Count Christoph Johann Friedrich von Medem (''Jeannot Medem''; 1763 – 1838) was a nobleman from

Courland Courland (; lv, Kurzeme; liv, Kurāmō; German and Scandinavian languages: ''Kurland''; la, Curonia/; russian: Курляндия; Estonian: ''Kuramaa''; lt, Kuršas; pl, Kurlandia) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia. ...

and courtier in the courts of Prussian kings Frederick the Great, Frederick William II and Emperor of Russia Paul I. His sisters were poet Elisa von der Recke and last Duchess of Courland, Dorothea von Medem.

Early life

Christoph Johan von Medem was born in the

Mežotne Mežotne (german: Mesothen) is a town in Latvia 10 km west of Bauska and 40 km south of the capital of Latvia, Riga. It lies in the historical region of Zemgale on the left bank of the Lielupe river near the Lithuanian border. Mežo ...

manor, Semigallia on 13 August 1763. He was the son of a well known landlord and

Reichsgraf Imperial Count (german: Reichsgraf) was a title in the Holy Roman Empire. In the medieval era, it was used exclusively to designate the holder of an imperial county, that is, a fief held directly ( immediately) from the emperor, rather than from ...

Johann Friedrich von Medem Johann, typically a male given name, is the German form of ''Iohannes'', which is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Iōánnēs'' (), itself derived from Hebrew name ''Yochanan'' () in turn from its extended form (), meaning "Yahweh is Gracious" ...

and his second wife Luise Charlotte von Manteuffel. He had a good education and with help from his father he became a courtier in the court of the Friedrich the Great.

Career

Christoph Johann von Medem also served in

Prussian army The Royal Prussian Army (1701–1919, german: Königlich Preußische Armee) served as the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It became vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power. The Prussian Army had its roots in the co ...

. After Frederick the Great death in 1786 he became aide of his son Frederick William II of Prussia. Later after his patron's death in 1797 he moved to St. Petersburg in the service of

Paul I of Russia Paul I (russian: Па́вел I Петро́вич ; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1796 until his assassination. Officially, he was the only son of Peter III of Russia, Peter III and Catherine the Great, although Catherine hinted that he w ...

. He was his chamberlain and also served as ambassador in Washington in 1796-1808. As

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

and

Adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

of the General Nikolay Raevsky Medem acquired on September 6, 1813 during the German Campaign of 1813 the Order '' Pour le Mérite''.

Later life

After retirement he returned to Semigallia (where he owned several manors) and turned to agriculture. He married Mary Luise, a daughter of Count Peter Ludwig von der Pahlen. Their residences included :lv:Villa Medem in Mitau and the

Durbe Manor Durbe Manor ( lv, Durbes pils, german: Herrenhaus Durben) is a Neoclassical manor house located in Tukums, in the historical region of Zemgale, in Latvia. One of the most interesting classical manor houses in Latvia. Today it houses part of the ...

near Tukums. Christoph Johann von Medem died in Mitau on 24 February 1838.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Medem, Christoph Johann von 1763 births 1838 deaths People from Mežotne People from the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia Russian commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class) Baltic-German people Baltic nobility Ambassadors of the Russian Empire to the United States Privy Councillor (Russian Empire)