Johann von Lehwaldt
Johann von Lehwaldt (born June 24, 1685 in Legitten , Labiau district , † November 16, 1768 in Königsberg ) was Prussian field marshal since January 22, 1751 .
biography
Johann von Lehwaldt came from the old, originally Lusatian noble family von Lehwald . His mother Marie Esther came from the old Prussian family of the Barons von der Trenck. Lehwaldt's military career began in 1699 when he joined the " White Grenadier Guard " battalion . From the summer of 1702 he took part in the War of the Spanish Succession . He was baptized by fire in September during the siege of Venlo. Since his unit came to southern Germany in the spring of 1704, Lehwaldt fought in the Battle of Höchstädt . On September 16, he was promoted to ensign . From September 29th to October 6th he was used in the siege of Haguenau.
Lehwaldt was awarded the Black Eagle Order on February 4, 1744 , and in 1742 he had already received the Pour le Mérite .
In the Seven Years' War (1756–1763) Lehwaldt was one of Prussia's important military leaders. Frederick II commissioned the experienced officer to defend East Prussia against the Russians. He had only an army of 28,000 men available for this task. The Russians under Field Marshal Stepan Fyodorowitsch Apraxin tried to use their great superiority to confront and encircle the Prussians. Lehwaldt was able to evade this plan. He was helped by the logistical problems that were becoming more and more apparent among the Russians. The aim of the Russian operation was the capture of Koenigsberg . To prevent this, Lehwaldt attacked the 55,000 Russians on August 30, 1757 near Groß-Jägersdorf on the instructions of his king . The Prussians fought valiantly, were able to achieve some successes, but finally had to bow to the superior force. However, the Russians could not take advantage of their victory as their supply problem was still unsolved. Political quarrels in Russia led Apraxin's army to march off without having achieved anything in early September. The Prussian attack had achieved its goal after all.
Due to his poor health, Lehwaldt was transferred to Berlin, where he became governor of the city in 1759 . On October 3, 1760, the 75-year-old Lehwaldt successfully defended the capital against the attack by the Russian corps under Gottlob Heinrich von Tottleben , but had to surrender on October 9 to the Russians reinforced by an Austrian corps ( Russian occupation of Berlin ). In 1762, after the Russians had withdrawn from East Prussia, he was again governor of this province and remained in this office until his death.
family
He was married twice. His first wife was Elisabeth Charlotte von Runckel widowed von Seydel . With her he had three daughters. After her death, on March 27, 1749, he married Anne Sophie Agnes von Buddenbrock (* 1699), the widow of Erhard Ernst von Röder and daughter of Field Marshal Wilhelm Dietrich von Buddenbrock , in Königsberg Palace . This marriage remained childless.
literature
- Anton Balthasar König : Biographical lexicon of all heroes and military figures. Volume II, 1789, p. 377, digitized
- Joachim Engelmann and Günter Dorn: Frederick the Great and his Generals. Friedberg 1988.
- Bernhard von Poten : Lehwaldt, Hans von . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 18, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1883, pp. 166-67.
Individual evidence
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Lehwaldt, Johann von |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Prussian Field Marshal General |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 24, 1685 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Legitten , Labiau County |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 16, 1768 |
| Place of death | Koenigsberg |