Tugendbund, or League of Virtue was a quasi-Masonic
secret society founded in June 1808, in order to revive the national spirit of
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 ...
ns after their defeat by
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 ...
. It was established after the
Battle of Jena–Auerstedt, in the spring of 1808 at
Koningsberg.
History
The three
masonic
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
lodges of Koningsberg who established ''Tugendbund'', officially named it "Scientific society for the exercise of morality" (Sittlich Wissenschaftlicher-Verein). Despite the fact that the specific society was approved by Frederick William III on June 30, 1808, it met the hostility of
Heinrich Friedrich Karl vom und zum Stein who sought to promote his own view on the
Prussian reforms
The Prussian Reform Movement was a series of constitutional, administrative, social and economic reforms early in nineteenth-century Prussia. They are sometimes known as the Stein-Hardenberg Reforms, for Karl Freiherr vom Stein and Karl August ...
. The society was initially banned by Napoleonic decree and then by
Frederick William III
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 ...
in December 1809.
Objectives and rebellions
The objectives of Tugendbund were apparently pedagogical. However, some members, encouraged by the successes of the Spanish revolt, were persuaded that they needed more direct
military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
action against
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
. In April 1809
Friedrich von Katte, former Prussian officer led a revolt in
Westphalia
Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants.
The territory of the regio ...
aiming to seize
Magdeburg
Magdeburg (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river.
Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebu ...
. However, he failed to rouse the local population and decamping and scattering his military body of volunteers returned to
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 ...
, where he was arrested.
Soon another member of Tugendbund,
Wilhelm von Dörnberg
Wilhelm Caspar Ferdinand Freiherr von Dörnberg (14 April 1768, Schloss Hausen near Bad Hersfeld - 19 March 1850, Münster) was a German general. He was also known as 'Aufstandsdörnberg' or 'Uprising Dörnberg', for his part in the German cam ...
, former military, led another uprising, aiming to occupy
Kassel, the capital of Westphalia. Dörnberg was eventually defeated by the troops of Westphalia and fled to England.
Most famous of all riots was the revolt of
Ferdinand von Schill
Ferdinand Baptista von Schill (6 January 1776 – 31 May 1809) was a Prussian major who revolted unsuccessfully against French domination of Prussia in May 1809.
Schill's rebellion ended at the Battle of Stralsund, a battle which also saw Schil ...
. Schill participated in Tugendbund after the war and was in contact with Katte and Dörnberg. In April 1809 Schill led his regiment of
Hussars
A hussar ( , ; hu, huszár, pl, husarz, sh, husar / ) was a member of a class of light cavalry, originating in Central Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely a ...
in
Saxony
Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...
, just before the border with Westphalia. The revolt allegedly caused the enthusiasm of local people, without, however, any kind of military support. Schill was killed in
Stralsund, in May 1809. By June of the same year leaflets naming him a hero and good patriot circulated in Berlin.
Under Napoleon's pressure, who tried to suppress anti-French feelings, Frederick William III ordered the suppression of such publications and leaflets. The Tugendbund has been terminated in late 1809, while the surviving officers were convicted and were dismissed for their role in the uprising.
Membership
Members of Tugendbund were mostly liberal nobles, representatives of the intelligentsia and officials. Society was established on a network of groups dedicated to cultivating patriotic feelings, with ultimate goal the liberation of German territory from French occupation. This was the reason that promoted practical reforms and moral improvement through education. Although it was open to all
profession
A profession is a field of work that has been successfully ''professionalized''. It can be defined as a disciplined group of individuals, '' professionals'', who adhere to ethical standards and who hold themselves out as, and are accepted by ...
s and
religion
Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...
s, it never became a mass organization.
By August 1809 Tugendbund had 748 members, mostly senior
bureaucrat
A bureaucrat is a member of a bureaucracy and can compose the administration of any organization of any size, although the term usually connotes someone within an institution of government.
The term ''bureaucrat'' derives from "bureaucracy", w ...
s,
academic
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...
s and
clergy
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
.
Traders,
students and
artisan
An artisan (from french: artisan, it, artigiano) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. These objects may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative art ...
s were represented, too, although in a smaller proportion. The overall society's network was made up from groups of East
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 ...
,
Pomerania
Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...
,
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 sq ...
and
Silesia
Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...
. The society was officially terminated in January 1810.
[Tugendbund. (n.d.) ''The Great Soviet Encyclopedia'', 3rd Edition. (1970-1979). (8 June 2015) http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Tugendbund.]
References
Bibliography
*Gates, David (1997). ''Napoleonic Wars, 1803–1815''. New York: Edward Arnold Publishers. .
*Ibbeken, Rudolf (1970), ''Preußen 1807–1813. Saat und Volk als Idee und in Wirklichkeit'', Cologne: Grote.
*Leighton, James (2013). W''itnessing the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars in German Central Europe.'' NY: Palgrave Macmillan. .
*Mustafa, Sam A. (2008). ''The Long Ride of Major von Schill: A Journey through German History and Memory'' (KINDLE BOOK). Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
{{authority control
Secret societies in Germany
Organizations established in 1808
Organizations disestablished in 1810