Johan August Meijerfeldt den äldre SP165

Johan August Meijerfeldt (1664–1749) was a Swedish general and civil servant. To distinguish him from his son who had an identical name, he is generally referred to as Johan August Meijerfeldt the Elder.

Biography

Johan August Meijerfeldt was born in

Livonia Livonia ( liv, Līvõmō, et, Liivimaa, fi, Liivinmaa, German and Scandinavian languages: ', archaic German: ''Liefland'', nl, Lijfland, Latvian and lt, Livonija, pl, Inflanty, archaic English: ''Livland'', ''Liwlandia''; russian: Ли ...

and entered Swedish military service in 1684. He made a rapid military career and was promoted to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

in 1704. During the

Battle of Helsingborg The Battle of Helsingborg was the last major engagement of the Great Northern War to take place on Swedish soil, and resulted in a decisive victory of a Swedish force of 14,000 men under the command of Magnus Stenbock against a Danish force of ...

in 1710, he led the right flank of the Swedish troops. Later that year he was promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

and made commander of the Swedish troops in Szczecin. The following year he was assigned to the civilian administration as vice governor of

Swedish Pomerania Swedish Pomerania ( sv, Svenska Pommern; german: Schwedisch-Pommern) was a dominion under the Swedish Crown from 1630 to 1815 on what is now the Baltic coast of Germany and Poland. Following the Polish War and the Thirty Years' War, Sweden held ...

, and two years later promoted to governor of the province and was also appointed member of the

Privy Council of Sweden The Council of the Realm, or simply The Council ( sv, Riksrådet or sv, Rådet: sometimes in la, Senatus Regni Sueciae), was a cabinet of medieval origin, consisting of magnates ( sv, stormän) which advised, and at times co-ruled with, the Ki ...

. While in Pomerania he also became the

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of the

University of Greifswald The University of Greifswald (; german: Universität Greifswald), formerly also known as “Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald“, is a public research university located in Greifswald, Germany, in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pom ...

in 1715. He had to leave Pomerania briefly after the fall of Stralsund to 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- Saxonian-Danish army that same year but returned after the end of the war. He retired from public offices in 1747. He has been described as one of the most accomplished generals serving under King Charles XII of Sweden, and as a successful civil servant. He became a Swedish baron in 1705, and in 1714 was raised to the rank of

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meijerfeldt, Johan August the Younger 1664 births 1749 deaths Barons of Sweden Caroleans Members of the Privy Council of Sweden Swedish military personnel of the Great Northern War Swedish generals People from Swedish Livonia 18th-century Swedish politicians