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Georg Wilhelm "William" Eduard Schmidt von der Launitz (Born Launitz; russian: Васи́лий Фёдорович Лауниц, tr. ; 1802) was a Baltic German general in the service of the
Welding, Olaf. ''Baltic German Biographical Dictionary 1710-1960.'' (1970), pp. 691
Order of St. George, 4th class (11.12.1840)
* Golden Weapon with the inscription "For Bravery" (1831)
* 
Order of St. Stanislaus, 1st class
* 
Order of St. Vladimir, 2nd class
* 
Order of the White Eagle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Launitz, Wilhelm Schmidt von der 1802 births 1864 deaths Baltic-German people from the Russian Empire Imperial Russian Army generals
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian Ar ...
. Launitz was noted for being a strict and disciplined commander, and thanks to his effort, many of his troops’ living conditions were improved. Launitz also served as the first commander of the Kharkov Military District from August 1864 before dying from falling of his horse in October of the same year.
Biography
Origin
Georg Wilhelm Eduard von der Launitz was born on into the family of Christian Friedrich Launitz, a pastor in Grobin, and Dorothea Elizabeth Kolb, he was the brother of the sculptorRobert
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
and nephew to another famous sculptor Eduard Schmidt von der Launitz
Nikolaus Karl Eduard Schmidt von der Launitz (born Nikolaus Karl Eduard Launitz; 23 November 1797 – 12 December 1869) was a German sculptor.
Biography
Launitz was born a Baltic German in Grobin, Courland, which was then part of the Russian Emp ...
. Little was known about the Launitz family’s ( ru) history, the only known history was that first ever known ancestor was Jürgen Launitz, all what was known about him was that he was a landowner in Courland
Courland (; lv, Kurzeme; liv, Kurāmō; German and Scandinavian languages: ''Kurland''; la, Curonia/; russian: Курляндия; Estonian: ''Kuramaa''; lt, Kuršas; pl, Kurlandia) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia. ...
in the 16th Century. The commoner family was recognized with Holy Roman nobility in 1802, but it was not until 1817 then the family adopted the title ''Schmidt von der Launitz''.
Family
In 1842, Launitz married Baroness Mathilde Luise Henriette , they had 5 children includingMichael
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
, who was a hussar
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 ...
like his father. All of his children were baptized in Lutheran churches
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
, although Michael soon came under the influence of his Russian Orthodox wife and converted to Orthodoxy.Welding, Olaf. ''Baltic German Biographical Dictionary 1710-1960.'' (1970), pp. 691
Honours and awards
* Order of St. Vladimir
The Imperial Order of Saint Prince Vladimir (russian: орден Святого Владимира) was an Imperial Russian order established on by Empress Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptizer ...
, 4th class (1829)
* Order of St. George, 4th class (11.12.1840)
* Golden Weapon with the inscription "For Bravery" (1831)
* Order of St. Stanislaus, 1st class
* Order of St. Anna
The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (russian: Орден Святой Анны; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holst ...
, 1st class
* Order of St. Vladimir, 2nd class
* Order of the White Eagle
Notes
Citations
Sources
* Welding, Olaf. ''Baltic German Biographical Dictionary 1710-1960.'' (1970), from the Baltic Biographical Dictionary Digita{{DEFAULTSORT:Launitz, Wilhelm Schmidt von der 1802 births 1864 deaths Baltic-German people from the Russian Empire Imperial Russian Army generals