Karl Ernst Job Wilhelm von Witzleben (20 July 1783 – 9 July 1837) was a
Prussian
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 e ...
lieutenant general, adjutant-general to the king, and
minister of war
A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...
.
Career
Born in
Halberstadt
Halberstadt ( Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the capital of Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town center that was greatly destroyed by Allied bomb ...
, Witzleben was the first-born son of Lieutenant Heinrich Günther von Witzleben (1755–1825) and his wife Amalie Karoline Luise Wilhelmine, née von Wulffen (1766–1807). Of Thuringian ''
Uradel
(, German: "ancient nobility"; adjective or ) is a genealogical term introduced in late 18th-century Germany to distinguish those families whose noble rank can be traced to the 14th century or earlier. The word stands opposed to '' Briefadel'', ...
'', he became a personal squire to the
Hohenzollern king
Frederick William II of Prussia
Frederick William II (german: Friedrich Wilhelm II.; 25 September 1744 – 16 November 1797) was King of Prussia from 1786 until his death in 1797. He was in personal union the Prince-elector of Brandenburg and (via the Orange-Nassau inherita ...
in 1793, and then an
ensign
An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...
in the
Royal Guard
A royal guard is a group of military bodyguards, soldiers or armed retainers responsible for the protection of a royal person, such as the emperor or empress, king or queen, or prince or princess. They often are an elite unit of the regular arm ...
in 1799. His active career was promoted by King
Frederick William III
Frederick William III (german: Friedrich Wilhelm III.; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, wh ...
who became a close friend.
Witzleben achieved the rank of Second Lieutenant in 1802. He was captured in the
Battle of Jena–Auerstedt fought on 14 October 1806, but was exchanged in August 1807. His work ''Ideas on the Reorganisation of the Light Infantry'', caught the attention of
Gerhard von Scharnhorst
Gerhard Johann David von Scharnhorst (12 November 1755 – 28 June 1813) was a Hanoverian-born general in Prussian service from 1801. As the first Chief of the Prussian General Staff, he was noted for his military theories, his reforms of the Pr ...
, so that he was transferred in December 1808 to the newly formed ''Garde-Jäger-Bataillon'' as a
Stabskapitän
''Stabskapitän'' (en: Staff captain), in the cavalry also ''Stabsrittmeister'' (en: "Staff riding master" or "Staff cavalry master"), or ''Kapitänleutnant'' (en: Captain lieutenant), was a historic military rank in the Prussian Army. In refer ...
. In early 1812 he was promoted to major and fought on 2 May 1813 in the
Battle of Lützen. During the war in France he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. In spring 1815 he joined the general staff of the army of Field Marshal
Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher
Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, Fürst von Wahlstatt (; 21 December 1742 – 12 September 1819), ''Graf'' (count), later elevated to ''Fürst'' (sovereign prince) von Wahlstatt, was a Prussian '' Generalfeldmarschall'' (field marshal). He earne ...
and was then made a colonel.
Having been made a lieutenant general in 1821, he was appointed the successor of the Prussian Minister of War
Karl Georg Albrecht Ernst von Hake file:Karl von Hake (cropped).jpg, 250px, Karl von Hake
Karl Georg Albrecht Ernst von Hake (8 August 1768 – 19 May 1835) was a Kingdom of Prussia, Prussian general and Minister of War.
Biography
Hake was born on the estate of Flatow (now part of ...
upon his resignation in 1833. He worked to integrate the standing army and the ''
Landwehr
''Landwehr'', or ''Landeswehr'', is a German language term used in referring to certain national armies, or militias found in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Europe. In different context it refers to large-scale, low-strength fortificatio ...
''. He also managed the introduction of the
needle gun
A needle gun (or needle rifle for varieties with rifling) is a firearm that has a needle-like firing pin, which can pass through the paper cartridge case to strike a percussion cap at the bullet base.
Types Pauly
A diagram of a needle-gun ...
, and revised the military criminal code. Job von Witzleben retired due to severe illness in 1835 and died two years later, aged 53. He was buried in the Berlin
Invalids' Cemetery
The Invalids' Cemetery (german: Invalidenfriedhof) is one of the oldest cemeteries in Berlin. It was the traditional resting place of the Prussian Army, and is regarded as particularly important as a memorial to the German Wars of Liberation ...
, close to Scharnhorsts's grave.
Personal life
Witzleben married Auguste Henriette, née von Splittgerber in 1812. The couple had eight children. His daughter Hertha (1815–1879) was married to
Edwin Freiherr von Manteuffel
Edwin Karl Rochus Freiherr von Manteuffel (24 February 180917 June 1885) was a Prussian ''Generalfeldmarschall'' noted for his victories in the Franco-Prussian War, and the first Imperial Lieutenant (german: Reichsstatthalter) of Alsace–Lorrai ...
. In 1823, he acquired a large estate close to
Charlottenburg
Charlottenburg () is a locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Established as a town in 1705 and named after Sophia Charlotte of Hanover, Queen consort of Prussia, it is best known for Charlottenburg Palace, the ...
, where he had a manor house erected. Later named ''Witzleben'' quarter, the area is today part of Berlin's
Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf
Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf () is the fourth borough of Berlin, formed in an administrative reform with effect from 1 January 2001, by merging the former boroughs of Charlottenburg and Wilmersdorf.
Overview
Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf covers the w ...
borough. He also held
Liszkowo manor in
West Prussia
The Province of West Prussia (german: Provinz Westpreußen; csb, Zôpadné Prësë; pl, Prusy Zachodnie) was a province of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and 1878 to 1920. West Prussia was established as a province of the Kingdom of Prussia in 177 ...
.
General Lieutenant Witzleben was musically talented and a gifted violinist. As a
freemason, he was a member of the
Grand National Mother Lodge, "The Three Globes"
The Grand National Mother Lodge "The Three Globes" (Große National-Mutterloge „Zu den drei Weltkugeln“) is the oldest recognized Masonic Grand Lodge in Germany, being found in Berlin in 1740. In 1933, being one of eight national Grand Lodges, ...
.
Decorations
*
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...
, second (1813) and first class (1814)
*
Order of the Red Eagle
The Order of the Red Eagle (german: Roter Adlerorden) was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful se ...
, third class (1817)
*Order of Stanislaus, first class (1818)
*Order of the Red Eagle, second class with oak leaf cluster (1820)
*
Order of the Zähringer Lion
The Order of the Zähringer Lion was instituted on 26 December 1812 by Karl, Grand Duke of Baden
, house = Zähringen
, father = Charles Louis, Hereditary Prince of Baden
, mother = Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt ...
(1822)
*
Service Award Cross {{Unreferenced, date=June 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot)
A Service Award Cross (''Dienstauszeichnungskreuz'') was an award for long-time service as a civil servant or member of the military. Prussia had a service cross for 25-years service for office ...
(1825)
*Commander of the
Military William Order
The Military William Order, or often named Military Order of William (Dutch: , abbreviation: MWO), is the oldest and highest honour of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is named after St. William of Gellone (755–814), the first Prince of Oran ...
of the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
(1825)
*
Brilliant to the Order of Stanislaus, first class (1829)
*Star to the Order of the Red Eagle, second class (1830)
*Order of the Red Eagle, first class with oak leaf cluster (1832)
*
Order of St. Alexander Nevsky
The Imperial Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky was an order of chivalry of the Russian Empire first awarded on by Empress Catherine I of Russia.
History
The introduction of the Imperial Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky was envisioned by Empero ...
(1834)
*Diamond to the Russian Order of Alexander Nevsky (1835)
*
Ludwigsorden,
Grand Cross
Grand Cross is the highest class in many orders, and manifested in its insignia. Exceptionally, the highest class may be referred to as Grand Cordon or equivalent. In other cases, there may exist a rank even higher than Grand Cross, e.g. Grand ...
(1835)
References
* Wilhelm Dorow: ''Job von Witzleben, königl. Preuß. Kriegsminister. Mittheilungen desselben und seiner Freunde zur Beurteilung preuß. Zustände und wichtiger Zeitfragen''. Tauchnitz, Leipzig 1842
Digitalisat
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Witzleben, Job Von
1783 births
1837 deaths
People from Halberstadt
Lieutenant generals of Prussia
Thuringian nobility
Burials at the Invalids' Cemetery
Knights Commander of the Military Order of William
Prussian Army personnel of the Napoleonic Wars
Military personnel from Saxony-Anhalt