Erhard Ernst von Röder (26 July 1665 – 26 October 1743) was a Prussian

Field Marshal General ''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 ...

, Minister of War and Minister of Finance.

Life

Röder was a native of

Königsberg Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was named ...

Brandenburg-Prussia Brandenburg-Prussia (german: Brandenburg-Preußen; ) is the historiographic denomination for the early modern realm of the Brandenburgian Hohenzollerns between 1618 and 1701. Based in the Electorate of Brandenburg, the main branch of the Hohenz ...

. From 1689 Röder served as Hauptmann (Captain) of the

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

''Kurprinz''. As leader of the Leibkompanie, he had a close relationship with King

Frederick William I of Prussia Frederick William I (german: Friedrich Wilhelm I.; 14 August 1688 – 31 May 1740), known as the "Soldier King" (german: Soldatenkönig), was King in Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg from 1713 until his death in 1740, as well as Prince of Neuch ...

. Röder served in the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

and then returned as a Colonel and Brigadier to Prussia. In 1705 Röder was appointed Commandant of the fortress

Plassenburg Plassenburg is a castle in the city of Kulmbach in Bavaria. It is one of the most impressive castles in Germany and a symbol of the city. It was first mentioned in 1135. The Plassenberg family were ministerial of the counts of Andechs (later ...

. In 1714, he was promoted to Major General and returned to Prussia. Then in 1728 he was promoted to Commander-in-Chief of all troops and fortifications in the

Duchy of Prussia The Duchy of Prussia (german: Herzogtum Preußen, pl, Księstwo Pruskie, lt, Prūsijos kunigaikštystė) or Ducal Prussia (german: Herzogliches Preußen, link=no; pl, Prusy Książęce, link=no) was a duchy in the Prussia (region), region of P ...

then again in 1736 to First Minister of War and of Finance. In 1734 Röder was again sent into the field. Together with the Prussian Auxiliary Corps, he went to the Rhine, with Prince Eugene to wage war against France in the

War of the Polish Succession The War of the Polish Succession ( pl, Wojna o sukcesję polską; 1733–35) was a major European conflict sparked by a Polish civil war over the succession to Augustus II of Poland, which the other regional power, European powers widened in p ...

. He died at the estate Juditten near Königsberg.

References

Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roder, Erhard Ernst Von 1665 births 1743 deaths 18th-century Prussian people 18th-century soldiers Field marshals of Prussia German military personnel of the War of the Spanish Succession German military personnel of the War of the Polish Succession Military personnel from Königsberg People from the Duchy of Prussia