Maximilian "Max" Graf Seyssel d'Aix (20 November 1776 – 12 September 1855) was a

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

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 ...

Birth

Seyssel d'Aix was born in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

as a member of the Seyssel d'Aix family, which moved from the

Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south. Savo ...

to Bavaria in the beginning 18th century.

Early career

After joining the army in his youth, he participated in the campaigns at the

River Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , sourc ...

in 1794 and 1795 with the rank of Oberleutnant, and in the war of 1800 as a

Rittmeister __NOTOC__ (German and Scandinavian for "riding master" or "cavalry master") is or was a military rank of a commissioned cavalry officer in the armies of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Scandinavia, and some other countries. A ''Rittmeister'' is typic ...

. Then he served in the campaigns against

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

in 1805 and also against

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 ...

in 1806/07 with the rank of

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

. Believing that he had rendered outstanding services during the battle at Rothwaltersdorf on 4 June 1807, Seyssel d'Aix requested the bestowal of the

Military Order of Max Joseph The Military Order of Max Joseph (german: Militär-Max-Joseph-Orden) was the highest military order of the Kingdom of Bavaria. It was founded on 1 January 1806 by Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, the first king of Bavaria. The order came in th ...

. However, Lieutenant General Von Deroy argued against Seyssel d'Aix's request, stating that his battle activities were more likely to be punished than awarded, if judged in the court of public opinion.

Later career

Seyssel d'Aix took part in the war of 1812 as an

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 ...

and commander of the 22nd Light Cavalry Brigade of the Grande Armée. After a short respite at home in the garrison of

Augsburg Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ' ...

in early 1813, he was returned to the front as commander of a combined Chevau-légers regiment, deployed to Bamberg in 1813. This regiment was subordinated to the " Raglovich" division. He proved his mettle in the

Bautzen Bautzen () or Budyšin () is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and the administrative centre of the district of Bautzen. It is located on the Spree river. In 2018 the town's population was 39,087. Until 1868, its German name was ''Budi ...

, and was awarded with the

Knight's Cross Knight's Cross (German language ''Ritterkreuz'') refers to a distinguishing grade or level of various orders that often denotes bravery and leadership on the battlefield. Most frequently the term Knight's Cross is used to refer to the Knight's Cr ...

''Urkunden- und Dokumentennachlass des Generalcapitain der Leibgarde der Hartschiere Generalleutnant Maximilian Graf von Seyssel d'Aix (1776-1855)''
(German). of the prestigious (and personally desired) Military Order of Max Joseph for actions taken on 26 May, when he came to the rescue of the " Pacthod" division. On 17 August 1813 Seyssel d'Aix, another officer and 40 cavalrymen were captured in the battle at Dornswalde (which is today, a quarter of

Baruth/Mark Baruth/Mark is a town in the Teltow-Fläming district of Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated 24 km east of Luckenwalde, and 53 km south of Berlin. Geography Baruth/Mark is structured in the following parts of town,Main constitution of ...

). After Bavaria joined the alliance, he was set free and returned to his regiment. He took part in further campaigns in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and in the

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

region in 1815. After serving as divisional commander, he was promoted to ''Generalkapitän'' of the

Leibgarde der Hartschiere Hartschiere (singular form: ''Hartschier'') were predominantly members of the Bavarian residence guards before 1918, a historic military branch of the former Duchy and the later Electorate and at last Kingdom of Bavaria. History According to M ...

on 13 January 1837. Because he had not requested this promotion, he asked to be retired on several occasions, and his request was finally granted in 1845. In 1842, prior to his retirement, the important defense barracks of Germersheim fortress was named in his honor.

Personal life

Seyssel d'Aix was married to Princess Sophie of Yrsch-Pienzenau (1805–1872), who was appointed "Pallastdame" (

Lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

) of the Queen and was honorary dame of the

Order of Theresa The Order of Theresa was an order for noble ladies in the Kingdom of Bavaria. It continues to function today as an honorary society to which belong the princesses of the House of Wittelsbach as well as other ladies from Bavarian noble families. H ...

. The couple had three sons and two daughters: Edwin (1824–1912), Ludwig (1825–1895), Klothilde (1826–1891), Emma (born 1827) and Camil (1836–1895). Seyssel d'Aix died on 12 September 1855 in

Regensburg Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...

. He was 79 years old.''Count Maximilian of Seyssel-Aix''
, RootsWeb.

Awards

* Kurfürstliches Kämmerer-Dekret (1799) * Knights Cross of the

(Bavaria) * Chevalier of the

Légion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

(France, 1819), previously appointed Officier (1813) * Honor Cross of the Royal Bavarian

Ludwig Order The Ludwig Order (german: Großherzoglich Hessischer Ludwigsorden), was an order of the Grand Duchy of Hesse which was awarded to meritorious soldiers and civilians from 1807 to 1918. History The order was founded by Louis I, Grand Duke of Hesse ...

(1828) * Commanders Cross of the Royal Merit Order of St Michael (Bavaria, 1838) * Knight of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia, 1838) * Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold (Austria, 1844)

References and notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seyssel dAix, Maximilian 1776 births 1855 deaths Military personnel from Munich Bavarian generals Knights of the Military Order of Max Joseph Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia) German commanders of the Napoleonic Wars