Arvid Wittenberg porträtterad 1649 av Matthäus Merian dy

Arvid Wittenberg or Arvid Wirtenberg von Debern (1606 – 7 September 1657),

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

, field marshal and privy councillor. Born in

Porvoo Porvoo (; sv, Borgå ; la, Borgoa) is a city and a municipality in the Uusimaa region of Finland, situated on the southern coast about east of the city border of Helsinki and about from the city centre. Porvoo was one of the six medieval to ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

, died in prison in

Zamość Zamość (; yi, זאמאשטש, Zamoshtsh; la, Zamoscia) is a historical city in southeastern Poland. It is situated in the southern part of Lublin Voivodeship, about from Lublin, from Warsaw. In 2021, the population of Zamość was 62,021. ...

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 ...

, 7 September 1657. Arvid Wittenberg preferred call himself by the original Wittenberg family name, which was Wirtenberg von Debern.

Life and Career

Arvid Wittenberg was born on Johannesberg in Porvoo, Finland as a son of the assessor Johannes Wirtenberg von Debern and Magdalena Schönfeld or Magdalena Johansdotter till Skinnarbacka. The title of count was given to Arvid Wittenberg in 1652. He was married twice, with Eva Margareta von Langen from 1642 to her death in 1646 and in 1648 he married Maximiliana Elisabeth von Schönburg. Arvid Wittenberg began his military career in 1622 and participated as a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

in the Battle of Nördlingen in 1634. He was captured there but later freed. He then participated in the battles of

Wittstock Wittstock/Dosse is a town in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district, in north-western Brandenburg, Germany. Geography It is located in the eastern Prignitz region on the Dosse River near the confluence with its Glinze tributary, about east of Pritzwal ...

1636 and Chemnitz 1639 before being promoted to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

. He later came under the command of

Lennart Torstenson Lennart Torstensson, Count of Ortala, Baron of Virestad (17 August 16037 April 1651), was a Swedish Field Marshal and military engineer. Early career He was born at Forstena manor in Västergötland. His parents were Märta Nilsdotter Posse a ...

with whom he participated in the rest of the Swedish campaign in the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

until Torstenson resigned in 1645, including the battles of Breitenfeld 1642 and Jankov 1645, in which he on both occasions commanded the Swedish right flank. He then took command of the Swedish army until the arrival of

Carl Gustaf Wrangel '' Fältmarskalk'' Carl Gustaf Wrangel (also Carl Gustav von Wrangel; 23 December 1613 – 5 July 1676) was a Swedish Statesman and Military Commander who commanded the Swedish forces in the Thirty Years', Torstenson, Bremen, Second Nort ...

. As Charles X Gustav prepared for Second Northern War, Wittenberg was promoted to field marshal in 1655 and was assigned command of an army of 17,000 men to attack Poland with. He surrounded the Polish army of nobles and forced it to capitulate at Ujście on 25 July 1655, and conquered the

voivodship A voivodeship is the area administered by a voivode (Governor) in several countries of central and eastern Europe. Voivodeships have existed since medieval times and the area of extent of voivodeship resembles that of a duchy in western medieva ...

s of

Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...

and

Kalisz (The oldest city of Poland) , image_skyline = , image_caption = ''Top:'' Town Hall, Former "Calisia" Piano Factory''Middle:'' Courthouse, "Gołębnik" tenement''Bottom:'' Aerial view of the Kalisz Old Town , image_flag = POL Kalisz flag.svg ...

. He besieged

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

, which capitulated 7 October 1655, and forced the Polish commander

Koniecpolski The House of Koniecpolski (plural: Koniecpolscy) is the name of the Polish noble family. History The Koniecpolski was a magnate family. The family appears in the historical annals beginning in the 15th century. The family originated from the vi ...

and his army to submission. He was given the command of

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

which he defended against the Polish army under

John II Casimir of Poland John II Casimir ( pl, Jan II Kazimierz Waza; lt, Jonas Kazimieras Vaza; 22 March 1609 – 16 December 1672) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1648 until his abdication in 1668 as well as titular King of Sweden from 1648 ...

until the city was given up 21 June 1656. Contrary to what had been stated in the terms of capitulation, he was placed in prison in Zamość where he later died. Arvid Wittenberg combined military skills with a hard and cruel treatment of enemies, which made him hated amongst the Poles. In 1657, after Arvid Wittenberg had died in Polish custody, his son Leonard Johan Wittenberg (born 1646) was accommodated as a ward by Arvid's friend,

. In the summer of 1673, Leonard Johan married Wrangel's daughter Polidora Christiana.Asmus (2003), p.197 Arvid Wittenberg was also the father of

Beata Magdalena Wittenberg Beata Magdalena Wittenberg (1644-1705), was a Swedish courtier. She was the daughter of Count Arvid Wittenberg and Eva Margareta von Langen, and married riksråd Baron Henrik Horn in 1674. In 1675, her husband assigned her a diplomatic mission to ...

Sources

References

Bibliography

* M. G. S chybergsonin '' Nordisk familjebok''
vol. 32 (1921), col. 884f.
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wittenberg, Arvid 1606 births 1657 deaths People from Porvoo Field marshals of Sweden Swedish nobility Members of the Privy Council of Sweden Swedish prisoners of war Swedish people imprisoned abroad Swedish people who died in prison custody Prisoners who died in Polish detention 17th-century Swedish politicians Military personnel of the Thirty Years' War