Hans von Schack (Reichsfeldherr)

Hans Schack, copper engraving by Jeremias Falck

Hans von Schack (born October 29, 1609 in Unewatt ; † February 27, 1676 in Copenhagen ) was a Schleswig Count from a German noble family and a Danish Imperial Councilor and Imperial General.

Life

Origin and youth

His father, Christopher von Schack, came from the north German noble family of the von Schack family . His mother, Anne von Deden, was from the Schleswig nobility. At the age of 13, Hans von Schack Page was already employed by the bailiff for the Flensburg administrative district and a few years later began his service in Christian IV's army during the Imperial Wars . However, the connection with Denmark broke off when he entered Swedish service in 1630 .

Thirty Years' War

As a professional soldier, Hans Schack had already served in the Danish and Swedish armies during the Thirty Years' War , when he successfully applied for admission to the French army in 1635 and took part in numerous of their campaigns. In 1648 he was commissioned to set up an infantry regiment in Holstein. During this stay he married Anna Blome in September of the same year. He returned to France, was appointed major general and did not say goodbye until 1651, before his full salary was paid, which later led to disagreements between him and the French government.

Withdrawal to the goods, fortress commander in Hamburg

For a few years he lived on his estates Gülzow and Basthorst in the Duchy of Saxony-Lauenburg and was chief magistrate here in 1654. In 1656 Hamburg offered him the command of his fortress ; the war veteran could not resist.

Appointment to Denmark

After the Thirty Years' War, Denmark saw itself threatened by Sweden's unbroken striving for great power. In this situation the Danish government became aware of the Hamburg fortress commander, and in April 1657 negotiations were initiated with the aim that Hans von Schack should take on a prominent post in the Danish army. He made great demands (including a Danish title of nobility), but in January 1658 an agreement was reached whereby, in addition to the aristocratic naturalization, he was also appointed lieutenant general and colonel of the queen's body regiment and received two fiefs, Riberhus and Møgeltønderhus.

The first war against Sweden ended with the peace of Roskilde, which was extremely advantageous for Sweden, so quickly that Hans von Schack could not play a role in it. In the peace that followed, in June 1658, he was sent to Kronborg to inspect the fortress there.

Danish-Swedish War

Two months later, Karl X. Gustav went ashore in Korsør , and now comes the time that made von Schack so famous. He was appointed governor of beleaguered Copenhagen and structured the defense and energetic resistance. He took part in the failure of August 23, 1658, but was mostly occupied with the organization within the wall of Copenhagen. There were big problems, which got worse over time as disagreements arose between the various officials and between the military and citizens. During the attack by the Swedes on February 11, 1659, von Schack was the commander in chief, and as a reward for his share in the victory he was appointed field marshal immediately afterwards.

Battle for Funen

Its tasks were expanded, as it was now about the liberation of the whole country. The plan arose that he should lead a large part of the Copenhagen troops to Kiel and, in collaboration with Jutland units under Field Marshal Ernst Albrecht von Eberstein , conquer Funen , which was occupied by the Swedes .

On October 1, a combined Dutch and Danish fleet set sail with Schack and his troops in Copenhagen. Twelve days later the ships arrived in Kiel . Schack and Eberstein met about a week later for a joint consultation in Eckernförde , on October 27th, von Schack's troops sailed from Kiel. A surprise attack on Nyborg was attempted in the Great Belt , but when it failed, it was decided to go ashore at Kerteminde . The attack here, on October 31, was conducted with great skill, and von Schack himself was at the fore.

Victory at Nyborg

His army was now on Funen, and after a few days of rest, during which the Swedish main unit withdrew to Nyborg, Schack advanced towards Odense , where he entered on November 9th. Two days later he met Eberstein's army, which had fought their way over the Little Belt. But the relationship between von Schack and Eberstein was marked by deep rivalry, and they had given each other only poor information about their respective movements. A real disagreement came to light when von Schack tried to barricade himself while Eberstein tried to attack. Schack leaned over and they began to advance eastward, with constant disagreements between the two. But these disagreements did not cost them victory: on November 14, 1659, the battle of Nyborg began, and the next day the Swedes surrendered. The victory at Nyborg is considered to be von Schack's greatest deed, although he could not actually act according to his own strategic considerations.

Further tasks

The following period only caused him inconvenience. In January 1660 he was sent to the duchies of Schleswig-Holstein to attack Bremen from there , but the plan was abandoned and the only reward was further controversy with Eberstein. When he was about to sail from Fehmarn to Zealand in April , his ship was seized by a Swedish cruiser and he was captured. However, the peace of Copenhagen brought his release.

After the peace von Schack became the de facto commander in chief of the entire Danish army and a member of the council of war. The fact that the councils of war had proposed him even though he was not born a Dane was a striking sign of both the goodwill of the king and the popularity of the German baron. Immediately afterwards, Copenhagen even gave him 4,000 thalers in recognition of his services during the siege.

To what extent he was included in the plans of Friedrich III. was inaugurated with the introduction of absolutism in Denmark is unknown, but in any case it remained a loyal servant to the king and kept the military calm during the days when the change was made.

Item and title

Count's coat of arms for Hans von Schacks and his wife at the patron s lodge in Møgeltønder Kirke

Under the newly introduced absolutism he was naturally appointed to a number of influential posts and titles:

• In November 1660 he was appointed Imperial General as well as President of the War College and member of the State College.
• He received a new fiefdom letter for Riberhus and Møgeltønder fiefdom.
• In January 1661 he also became a captain in the diocese of Ribe. He held these offices until 1674, when he was replaced by his son, Otto Diderik Schack.
• In October 1663 he became a Knight of the Elephant Order .
• In 1670 he became a member of the secret council.
• On May 25, 1671 he was appointed count.
• In October of the same year he became a knight of the new Order of Dannebrog .

Schackenborg Castle is built

Schackenborg today

In the meantime Schack had become a large landowner in Denmark. Møgeltønderhus, which he had had as a fief until then, he bought in 1661 from the Danish king. He had the largely dilapidated building torn down and built a baroque palace , which he confidently called Schackenborg Palace - a three-wing building with a symmetrically laid out garden, in which the Schack dynasty resided until 1978. With Schloss Gram , Schack acquired another noble residence in southern Denmark in 1664.

Sickness and death

epitaph

Schack had been sick many times since the early 1660s, and his weakness grew until he died in 1676. He was buried with great splendor in the crypt under the Trinitatis Kirke in Copenhagen. His baroque tomb (1687) by the Flemish sculptor Artus Quellinus II , erected by his son Thomas Quellinus , was damaged in the fire in Copenhagen (1728) and rebuilt in a simplified manner.

literature

• Werner Wiegand: Three Hamburg fortress commanders from the 17th century , In: VJH 18, 1890, pp. 256–264

Web links

• A great military capacity (Danish)
• Elephant Order