Konrad von Burgsdorff (1595-1652) was a Chief Chamberlain and

Privy Councilor A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

for the

Electorate of Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 square ...

, in command of all the fortresses there, and a Knight in the

Order of Saint John The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...

. He was also a member of the

Fruitbearing Society The Fruitbearing Society (German Die Fruchtbringende Gesellschaft, lat. ''societas fructifera'') was a German literary society founded in 1617 in Weimar by German scholars and nobility. Its aim was to standardize vernacular German and promote it a ...

, devoted to standardizing the German language.

Biography

His father, Alexander Magnus von Burgsdorff (1567–1620), was a Captain in Zehden. His mother, Katharina von Roebel (1576–1615), was a daughter of the Field Marshall, . In 1609, he became a childhood companion of Prince (later

Elector Elector may refer to: * Prince-elector or elector, a member of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Holy Roman Emperors * Elector, a member of an electoral college ** Confederate elector, a member of ...

) George William. In 1612, he accompanied him to school in

Frankfurt an der Oder Frankfurt (Oder), also known as Frankfurt an der Oder (), is a city in the German state of Brandenburg. It has around 57,000 inhabitants, is one of the easternmost cities in Germany, the fourth-largest city in Brandenburg, and the largest German ...

, then to the

Duchy of Cleves The Duchy of Cleves (german: Herzogtum Kleve; nl, Hertogdom Kleef) was a State of the Holy Roman Empire which emerged from the medieval . It was situated in the northern Rhineland on both sides of the Lower Rhine, around its capital Cleves and ...

. He joined the army and became an

Fähnrich Fähnrich () is an officer candidate rank in the Austrian Bundesheer The Austrian Armed Forces (german: Bundesheer, lit=Federal Army) are the combined military forces of the Republic of Austria. The military consists of 22,050 active-d ...

(officer candidate) in 1614. At one point, he was so seriously wounded that he was left for dead on the battlefield. He was discovered alive the next morning, and required a year to fully recover. When he returned to Brandenburg, he was named a Chamberlain and joined George William's court bodyguard. He was promoted to

Hauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian, and Swiss armies. While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has and originally had the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literally ...

in 1620. In 1623, he was promoted to

Oberstleutnant () is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Lieutenant colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedis ...

and ordered to recruit five companies of horsemen. Three years later, he was given the same rank in a foot regiment. In 1630, he organized a special unit of 400 men from the bodyguards. He was promoted to

Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedish ...

in 1632, and given command of two regiments, one of horse and one of foot. Shortly after, he was given command of the city and

Spandau Citadel The Spandau Citadel (german: Zitadelle Spandau) is a fortress in Berlin, Germany, one of the best-preserved Renaissance military structures of Europe. Built from 1559–94 atop a medieval fort on an island near the meeting of the Havel and ...

. After 1640, he was also in command of the town and fortress of Küstrin. During the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

, he fought in several sieges and battles. His successes led to much envy.

Adam, Count of Schwarzenberg Adam Graf von Schwar(t)zenberg (26 August 1583 – 14 March 1641) was a German official who advised George William, Elector of Brandenburg, during the Thirty Years' War and served as the Master of the ''Johanniterorden'', the Bailiwick of Bran ...

, was especially vocal in his attempts to bring him down, but they ultimately came to nothing. In 1636, he married Elisabeth von Loeben (1604–1684), daughter of the Privy Councilor, and his wife, Margarete von Winterfeld. Their daughter, Margarethe (1637-1692), was married three times. The poet and diplomat,

Friedrich von Canitz Friedrich Rudolf Ludwig Freiherr von Canitz (27 November 1654 – 11 August 1699) was a German poet and diplomat. He was one of the few German poets of his era that Frederick the Great enjoyed. Biography Canitz was born in Berlin, Brandenb ...

, was a child of her first marriage. George William died in 1841, and was succeeded by Frederick William, who named him a Councilor and put him in command of all the fortresses in the Electorate. In 1646, Frederick William sent him to the Netherlands to petition

Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange Frederick Henry ( nl, Frederik Hendrik; 29 January 1584 – 14 March 1647) was the sovereign prince of Orange and stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from 1625 until his death in 1647. In the last ...

, for the hand of his daughter

Countess Louise Henriette of Nassau Louise Henrietta of Nassau ( nl, Louise Henriëtte van Nassau, german: Luise Henriette von Nassau; 7 December 1627 – 18 June 1667) was a Countess of Nassau, granddaughter of William I, Prince of Orange, "William the Silent", and an El ...

; a mission which was successful, but would prove to be to Konrad's detriment, as he was dismissed from all of his offices, under her instigation, in January 1652. He died a mere two weeks later. The cause is unknown. There is a well known anecdote concerning Burgsdorff: One night, after putting his master to bed, he encountered a "White Woman" on the steps of

Berlin City Palace The Berlin Palace (german: Berliner Schloss), formally the Royal Palace (german: Königliches Schloss), on the Museum Island in the Mitte area of Berlin, was the main residence of the House of Hohenzollern from 1443 to 1918. Expanded by order of ...

. After overcoming his shock, he shouted: "You old sacramental whore, haven't you drunk enough royal blood yet, do you want more?" (according to legend, the appearance of such a figure foretells the death of a

Hohenzollern The House of Hohenzollern (, also , german: Haus Hohenzollern, , ro, Casa de Hohenzollern) is a German royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) dynasty whose members were variously princes, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern, Brandenb ...

). Annoyed by this, the apparition grabbed him by the neck and threw him downstairs, cracking his bones. George William was apparently quite fond of telling this story.Martin Hürlimann: ''Berlin. Berichte und Bilder.'' Berlin 1934, pg.44

Biography

References

Further reading