Friedrich von der Groeben (1645–1712) was a

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...

n aristocrat and commander of the Foreign Legion of King John III Sobieski in the Battle of Vienna. Von der Groeben joined the ''Foreign Legion'' or ''German Infantry'' in

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

military service about 1670 and became a lieutenant colonel in 1675 and by the end of the same year its commander and colonel.Biography at dhm.de
/ref> After John III Sobieski became King of Poland in 1674 he sent von der Groeben with diplomatic tasks to the

Tatar The Tatars ()Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different

s and to the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

to find out as much as possible about the enemy's political and military intentions. In the Battle of Vienna he captured a pompous Turkish tent, which is claimed to have been the official tent of Kara Mustafa Pasha. The tent was stored at the manor of Groß Schwansfeld, an estate von der Groeben bought in 1686, till 1907, when it came to the exhibitions of the Berlin

Zeughaus The Zeughaus (English: Arsenal) is a listed building and the oldest structure on Unter den Linden boulevard in the historic centre of Berlin. Erected from 1695 to 1706 according to plans by Johann Arnold Nering, Martin Grünberg, Andreas Sch ...

. Today it is part of the display of the

Deutsches Historisches Museum The German Historical Museum (german: Deutsches Historisches Museum), known by the acronym DHM, is a museum in Berlin, Germany devoted to German history. It describes itself as a place of "enlightenment and understanding of the shared history ...

. In 1687 he was promoted to General Major and Sobieski entrusted him with other military operations like the incident at

Esztergom Esztergom ( ; german: Gran; la, Solva or ; sk, Ostrihom, known by alternative names) is a city with county rights in northern Hungary, northwest of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom County, on the right bank of the river Dan ...

, several Moldau campaigns in 1684-86 and the capture of the fortresses of Soroka and Neamț in 1691. Von der Groeben became a General Lieutenant in 1693 and remained in Polish service after Sobieski's death in 1696, now representing the diplomatic interests of

at the Polish court.Biography

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Groeben, Friedrich Von Der 1645 births 1712 deaths People of the Great Turkish War