Franz Otto von Kleist

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Franz Otto Kleist von Bornstedt (born August 28, 1771 in Segenthin , † January 11, 1825 in Hohennauen ) was a Prussian officer and holder of the order Pour le Mérite .

Origin and family environment

Franz Otto von Kleist was a member of the ladies branch of the von Kleist family from the old Pomeranian nobility and founder of the Kleist von Bornstedt branch. He was born as the 3rd son of the landscape director Carl Caspar von Kleist (1734-1808), Lord of Segenthin near Schlawe in Western Pomerania, and Marie Luise von Boehn (1739-1803) from the house of Culsow on August 28, 1771 in Segenthin.

Military career

As the younger son of a manor owner, he chose the soldier profession, as was customary at the time for the younger sons of the Prussian nobility. He joined Infantry Regiment No. 1 as an ensign in the Prussian Army on March 25, 1788 and was promoted to lieutenant on May 26, 1790. After the 2nd Polish partition, his regiment was relocated to the areas annexed by Prussia in 1793 and fought there against the Polish rebels who had risen against the annexations carried out by Russia and Prussia and were defending themselves. He distinguished himself in the battle near Pieczyska so that on December 7, 1794, King Friedrich Wilhelm II awarded him the order Pour le Mérite for his bravery . In the order proposed by his commander Major General von Kuenheim to the king :, .... Lieutenant von Kleist stood with 1 non-commissioned officer and 24 men in Piecziska to cover the salt magazine. On the night of September 14th he was attacked by 300 cavalry men and 50 infantrymen, defending himself with the loss of 1 sergeant and two men ..... until the granary was set on fire .... Then he retired with the bayonet Breaking through the enemy cavalry, into a square .... back, .... lost a rifleman. .... With the rest of the command, he reached Lowitsch the next day .... '. With the very highest cabinet order of December 7th, 1794 the king replied: .... My dear, etc. .... It is very dear to me that you reminded me of the excellent behavior of the Lieutenat von Kleist ..... .. .. of the Order plm, which I hereby ship has well deserved ... . After the suppression of the Polish uprising , Franz Otto von Kleist continued to serve in the army, was promoted to prime lieutenant on January 16, 1801, and appointed captain of the staff on July 2, 1804. On November 30th he was retired with the rank of major.

Further life

After retiring from military service in Prussia, he retired to his inherited estate, the Hohennauen Fideikomißgut near Rathenow . He came to this inheritance through the will of his uncle, the royal Prussian Lieutenant General Hans Ehrentreich von Bornstedt and his wife Johanna Sophie Friederieke von Quast , drawn up on February 21, 1797 , when von Bornstedt died on April 9, 1802. This will stipulated that Franz Otto and his subsequent brothers Ludwig Karl and Jakob Friedrich von Kleist - subject to royal approval - had to adopt the name Kleist von Bornstedt and combine the coats of arms of both families. King Friedrich Wilhelm III approved these conditions . with cabinet order of April 11, 1804.

Franz Otto Kleist von Bornstedt managed Hohennauen until his death on January 11, 1825. He was married to Countess Luise von Schlieffen , who died on May 29, 1821 in Segenthin. The couple had two children who died early, so that his brother Ludwig Carl Kleist von Bornstedt (1772-1854) was the next entails master on Hohennauen.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Gustav Lehmann: The Knights of the Order pour le merite, Volume I, awards under King Friedrich Wilhelm II. , Mittler, Berlin, 1913, p. 387, No. 953
personal data
SURNAME Kleist, Franz Otto von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kleist von Bornstedt, Franz Otto
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prussian officer and holder of the order Pur le Mrite (military order)
DATE OF BIRTH August 28, 1771
PLACE OF BIRTH Segenthin
DATE OF DEATH January 11, 1825
Place of death Hohennauen