Curt Karl Bruno von François (2 October 1852 – 28 December 1931) was a German
geographer
A geographer is a physical scientist, social scientist or humanist whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society, including how society and nature interacts. The Greek prefix "geo" means "earth" a ...
,
cartographer
Cartography (; from , 'papyrus, sheet of paper, map'; and , 'write') is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an imagined reality) can ...
,
Schutztruppe
(, Protection Force) was the official name of the colonial troops in the African territories of the German colonial empire from the late 19th century to 1918. Similar to other colonial armies, the consisted of volunteer European commissioned a ...
officer and commissioner of the
imperial colonial army of the
German Empire
The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...
, particularly in
German South West Africa
German South West Africa () was a colony of the German Empire from 1884 until 1915, though Germany did not officially recognise its loss of this territory until the 1919 Treaty of Versailles.
German rule over this territory was punctuated by ...
(today's
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...
) where he was responsible on behalf of Kaiser for the foundation of the city of
Windhoek
Windhoek (; ; ) is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek, which ...
on 18 October 1890 and the harbor of
Swakopmund
Swakopmund ("Mouth of the Swakop River, Swakop") is a city on the coast of western Namibia, west of the Namibian capital Windhoek via the B2 road (Namibia), B2 main road. It is the capital of the Erongo Region, Erongo administrative district. It ...
on 4 August 1892.
Life
François was born in
Luxembourg
Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
of French
Huguenot
The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...
ancestry. He was the son of
Prussian
Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, the House of Hohenzoll ...
general Bruno von François, who was killed in the
battle of Spicheren
The Battle of Spicheren, also known as the ''Battle of Forbach'', was a battle during the Franco-Prussian War. The German victory compelled the French to withdraw to the defenses of Metz. The Battle of Spicheren, on 6 August, was the second of ...
. Curt's younger brother
Hermann von François
Hermann Karl Bruno von François (31 January 1856 – 15 May 1933) was a German ''General der Infanterie'' during World War I, and is best known for his key role in several German victories on the Eastern Front in 1914.
Early life and military ...
(1856–1933) served as a general in
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and was one of the key contributors to the German victory at the 1914
Battle of Tannenberg
The Battle of Tannenberg, also known as the Second Battle of Tannenberg, was fought between Russia and Germany between 23 and 30 August 1914, the first month of World War I. The battle resulted in the almost complete destruction of the Russ ...
. The writer
Louise von François
Marie Louise von François (27 June 1817 in Herzberg (Elster) – 25 September 1893 in Weißenfels) was a German writer, best known for her historical novel ''Die letzte Reckenburgerin'' (1871). She was a friend and correspondent of Marie von Ebne ...
was his aunt.
Like his ancestors, young Curt von François joined the Prussian
Cadet Corps. He served as a soldier in the
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...
of 1870–71, whereby his father was killed in action during the
Battle of Spicheren
The Battle of Spicheren, also known as the ''Battle of Forbach'', was a battle during the Franco-Prussian War. The German victory compelled the French to withdraw to the defenses of Metz. The Battle of Spicheren, on 6 August, was the second of ...
on 6 August 1870, and was awarded the
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...
. In 1883 he worked as a
geographer
A geographer is a physical scientist, social scientist or humanist whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society, including how society and nature interacts. The Greek prefix "geo" means "earth" a ...
on an exploratory expedition along the
Kasai River
The Kasai River (, ; called Cassai in Angola) is a left bank tributary of the Congo River, located in Central Africa. The river begins in central Angola and flows to the east until it reaches the border between Angola and the Democratic Republ ...
in the
Congo region under the leadership of
Hermann Wissmann
Hermann Wilhelm Leopold Ludwig Wissmann, after 1890 Hermann von Wissmann (4 September 1853 – 15 June 1905), was a German explorer and administrator in Africa.
Biography
Born in Frankfurt an der Oder, Wissmann was enlisted in the Prussian Arm ...
and two years later joined another expedition into the Congo led by
George Grenfell
George Grenfell (21 August 1849, in Sancreed, Cornwall – 1 July 1906, in Basoko, Congo Free State (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) was a Cornish missionary and explorer.
Early years
Grenfell was born at Sancreed, near Penza ...
. Back in Germany, he became a member of the
German General Staff
The German General Staff, originally the Prussian General Staff and officially the Great General Staff (), was a full-time body at the head of the Prussian Army and later, the Imperial German Army, German Army, responsible for the continuous stu ...
, and was elevated to the rank of ''
Hauptmann
() is an officer rank in the armies of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It is usually translated as ''captain''.
Background
While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has, and originally had, the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literall ...
'' (Captain). In 1887 he was stationed as a research officer in
German West Africa
German West Africa (''Deutsch-Westafrika'') was an informal designation for the areas in West Africa that were part of the German Colonial Empire between 1884 and 1919. The term was normally used for the territories of Cameroon and Togo. German W ...
. On behalf of the
Foreign Office
Foreign may refer to:
Government
* Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries
* Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries
** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government
** Foreign office and foreign minister
* United ...
, he explored
Togoland
Togoland, officially the Togoland Protectorate (; ), was a protectorate of the German Empire in West Africa from 1884 to 1914, encompassing what is now the nation of Togo and most of what is now the Volta Region of Ghana, approximately 90,400&nb ...
and the trade route to
Salaga
Salaga is a town and is the capital of East Gonja district, a district in the Savannah Region of north Ghana. Salaga had a 2012 settlement population of 25,472 people. Salaga was the largest slave market in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Etymolo ...
up to the
Mossi territory in the north.
South West Africa
In 1883, the German merchant
Adolf Lüderitz
Franz Adolf Eduard Lüderitz (16 July 1834 – end of October 1886) was a German merchant and the founder of German South West Africa, Imperial Germany's first colony. The coastal town of Lüderitz, located in the ǁKaras Region of souther ...
had purchased the coastal area of
Angra Pequena
Angra may refer to:
Places
* Bay of Angra (Baía de Angra), within Angra do Heroísmo on the Portuguese island of Terceira in the archipelago of the Azores
* Angra do Heroísmo, a municipality in the Azores, Portugal
* Angra dos Reis, a municipal ...
, following negotiations with a local African chief. He called this coastal region of southwestern Africa
Lüderitz
Lüderitz is a town in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia. It lies on one of the least hospitable coasts in Africa. It is a port developed around Robert Harbour and Shark Island. Lüderitz had a population of 16,125 people in 2023.
Th ...
. Fearing that the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
were soon to declare the area a protectorate, Lüderitz advised the German chancellor
Otto von Bismarck
Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (; born ''Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck''; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898) was a German statesman and diplomat who oversaw the unification of Germany and served as ...
to claim it, which he did at the
Berlin Conference
The Berlin Conference of 1884–1885 was a meeting of colonial powers that concluded with the signing of the General Act of Berlin, of 1884. On 7 October the colony of
German South West Africa
German South West Africa () was a colony of the German Empire from 1884 until 1915, though Germany did not officially recognise its loss of this territory until the 1919 Treaty of Versailles.
German rule over this territory was punctuated by ...
was established under ''
Reichskommissar
(, rendered as "Commissioner of the Empire", "Reich Commissioner" or "Imperial Commissioner"), in German history, was an official governatorial title used for various public offices during the period of the German Empire and Nazi Germany.
Ger ...
'' governor
Gustav Nachtigal
Gustav Nachtigal (; born 23 February 1834 – 20 April 1885) was a German military surgeon and explorer of Central and West Africa. He is further known as the German Empire's consul-general for Tunisia and Commissioner for West Africa. His miss ...
.
However, the German authorities met with fierce resistance by the local
Herero people
The Herero () are a Bantu people, Bantu ethnic group inhabiting parts of Southern Africa. 178,987 Namibians identified as Ovaherero in the 2023 census. They speak Otjiherero, a Bantu language. Though the Herero primarily reside in Namibia, there ...
. When in 1888 their officials were forcibly expelled from
Okahandja
Okahandja is a city of 45,159 inhabitants in Otjozondjupa Region, central Namibia, and the district capital of the Okahandja electoral constituency. It is known as the ''Garden Town of Namibia''. It is located 70 km north of Windhoek on the B1 r ...
, the
German Colonial Society
The German Colonial Society () (DKG) was a German organisation formed on 19 December 1887 to promote German colonialism. The Society was formed through the merger of the (; established in 1882 in Frankfurt) and the Society for German Colonization ...
engaged ''Hauptmann'' Curt von François to provide security to the territory. In June 1889 he arrived with 21 troopers, 8 soldiers of the
Imperial Army and 13 volunteers in the British-held enclave of
Walvis Bay
Walvis Bay (; ; ) is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies. It is the List of cities in Namibia, second largest city in Namibia and the largest coastal city in the country. The city covers an area of of land.
The bay is a ...
. Soon afterwards François stationed himself at
Otjimbingwe
Otjimbingwe (also: Otjimbingue) is a settlement in the Erongo Region of central Namibia. Otjimbingwe has approximately 8,000 inhabitants and belongs to the Karibib electoral constituency.
Otjimbingwe was an important settlement in South West Afr ...
(against the advice of acting commissioner
Heinrich Göring Heinrich may refer to:
People
* Heinrich (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
* Heinrich (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
*Hetty (given name), a given name (including a list of peo ...
) in order to deal with opponents to German authority in the interior of the territory. In May 1890 he renewed a former peace agreement with the Herero chief
Maharero
Maharero kaTjamuaha (Otjiherero: ''Maharero, son of Tjamuaha'', short: Maharero; 1820 – 7 October 1890) was one of the most powerful paramount chiefs of the Herero people in South-West Africa, today's Namibia.
Early life
Maharero, was ...
and eventually occupied the completely destroyed settlement of
Windhoek
Windhoek (; ; ) is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek, which ...
(founded by
Jonker Afrikaner
Jonker Afrikaner (3 February 1785, 18 August 1861, Okahandja) was the fourth Captain of the Orlam in South West Africa, succeeding his father, Jager Afrikaner, in 1823. Soon after becoming ''Kaptein'', he left his father's settlement at Bly ...
decades earlier). Upon Maharero's death in October, his son
Samuel Maharero
Samuel Maharero (1856 – 14 March 1923) was a Paramount Chief of the Herero people in German South West Africa (today Namibia) during their revolts and in connection with the events surrounding the Herero and Nama genocide. Today he is con ...
had to reaffirm the treaty. At Windhoek, François set up the new headquarters of the German occupation (which he called ''
Alte Feste'', Old Fortress). This location was chosen because the Germans felt it would serve as a buffer zone between the
Nama and Herero tribes.
After Göring was recalled from office, François served as ''Reichskommissar'' of German South West Africa from March 1891 until November 1893. Within this time period (on 12 September 1892) he established the coastal town of
Swakopmund
Swakopmund ("Mouth of the Swakop River, Swakop") is a city on the coast of western Namibia, west of the Namibian capital Windhoek via the B2 road (Namibia), B2 main road. It is the capital of the Erongo Region, Erongo administrative district. It ...
as the main harbour of German South West Africa and
map
A map is a symbolic depiction of interrelationships, commonly spatial, between things within a space. A map may be annotated with text and graphics. Like any graphic, a map may be fixed to paper or other durable media, or may be displayed on ...
ped large parts of the colony. In November 1893 he was promoted to Major and given the title of ''
Landeshauptmann
The Landeshauptmann (if male) or Landeshauptfrau (if female) (, "state captain", plural ''Landeshauptleute,'' ) is the chairman of a state government and the supreme official of an Austrian state and the Italian autonomous provinces of South Ty ...
''.
However, François at the same time had to cope with the rising resistance by the Nama people. On 12 April 1893 he led an attack of 225 German soldiers on Nama leader
Hendrik Witbooi's headquarters at Hoornkrans west of
Rehoboth. The shelling of the
Oorlam
The Oorlam or Orlam people (also known as Orlaam, Oorlammers, Oerlams, or Orlamse Hottentots) are a subtribe of the Nama people, largely assimilated after their migration from the Cape Colony (today, part of South Africa) to Namaqualand and ...
kraal
Kraal (also spelled ''craal'' or ''kraul'') is an Afrikaans and Dutch language, Dutch word, also used in South African English, for an pen (enclosure), enclosure for cattle or other livestock, located within a Southern African Human settlement ...
and its final storming led to tremendous civilian casualties. Rendered as the "Massacre of Hoornkrans" by the international press, it severely damaged François' reputation. Moreover, Witbooi escaped and fled into the
Naukluft Mountains
The Naukluft Mountains (Afrikaans and German: ''Naukluftberge'') are a mountain range in central Namibia. The southern part of the mountain range forms the easternmost part of the Namib-Naukluft National Park. The northern mountains are occupied ...
, where he waged several months of guerrilla warfare against the German forces.
[Jörg Schildknecht: ''Bismarck, Südwestafrika und die Kongokonferenz: Die völkerrechtlichen Grundlagen der effektiven Okkupation und ihre Nebenpflichten am Beispiel des Erwerbs der ersten deutschen Kolonie.'' LIT-Verlag, 2000.]
François' force was formally established as the
Imperial Schutztruppe for German South West Africa
The Imperial Schutztruppe for German South West Africa () was the official name of the military formation that maintained the Imperial German rule in its colony of German South West Africa. The Schutztruppe are held responsible for numerous atr ...
by the Reich Law of 9 June 1895.
Later years
In 1894 François was replaced by
Theodor Leutwein
Theodor Gotthilf Leutwein (9 May 1849 – 13 April 1921) was a German military officer and colonial administrator who served as Landeshauptmann and governor of German Southwest Africa from 1894 to 1905.
Life and career
Leutwein was born i ...
as ''Landeshauptmann'' of South West Africa. He embarked in
Cape Town
Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...
to Germany and during the following year he retired from military life. In retirement in
Zernsdorf Zernsdorf is a village in Dahme-Spreewald, Brandenburg, Germany. Since 2003 it has been part of the city of Königs Wusterhausen. The population is approximately 4,500.
Geography
Zernsdorf is situated south-east of Berlin, on the banks of three ...
,
Brandenburg
Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...
, he wrote extensively about his experiences in Africa.
Private life
Von François married
Damara princess Amalia Gawaxas while in German South West Africa. They had a daughter, Josephine. His wife died soon thereafter, and he re-married in Germany. His second wife was Margarethe Meyer zu Bohmte from a wealthy family. They had four children, two of which died in their infancy.
Von François died in a
Königs Wusterhausen
Königs Wusterhausen (; , ) is a town in the Dahme-Spreewald district of the state of Brandenburg in Germany a few kilometers outside Berlin.
Geography
Geographical location
Königs Wusterhausen – locally known as "KW" () or "KWh" ()– lie ...
hospital on 28 December 1931. He was interred in the
Invalids' Cemetery
The Invalids' Cemetery () is one of the oldest cemeteries in Berlin. It was the traditional resting place of the Prussian Army, and is regarded as particularly important as a memorial to the German Wars of Liberation of 1813–15.
History
T ...
in
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
. The part of the cemetery where he was buried belonged to the forbidden area of the Eastern side of the
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall (, ) was a guarded concrete Separation barrier, barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (GDR; East Germany). Construction of the B ...
. This area was flattened, and of his grave only the location remained documented. From that information the grave was restored in 2018, and a tombstone was erected.
[
]
Recognition
In front of Windhoek's municipal buildings there was a statue of von François. It was inaugurated on 18 October 1965 on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the second foundation of the town by him. The statue was controversial in Windhoek, and several calls for its removal had been made prior to being taken down on 23 November 2022.
The original ''Schutztruppe'' headquarters built at the behest of François in 1890 at Windhoek was expanded in 1912, and has been a museum since 1962.
Written works
* ''Reise im Hinterlandes des deutschen Schutzgebiets Togo'', Mitteilungen Von Forschungsreisenden Und Gelehrten Aus Den Deutschen Schutzgebieten I, Berlin 1888 - ''Travel in the Hinterland of the German Togo Conservation Area'', Communications from Researchers and Scholars from the German Protected Areas
* ''Die Erforschung des Tschuapa und Lulongo : Reisen in Centralafrika'', Brockhaus, Leipzig
Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
1888. - Exploration of Tschuapa and Lulongo: Travels in Central Africa
Central Africa (French language, French: ''Afrique centrale''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''África central''; Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''África Central'') is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries accordin ...
.
* ''Deutsch-Südwest-Afrika'', Verlag D. Reimer, Berlin 1899. - German South West Africa.
* ''Kriegführung in Süd-Afrika'', Dietrich Reimer, Berlin 1900. - Warfare in South Africa.
* ''Lehren aus dem Südafrikanischen Kriege für das deutsche Heer''. with eight sketches, Verlag E. S. Mittler & Sohn, Berlin 1901. - Lessons from the South African War for the German army.
* ''Der Hottentotten-Aufstand. Studie über die Vorgänge im Namalande v. Jan. 1904 bis 2. Jan. 1905 u. d. Aussichten d. Niederwerfung d. Aufstandes''., Berlin 1905. - The Hottentot uprising, etc.
* ''Ohne Schuss durch dick und dünn: erste Erforschung des Togohinterlandes ithout a shot through thick and thin: First exploration of the Togo Hinterland(Privately published by Dr. Erika Götz von François in 1972)
References and external links
Biographies of Namibian personalities
by Klaus Dierks
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Francois, Curt Von
1852 births
1931 deaths
People from Luxembourg City
History of Windhoek
Colonial people of German South West Africa
German explorers of Africa
German mass murderers
German military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War
German war criminals
Burials at the Invalids' Cemetery
Prussian Army personnel
Schutztruppe personnel
Recipients of the Iron Cross (1870), 2nd class