Karl August Ferdinand von Borcke (18 February 1776 – 15 December 1830) 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 em ...
n general and the first recipient of the
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 est ...
.
[
]
Biography
Borcke was born in Stargard
Stargard (; 1945: ''Starogród'', 1950–2016: ''Stargard Szczeciński''; formerly German language, German: ''Stargard in Pommern'', or ''Stargard an der Ihna''; csb, Stôrgard) is a city in northwestern Poland, located in the West Pomeranian V ...
, Province of Pomerania, Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Re ...
(today Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
) to Ernst Gottlieb Kurt von Borcke (1757–1816) and Anna Margarethe née Greinert (1750–1804). He attended school at Stargard and joined the 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 ...
in 1789 as an officer's cadet. Borcke took part in Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
's Russian campaign as a member of the Prussian contingent allied to Napoleon. After Prussia changed sides in 1813 he fought in the battles of Katzbach and Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
.
He received the 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 est ...
II class for his deployment in a battle at Lüneburg on 21 April 1813, the first to be honored after its foundation by King Frederick William III of Prussia
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 ...
on 10 March 1813. Borcke commanded the Prussian 9th Infantry Brigade of the Third Corps during the Hundred Days Campaign against Napoleon and fought in the battle of Ligny
Ligny ( wa, Lignè) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Sombreffe, located in the province of Namur, Belgium.
Previously its own municipality, a 1977 fusion of the Belgian municipalities made it an '' ancienne commune'' ...
and was then the commander of the Fortress of Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
in 1815.[Biography]
Borcke was married to Ernestine Johanna Christiane née von Broesigke (1764–1836) since 1806, they had no children. He died in a hunting accident at his hometown.
Honours and awards
* 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 est ...
second class (Battle of Lüneburg
In the Battle of Lüneburg on 2 April 1813, Allied Russians and Prussians were victorious over a French and Saxon division. The battle was the first major combat action after the retreat of the defeated French in Russia behind the Elbe. Its ...
, 21 April 1813)
* 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 est ...
first class (for his part in the Battle of Leipzig
The Battle of Leipzig (french: Bataille de Leipsick; german: Völkerschlacht bei Leipzig, ); sv, Slaget vid Leipzig), also known as the Battle of the Nations (french: Bataille des Nations; russian: Битва народов, translit=Bitva ...
)
* Order of the Sword
* Order of St Vladimir (Russia)
* Order of the Red Eagle (1815)[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borcke, Karl August Ferdinand Von
1776 births
1830 deaths
People from the Province of Pomerania
Prussian commanders of the Napoleonic Wars
Lieutenant generals of Prussia
German untitled nobility
Hunting accident deaths
People from Stargard
Recipients of the Iron Cross, 1st class
Recipients of the Order of the Sword
Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir
Recipients of the Iron Cross (1813)
Accidental deaths in Poland
Deaths by firearm in Poland
Firearm accident victims