Henning Alexander von Kleist (1707–1784)

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Henning Alexander von Kleist

Henning Alexander von Kleist (born June 4, 1707 in Raddatz ; † January 20, 1784 ) was the royal Prussian lieutenant general and chief of a fusilier regiment. He was the bearer of the Pour le Mérite and heir to the Juchow, Zammenz and Falkenhagen estates and the governor of the Spandau Citadel .

His parents were Georg Jürgen von Kleist (* July 17, 1674; † May 30, 1743) (House Raddatz) and Maria Katharina, born von Kleist (* June 4, 1676; † March 26, 1753).

Life

His maternal uncle Henning Alexander von Kleist took him to his infantry regiment No. 3 (old-Anhalt) as a cadet on February 24, 1721 . Since his uncle was released that same year, he was sent to the cadet institute in Berlin in November 1721. There he was released on September 6, 1724 and became a flagjunker in the Glasenapp regiment . On January 24, 1726 he was brought to Potsdam by King Friedrich Wilhelm I as a free corporal in his “royal regiment” (he exchanged with a gentleman von Heyden). On January 24, 1730 he became an ensign in the regiment and in 1735 second lieutenant. With the inauguration of Frederick II the Great , he was the oldest first lieutenant in the third guard battalion.

On May 24, 1741 he was promoted to staff captain. As such, he fought in the First Silesian War . On March 30, 1743 he got his company in the "Regiment Groeben on foot" . In the Second Silesian War he was present at the siege of Prague in 1744, as well as the battles of Habelschwerdt and Katholisch-Hemmersdorf and the battles of Hohenfriedberg and Thrush .

Henning Alexander continued his career in his regiment. On July 7, 1756 he became major and in 1758 commander of the regiment that was now called "Thadden on foot". In the Seven Years' War he fought in the Battle of Groß-Jägersdorf (1757) and Battle of Zorndorf (1758). In 1759 he fought mainly in Pomerania and Mecklenburg , in 1761 in Saxony and Silesia and in 1762 in Silesia. He was able to distinguish himself in the battles near Adelsbach and Bohemian Friedland and was awarded the order Pour le Mérite for his courage in the storm on Leutmannsdorfer Hill during the Battle of Burkersdorf .

On February 16, 1760 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and on February 6, 1761 to colonel. On June 16, 1766 he took over the "Fusilier Regiment Münchow" . On July 9, 1767 he was appointed major general. On April 6, 1778 he was appointed lieutenant general. Because of his age, he asked for his release, which was granted on July 9, 1780. In order to provide for supplies, he became governor of the Spandau Citadel , an office he held until his death.

family

He was married to Charlotte Christine von Kleist (* October 9, 1725, † February 13, 1765) daughter of Lieutenant General Franz Ulrich von Kleist . The couple had the following children:

  • Friedrich Carl Ulrich (* 1749 - 19 July 1757)
  • Marie Sophie Charlotte ⚭ 1767 NN by Buttler
  • Hans Alexander Ernst (* Aug 1751 - † 29 September 1751)
  • Christine Louise Amalie (November 21, 1753 - April 20, 1765)
  • Anna Catharina Elisabeth (* September 30, 1756; † December 3, 1823) ⚭ February 27, 1775 Jacob Georg Gottlieb von Puttkamer (* July 6, 1748; † November 4, 1823)
  • Alexandrine Wilhelmine Ernstine (born January 13, 1765 - † February 28, 1765)

After the death of his first wife, he married Ursula Louise von Kunheim in 1766 (* after April 1732; † May 1, 1812). She was the widow of Felix Andreas von Below (* 1707; † 1755) and daughter of the War Minister Johann Dietrich von Kunheim. The couple had the following children:

  • Marie Albertine Louise Eleonore (March 7, 1768 - October 13, 1836) ⚭ November 23, 1792 Philipp Wilhelm Heinrich von Borcke (October 8, 1757 - October 4, 1824)
  • Friederike Ernstine (* December 14, 1770; † June 28, 1834) ⚭ April 5, 1799 Friedrich Wilhelm Christian von Westphalen
  • Louise Alexandrine (January 1771; † September 9, 1847) ⚭ May 31, 1813 NN von Kosnicki (Koschnitzky)

literature

  • Anton Balthasar König : Henning Alexander von Kleist . In: Biographical lexicon of all heroes and military figures who made themselves famous in the Prussian service . tape 2 . Arnold Wever, Berlin 1789, p. 280 ( Henning Alexander von Kleist at Wikisource [PDF]).

Individual evidence

  1. ^ NN : History of the Prussian-Swedish War in Pomerania, the Mark and Mecklenburg 1757–1762. At the same time as a contribution to the history of the Seven Years' War. According to simultaneous Prussian and Swedish reports . Berlin 1858 ( digitized version )

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Kleist, Henning Alexander von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prussian lieutenant general and governor of the Spandau Citadel
DATE OF BIRTH June 4, 1707
PLACE OF BIRTH Raddatz
DATE OF DEATH January 20, 1784