobelsdorff, German School of the 18th century

Alexander Friedrich von Knobelsdorff (13 May 1723 in Cunow near Crossen – 10 December 1799 in

Stendal The Hanseatic City of Stendal () is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is the capital of the Stendal District and the unofficial capital of the Altmark region. Geography Situated west of the Elbe valley, the Stendal town centre is located s ...

) was a Prussian field marshal.

Biography

Knobelsdorff, originally a cavalry officer, had received awards in the

Silesian Wars The Silesian Wars (german: Schlesische Kriege, links=no) were three wars fought in the mid-18th century between Prussia (under King Frederick the Great) and Habsburg Austria (under Archduchess Maria Theresa) for control of the Central European ...

and was commander of the infantry regiments "Brunswick-Bevern" and "von Schwarz". In 1776 he was made

Inhaber A Proprietor, or Inhaber, was a term used in the Habsburg military to denote special honors extended to a noble or aristocrat. The Habsburg army was organized on principles developed for the feudal armies in which regiments were raised by a wealth ...

of the infantry regiment "Stojentin", stationed in Stendal. During the

War of the Bavarian Succession The War of the Bavarian Succession (; 3 July 1778 – 13 May 1779) was a dispute between the Austrian Habsburg monarchy and an alliance of Saxony and Prussia over succession to the Electorate of Bavaria after the extinction of the Bavarian br ...

he distinguished himself as brigade commander in the army of

Prince Henry Prince Henry (or Prince Harry) may refer to: People *Henry the Young King (1155–1183), son of Henry II of England, who was crowned king but predeceased his father *Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal (1394–1460) *Henry, Duke of Cornwall (Ja ...

. In the campaign against Holland in 1787, he led the division on the left wing. The army commander at that time was Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick. At the outbreak of war against France in 1792, he remained in Stendal, while his regiment joined the corps of the Duke of Brunswick. However, when the war situation worsened and the Duke fell ill and had to leave the coalition forces in March 1793; Knobelsdorff took over as supreme commander of the Prussian troops. In the summer of 1793 Knobelsdorff was promoted to General of the Infantry and received special praise by the king. A frequent guest of the later, the old general was promoted to

Generalfeldmarschall ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (from Old High German ''marahscalc'', "marshal, stable master, groom"; en, general field marshal, field marshal general, or field marshal; ; often abbreviated to ''Feldmarschall'') was a rank in the armies of several ...

in 1798 and still participated in maneuvers at

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream o ...

in 1799. Knobelsdorff died in Stendal in December of that year after suffering a stroke. He had been a freemason and for many years served as

Worshipful Master In Craft Freemasonry, sometimes known as Blue Lodge Freemasonry, every Masonic lodge elects or appoints Masonic lodge officers to execute the necessary functions of the lodge's life and work. The precise list of such offices may vary between the ...

of Stendal's

lodge Lodge is originally a term for a relatively small building, often associated with a larger one. Lodge or The Lodge may refer to: Buildings and structures Specific * The Lodge (Australia), the official Canberra residence of the Prime Ministe ...

"The Golden Crown". He had been a known hunter and nature lover, having frequently used the Stendal Letzlinger Heath for hiking and hunting trips. One of his most famous pupils is General Ernst von Rüchel, inspector general of the Prussian military education and ''Mitverlierer'' of the Battle of Jena on 14 October 1806. Knobelsdorff became

inhaber A Proprietor, or Inhaber, was a term used in the Habsburg military to denote special honors extended to a noble or aristocrat. The Habsburg army was organized on principles developed for the feudal armies in which regiments were raised by a wealth ...

(proprietor) of Infantry Regiment No. 27 in 1776 and held the position until he died. The regiment's previous inhaber was Peter Heinrich von Stojentin. The subsequent inhaber of Regiment No. 27 was Friedrich Wilhelm Alexander von Tschammer und Osten.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Knobelsdorff, Alexander 1723 births 1799 deaths Field marshals of Prussia Prussian military personnel of the War of Bavarian Succession German military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars German Freemasons People of the Silesian Wars