Jakob Friedrich von Rüchel-Kleist

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Jakob Friedrich von Rüchel-Kleist (born January 25, 1778 in Segenthin , † March 15, 1848 in Danzig ) was a Prussian infantry general and governor of Danzig.

Life

origin

He came from the old Pomeranian noble family von Kleist , whose roots can be traced back to the early Middle Ages and who, in addition to important military figures, also produced well-known poets. His grandfather Franz Ulrich von Kleist was already a general, as was his uncle Franz Casimir von Kleist and his son Friedrich Ludwig Heinrich von Kleist , also one of his nephews, Karl Wilhelm Heinrich von Kleist . Jakob Friedrich was the son of the landscape director Carl Caspar von Kleist (1734–1808) and his wife Marie Luise, née von Böhn. Kleist was adopted in the spring of 1807 by Ernst von Rüchel , who himself had no male heirs.

Military career

After visiting the school in Neu-Ruppin Kleist stepped on 6 February 1792, free corporal in the infantry regiment "von Kleist" the Prussian army in Prenzlau and fought in 1792/94 war against France . On March 2, 1794 he was ensign and on May 12, 1796 second lieutenant . As such, he served as regimental adjudant from 1797 to 1799. Kleist attended the war school established in Berlin from 1801 and was one of Gerhard von Scharnhorst's best students at the academy for young officers . Kleist was a member of the Military Society and on February 13, 1804 became Premier Lieutenant , at the same time adjutant of the Potsdam Infantry Inspection under General Infantry Ernst von Rüchel . In this position he became staff captain on September 22, 1805 . Kleist took part in the campaigns of 1806/07 against Napoleon Bonaparte as Rüchel's adjutant, u. a. the battle of Jena . After the Peace of Tilsit he resigned from the service and received his major's patent on August 25, 1807.

At the outbreak of the Wars of Liberation , he returned to the service and led various staff u. Field commands. Appointed commander of the 4th Pomeranian Reserve Regiment in 1813, he took part in the enclosure of Stettin , was soon transferred to the staff of General Ludwig von Borstell and was involved as a lieutenant colonel in the battles near Großbeeren , Dennewitz and Leipzig . At the beginning of 1814 he was commander of the 1st Westphalian Landwehr Regiment; later in command of Herzogenbusch and directed the blockade of Antwerp . In the campaign of 1815 he commanded a brigade in the Zieten Army Corps under General von Jagow . In the battle of Hoyerswerda he acquired the Iron Cross II. Class, at Ligny in 1815 the Iron Cross I. Class. He was also involved in the Battle of Waterloo .

After the Wars of Liberation, he became commander of the 3rd Infantry Brigade and major general in 1820, and in 1833 Lieutenant General and commander of the 4th Division . Governor of Danzig since March 30, 1838, the city awarded him honorary citizenship on February 17, 1842 on the occasion of his 50th anniversary in service . On the same occasion, a few days earlier, on February 6th, he had received the Order of the Red Eagle First Class with diamonds. Under awarding of the character as General of Infantry Kleist was born on 23 December 1847 for health reasons and at his own request with board for disposition made.

A childhood friendship connected him with the writer Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué .

family

As a major , Kleist married 17-year-old Caroline Friederike Sophie Albertine von Rüchel (1790–1831) on January 16, 1808. She was the youngest daughter of Ernst von Rüchel. Rüchel-Kleist acquired the large Hoffelde estate not far from Haseleu, his father-in-law's residence. From January 2, 1810 he called himself "von Rüchel, otherwise von Kleist", also "von Rüchel-Kleist". The marriage had seven children:

  • Friedrich Wilhelm (1814-1815)
  • Elisabeth Philippine Karoline (1820–1899) ∞ Karl Wilhelm Ludwig Franz von Dewitz called Krebs. As a writer, she published about 20 popular novels under the name Elise von Fernhain .
  • Friedrich Wilhelm (1822–1844), Prussian officer
  • Johanne Luise Sophie (1824) ∞ Heinrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Eckardstein (* July 11, 1804; † April 18, 1871)
  • Franz Karl (1825–1858), Prussian officer
  • Friederike Marie Albertine (1821) ∞ Hermann von Weyher (1800–1871), District and Landscape Deputy, Lord of Bozepol and Felstow
  • Albrecht Philipp (1828–1876), Prussian officer

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Gothaisches genealogical pocket book of the baronial houses. P. 144.
personal data
SURNAME Rüchel-Kleist, Jakob Friedrich von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prussian general of the infantry
DATE OF BIRTH January 25, 1778
PLACE OF BIRTH Segenthin
DATE OF DEATH March 15, 1848
Place of death Danzig