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 ...

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 es ...

Biography

Borcke was born in Stargard, 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''. ...

(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 populou ...

) 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 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 ...

Russian campaign The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign, the Second Polish War, the Army of Twenty nations, and the Patriotic War of 1812 was launched by Napoleon Bonaparte to force the Russian Empire back into the continental block ...

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 ...

. He received the

II class for his deployment in a battle at

Lüneburg Lüneburg (officially the ''Hanseatic City of Lüneburg'', German: ''Hansestadt Lüneburg'', , Low German ''Lümborg'', Latin ''Luneburgum'' or ''Lunaburgum'', Old High German ''Luneburc'', Old Saxon ''Hliuni'', Polabian ''Glain''), also called ...

on 21 April 1813, the first to be honored after its foundation by King Frederick William III of Prussia 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 Battle of Ligny, Ligny and was then the commander of the Fortress of Luxembourg 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

second class (Battle of Lüneburg, 21 April 1813) *

first class (for his part in the Battle of Leipzig) * 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