Martin Ernst von Schlieffen (30 October 1732 in Pudenzig, Pomerania – 15 February 1825 near Heiligenrode) was a German general, politician, writer and garden architect. Schlieffen was the son of the Prussian officer and landowner, Hans Michael von Schlieffen and his wife Anna Helena von Petersdorff. He was a member of the

Schlieffen Schlieffen (or Schliefen) is the name of an old German noble family from Pomerania. The family, branches of which still exist today, originates in Kolberg. History Origin The family is first mentioned in records in 1365 with ''Henning Sleff' ...

family, which belonged to the German nobility. In 1745 he joined the Prussian army. He served in the garrison regiment in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

, until the regiment was divided into smaller garrisons in

Eberswalde Eberswalde () is a major town and the administrative seat of the district Barnim in the German State ( Bundesland / ''federated state'') of Brandenburg, about 50 km northeast of Berlin. Population 42,144 (census in June 2005), geographi ...

, Bernau and

Templin Templin () is a small town in the Uckermark district of Brandenburg, Germany. Though it has a population of only 17,127 (2006), in terms of area it is, with 377.01 km2 (145.56 sq mi), the second largest town in Brandenburg (after Wittstock) and ...

. In 1749 he was transferred to the Guards in

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream o ...

, with King Frederick II. Through reading, he educated himself as a writer. In 1755 he got a lung infection and was dismissed from the Prussian military, and was not re-employed in 1757 after his recovery. In 1757 he joined the Hessian military, and by 1763 had become a general. He had served time as adjutant-general to

Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Ferdinand, Prince of Brunswick-Lüneburg (12 January 1721, Wolfenbüttel – 3 July 1792, Vechelde), was a German-Prussian field marshal (1758–1766) known for his participation in the Seven Years' War. From 1757 to 1762 he led an Anglo-Germ ...

. In 1772 he was promoted to Lieutenant-General by Landgrave Frederick II of Hesse-Kassel, and made Minister of State of Hesse. He was also made a knight of the Order of the Golden Lion. Schlieffen became the most important adviser of Landgraves Frederick II and William IX. In 1776 he accompanied to London the troops that had been lent to England by the Hessian Landgrave for the war in North America. In 1789 he entered the service of Prussia again under Frederick William II. He became governor of the

Wesel citadel The Wesel citadel is the largest intact fortification system of the Rhineland and was built 1688–1722 in Wesel according to plans by Johan de Corbin, in the form of a pentagonal star, with each point of the star being a bastion. The citadel was ...

and was soon awarded the

Order of the Black Eagle The Order of the Black Eagle (german: Hoher Orden vom Schwarzen Adler) was the highest order of chivalry in the Kingdom of Prussia. The order was founded on 17 January 1701 by Elector Friedrich III of Brandenburg (who became Friedrich I, King ...

. In the following years, he undertook several diplomatic missions at home and abroad. In 1790 he commanded the troops marching into Liège. In 1792 he resigned from the army. He withdrew to his estate at Windhausen, but also lived some of the time in Mecklenburg. For his retirement home at Windhausen, he built Schloss Windhausen, as well as the Germanic Gardens next to it. He devoted himself to scientific studies and was a prolific writer, for which he received membership in the Prussian and the Bavarian Academy of Sciences (1808). He was a friend of Friedrich Schiller. The author wrote a family history of the von Schlieffens, as well as an autobiography. In the Kingdom of Westphalia, he was made a Baron on 2 April 1813 and was three times awarded the

Order of the Crown of Westphalia The Order of the Crown of Westphalia (german: Orden der Westfälischen Krone) was instituted in Paris on 25 December 1809 by King Hieronymus I of Westphalen, better known as Napoleon's brother Jérôme Bonaparte. The motto of the Order was "CHA ...

(he was made a Knight on 5 February 1810; a Commander on 28 March 1811 and a Knight Commander in October 1813). He died at the age of 92 years. Martin_Ernst_von_Schlieffen

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