Dietrich Graf von Hülsen-Haeseler (13 February 1852 – 14 November 1908) was an infantry general 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 ...

. He attended the

War College A war college is a senior military academy which is normally intended for veteran military officers and whose purpose is to educate and 'train on' senior military tacticians, strategists, and leaders. It is also often the place where advanced tac ...

and was attached to 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 ...

in 1882. In 1889 he was made aide de camp to

Kaiser Kaiser ( ; ) is the title historically used by German and Austrian emperors. In German, the title in principle applies to rulers anywhere in the world above the rank of king (). In English, the word ''kaiser'' is mainly applied to the emperors ...

Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as th ...

, whom he had known since boyhood. In 1894, von Hülsen-Haeseler was named

military attaché A military attaché or defence attaché (DA),Defence Attachés
''Geneva C ...

at the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

embassy in Vienna. In 1897, now a colonel, he returned to Berlin as commander of a guards regiment. In 1899 he was promoted to major general, made chief of general staff in the Guards Corps, and then given command of the 2nd Guards Infantry Brigade. From May 1901 until his death in November 1908, von Hülsen-Haeseler served as Chief of the

German Imperial Military Cabinet The Military Cabinet (''Militärkabinett'') was a military advisory body under the direct command of the King of Prussia, and by extension the German Emperor after 1871, for handling personnel matters of the army officer corps. It emerged fro ...

, during which time he rose to

General of Infantry General of the infantry is a military rank of a General officer in the infantry and refers to: * General of the Infantry (Austria) * General of the Infantry (Bulgaria) * General of the Infantry (Germany) ('), a rank of a general in the German Imper ...

Death

On 14 November 1908, Dietrich Graf von Hülsen-Haeseler died of a heart attack while on a hunting trip in honor of the Kaiser. The hunting party was staying at Donaueschingen Castle in

Donaueschingen Donaueschingen (; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Eschinge'') is a German town in the Black Forest in the southwest of the States of Germany, federal state of Baden-Württemberg in the Schwarzwald-Baar ''Districts of Germany, Kreis''. It ...

Baden Baden (; ) is a historical territory in southern Germany. In earlier times it was considered to be on both sides of the Upper Rhine, but since the Napoleonic Wars, it has been considered only East of the Rhine. History The margraves of Ba ...

; the

Black Forest The Black Forest ( ) is a large forested mountain range in the States of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is th ...

country estate of Prince Max von Furstenberg. During a formal evening function, von Hülsen-Haeseler appeared dressed in the pink tutu and rose wreath of a

ballerina A ballet dancer is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet. They rely on years of extensive training and proper technique to become a part of a professional ballet company. Ballet dancer ...

, dancing for the Kaiser and his assembled guests. The performance included pirouettes, jumps, capers and flirtatious kisses to the audience. Apparently exhausted by his exertions, the general bowed, collapsed and was pronounced dead after hasty medical attention.James, Harold (1989). ''A German Identity: 1770–1990''. New York: Routledge. p. 82. The circumstances were covered up by the officer corps so as not to further inflame public pressure over the homosexually themed

Harden–Eulenburg affair The Eulenburg affair (also called the Harden–Eulenburg affair) was a public controversy surrounding a series of courts-martial and five civil trials regarding accusations of homosexual conduct, and accompanying libel trials, among prominent mem ...

. Ironically, it was von Hülsen-Haeseler who had organized the cover-up of that scandal.

Honours and awards

;German honours''Handbuch über den Königlich Preußischen Hof und Staat fur das jahr 1908''
p. 38
/ref> ;Foreign honours

References

External links

Justitias zweischneidiges Schwert - Magnus Hirschfeld als Gutachter in der Eulenburg-Affäre
(in German) {{DEFAULTSORT:Hulsen-Haeseler, Dietrich von 1852 births 1908 deaths Military personnel from Berlin Prussian nobility Generals of Infantry (Prussia) Recipients of the Iron Cross, 2nd class Grand Crosses of the Military Merit Order (Bavaria) Grand Crosses of the Order of Franz Joseph Grand Crosses of the Order of the Dannebrog Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Italy) Knights of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau Recipients of the Order of the Medjidie, 1st class Recipients of the Gold Imtiyaz Medal Recipients of the Silver Imtiyaz Medal Grand Crosses of the Order of Christ (Portugal) Grand Crosses of Military Merit Commanders of the Order of the Star of Romania Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Romania) Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 2nd class Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order