Johann von Reuschenberg

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Johannes Ernst Freiherr von Reuschenberg zu Setterich

Johannes Ernst Freiherr von Reuschenberg zu Setterich , better known as Johann von Reuschenberg (also Ruischenberg or Rauschenberg ; * at Setterich Castle , Setterich , baptized March 29, 1603 there ; † March 31, 1660 in Cologne ), was a Bavarian , later an imperial officer , War councilor , field marshal and diplomat in the Thirty Years War .

As a Teutonic Knight , he decided to pursue a military career outside of his order. During the Thirty Years' War he was a Bavarian colonel and war council, as well as Bavarian and then imperial field marshal. In 1651 he left the imperial service and became field marshal of the Prince Palatinate-Neuburg . As Colonel Hofmeister or governor of the Duke of Düsseldorf, he was instrumental in founding the Kurrheinische Bund (a forerunner of the Rhenish Confederation ) and later took over command of the Alliance troops.

Live and act

Ancestral sample of Johannes Ernst von Reuschenberg for the Teutonic Order

Johannes Ernst von Reuschenberg came from the Setterich line of the noble family von Reuschenberg and was born in 1603 as the later son of Edmund von Reuschenberg and Anna Freiin von Schwarzenberg zu Hohenlandsberg in Setterich Castle. His mother was a niece of the Catholic Field Marshal Count von Tilly .

As a teenager he enrolled in one of the Cologne bursa and studied the fine arts . After completing his studies, he swore to become a Teutonic Knight in Alden Biesen in 1625 .

In connection with the Thirty Years War he was first mentioned in 1632 as a lieutenant colonel under the command of Colonel Gottfried Huyn von Geleen . Like Johann von Reuschenberg himself, he was also a Teutonic Knight. Reuschenberg took over command of the fortress town of Wolfenbüttel from his superior in 1634 at the latest. His task was to secure the fortress as the emperor's only well-known base east of the Weser. On December 31, 1635, Reuschenberg was promoted to colonel by the Bavarian Elector Maximilian I on foot and on horseback - an unusual measure, since a colonel was usually only assigned one regiment. In 1637 he took part in the persecution of Banérs together with Duke Georg of Braunschweig and Lüneburg under the command of Count Gallas . The Swedish commander in chief managed to escape and withdrew to Pomerania.

Battle northwest of Wolfenbüttel in 1641

Von Reuschenberg controlled Wolfenbüttel and the surrounding area for almost ten years. He was supported by Levin Zanner (known as "always sober"). Its small mounted unit not only drove in contributions from the surrounding towns and villages, but also repeatedly attacked Swedish mercenaries and their allies. With an action radius of over 100 km, they were a serious disruptive factor. Reuschenberg rejected the formation of a flying corps on a larger scale (as it was already used by the Swedish Colonel Königsmarck ) in 1639 as premature. Wolfenbüttel has been besieged several times in vain over the years. B. in 1641, when the so-called " Schwedendamm " dammed the Oker to flood the fortress city. A copper engraving from the Theatrum Europaeum shows how the imperial troops under the command of Reuschenberg attacked the besiegers northwest of the fortress city on June 19, 1641. 2000-3000 mercenaries are said to have perished immediately during this battle. Johann von Reuschenberg was promoted to sergeant-general immediately before the attack. He held the city for two more years before he left Wolfenbüttel on imperial orders in September 1643. Due to his services to the Hildesheim monastery (the Hildesheim question ), he and his heirs were given the office of Vienenburg in 1647 .

For his services as fortress commander and imperial council, but also for his diplomatic services, he was on September 3, 1639 by Emperor Ferdinand III. raised to the imperial baron status. Associated with this was an improvement in the coat of arms . The squared coat of arms shows in fields 1 and 4 the coat of arms of the House of Reuschenberg with the three ravens above the crossbar. Fields 2 and 3 represent a silver, upright lion walking in black. The field is occupied by five silver hearts. On the coat of arms two crowned helmets, which are covered with a black and white helmet cover. The helmet on the right (from a heraldic point of view) is a white greyhound with a black collar and a gold ring. On the left helmet a white or silver, gold-crowned lion, which holds a sword in the right paw and a golden orb in the left .

Baron coat of arms

From 1643 to 1645 Reuschenberg was involved in a number of battles under the command of the legendary equestrian general Johann von Werths :

This raid was Reuschenberg's first battle under the command of the well-known Field Marshal Franz von Mercy . He was commended for being very brave .
In the course of the battle two regiments under the command of Reuschenberg were initially almost completely destroyed. In the course of the further fighting he was able to evacuate his positions including the heavy equipment within one night and under the most difficult conditions without the opposing side noticing anything, although the opposing lines were only about 300 m away. He was valued by his superiors as excellent and very brave and on August 26, 1644 he was promoted to general witness.
5000 selected Bavarian mercenaries under the command of Werth and Reuschenberg supported the imperial troops in the battle of Jankau. However, the battle ended in complete defeat and the two officers had to flee.
After the French troops camped at Herbsthausen near Mergentheim, Mercy saw a good opportunity for a surprise attack. With the exception of Reuschenberg, the staff officers shared his opinion. He, however, wanted to wait for reinforcements first. During the battle, the infantry regiments under the command of Reuschenberg carried out their attack with such force that the opposing troops could not withstand. Again Reuschenberg was expressly praised by the Elector Maximilian I.
When the Bavarian General Field Marshal Mercy fell during the costly Battle of Alerheim, two other generals were also unavailable: Geleen had been captured shortly before and Werth had moved far from his original position in order to attack behind enemy lines with his mounted units perform. As senior officer, Reuschenberg took command in the center of the battle and was just able to prevent a devastating defeat.

After the battle, the Bavarian elector first transferred the high command to Werth and Reuschenberg together, although he would have liked to hand over the supreme command to the latter. However, since Reuschenberg had a lower rank than the cavalry general (who was also senior), the office of field marshal was finally handed over to Geleen in order not to snub Werth. The situation became untenable after the Swedish-French troops invaded Upper Bavaria, so Maximilian I tried to reach an armistice in 1647. As the main Bavarian negotiator , it was Reuschenberg who, together with two other councilors, negotiated the Ulm armistice for the elector. Like most Bavarian officers, Reuschenberg was against the armistice, which he negotiated on the express orders of the elector. Werth finally decided to secretly deliver the Bavarian troops to the emperor. That could only succeed if the other officers joined the mutiny. This was especially true for Reuschenberg. However, the latter also felt obliged to the elector and avoided this difficult situation for him by traveling to the Rhineland for several weeks. In spite of this, the relationship with the elector became increasingly difficult: in July 1647 he was refused pay, but only a few weeks later he was appointed field marshal. However, this appointment was withdrawn in December. Only a month later he was reinstated as field marshal - albeit without a command. That became too much for Reuschenberg and he then switched to the imperial army. After the battle of Zusmarshausen and the death of the imperial field marshal von Holzappel in 1648, Reuschenberg took over for a short time as deputy imperial field marshal the supreme command of the united imperial-Bavarian army for the field marshal Piccolomini . After the Franco-Swedish troops were able to be pushed back, the last major meeting of the enemy armies took place on October 6th at the Battle of Dachau . Here Reuschenberg and Werth fought side by side for the last time.

After the end of the war, Reuschenberg took over a command in Preßburg (now Bratislava ). Later he was in command of Graz and took over the dissolution of the regiments. He left the imperial service and in 1651 became field marshal of the Count Palatinate of Pfalz-Neuburg , who was also Duke of Jülich-Berg .

Johann von Reuschenberg was also given diplomatic tasks as an officer and war councilor. Until 1643 he corresponded with the emperor and the electors of the empire in order to inform them about the respective local situation, and conducted negotiations with the Guelph princes for years and without long interruptions. In 1643 he was significantly involved in the Goslar peace negotiations, which represented an important step towards solving the Hildesheim question. The solution to this conflict was one of the great questions of the Thirty Years' War. In 1647 he was the main negotiator of the Bavarian party and negotiated the Ulm armistice, although he considered it a grave mistake. In a letter to Lieutenant General Matthias Gallas he wrote: (I) for my person would like to wish that someone else would be deputated in my place to disen tractates . After the end of the great war, he played a key role in founding the Kurrheinische Bund, which subsequently led to the founding of the Rheinische Bund.

In 1660 he died in Cologne after a serious illness. As a Teutonic Knight he was obliged to be celibate and therefore - as far as is known - left no descendants. He appointed Alexander Ambrosius Freiherr von Reuschenberg zu Setterich (the eldest son of his nephew Jobst Edmund) as a universal heir.

meaning

During his time in Wolfenbüttel (until 1643), Johannes Ernst von Reuschenberg qualified as a military leader as well as an advisor and diplomat. In the only battle documented during this time in which he was in command alone, he showed courage and determination, but also a ruthlessness that surprised even his opponents. In the battles from 1643 it became clear that he and Werth complemented each other very well. While the rider general acted rather spontaneously and demonstrated excellent tactical skills, Reuschenberg was the persistent element. In doing so, he was also able to cope with delicate situations. His tactical and strategic skills can be demonstrated particularly well for the year 1648, when he had to secure a bridgehead at Vilshofen on the Danube . Carefully and wisely, he tried to spare his troops in order to be able to withstand a possible attack.

In contrast to Werth, he was considered haughty and was therefore unpopular with the troops - at a decisive disadvantage when it came to motivating fighting units. Overall, however, Reuschenberg was a capable and experienced officer whose reliability went beyond the usual level. He was one of the few who remained loyal to Werth after his mutiny against the Bavarian elector.

Note

The biography of Reuschenberg in the General German Biography ( Bernhard von Poten :  Reuschenberg, Johann von . In: General German Biography (ADB). Volume 28, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1889, pp. 296-298.) Is essentially based on a short biography from the well-known historical work Rheinischer Antiquarius by Christian von Stramberg .

literature

  • Stefan Honorary Award: Field Marshal Johann von Reuschenberg auf Morsbroich. A noble country house after the Thirty Years War. In: Niederwupper - Historical Contributions. Volume 14, Bergisch Gladbach 1994, pp. 21-25.
  • Johann Heilmann : War history of Bavaria, Franconia, Palatinate and Swabia from 1506 to 1651. Volume 2: War history from 1634–1651 and warfare from 1598–1651. Munich 1868, p. 1115.
  • Ernst Höfer: The end of the Thirty Years War. Strategy and image of war. Cologne 1998.
  • Ernst Höfer: Vilshofen and the last year of the Thirty Years War. Vilshofen 1998. (= Vilshofener Jahrbuch 1998. Volume 6).
  • Bernd Reuschenberg: "Jesus Maria and no quarters!" Johannes Ernst Freiherr von Reuschenberg zu Setterich raised to the status of imperial baron. Aachen 2012 (= Yearbook of the Baesweiler History Association, Volume 2), pp. 29–45.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Bernd Reuschenberg: "Jesus Maria and no quarters!" Johannes Ernst Freiherr von Reuschenberg zu Setterich raised to the status of imperial baron (= yearbook of the Baesweiler history association , volume 2). Aachen 2012, p. 29.
  2. ↑ P. Patricius Schlager : On the history of the Franciscan observants and the monastery "ad olivas" in Cologne (= Annals of the Historical Association for the Lower Rhine, in particular the Old Archdiocese of Cologne , Volume 82). Cologne 1907, p. 65.
  3. ^ Wilhelm Kohl (Ed.): Files and documents on the foreign policy of Christoph Bernhard v. Galen (1650-1678). Part 1: From the accession of government to the Peace of Cleves (1650–1666). Münster 1980, p. 27.
  4. ↑ Landesarchiv NRW: Rhineland Department, 102.09.01-07, Jülich-Berg II, No. 4152. Retrieved on December 29, 2017.
  5. ↑ Historical Association Alt-Tilly e. V. (Hrsg.): The counts and princes of Tilly ad H. the Lords T´Serclaes. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  6. ^ Leopold Nedopil (ed.): German nobility samples from the German Order Central Archive. Volume 2, Vienna 1868, p. 121. online website of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  7. ↑ Erich Andersons: Inevitable responsibility Mein, Erich Andersons, Royal Swedish General War Commissarij in the Lower Saxon town of Creyß, Auff one of the Ligist Colonel and Commander in Wolfenbüttel, Herr von Geleen, again me made-out cards. Mainz 1633, o. S. online website of the Augsburg University Library. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  8. ↑ Eicken, Michel van der u. a .: Leden van de Duitse Orde balije (Bijdragen tot de geschiedenis van de Duitse Orde in de balije Biesen. Volume 1, Alten Biesen 1994, p. 59.
  9. ↑ Bernd Reuschenberg: "Jesus Maria and no quarters!" Johannes Ernst Freiherr von Reuschenberg zu Setterich raised to the status of imperial baron. Aachen 2012 (= Yearbook of the Baesweiler History Association, Volume 2), pp. 29–33.
  10. ↑ Gaspar Ens: Newer impartial Teutscher celer Nuntius or credible narration of all noble and memorable histories [...]. , Cölln 1637, p. 67. online website of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  11. ^ Sigmund von Riezler : Bavarian history from 1597–1651. Volume 5, Gotha 1903, p. 557.
  12. ^ Thomas Grote: Memories from the personal diary of Großvoigt Thomas Grote, who died in 1657. In: Patriotic archive for Hanoverian-Braunschweig history. Born in 1836, Lüneburg 1836, p. 251.
  13. ↑ Lower Saxony Main State Archive Hanover: NLA HA, Hild. Br. 12, No. 349. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  14. ^ Johann Heilmann: The campaigns of Bavaria in the years 1643, 1644 and 1645 under the orders of Field Marshal Franz Freiherrn von Mercy. Leipzig and Meißen 1851, p. 68. online website of the Bavarian State Library. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  15. ↑ Hans-Helmut Schaufler: The battle near Freiburg im Breisgau 1644. Freiburg 1979, p. 88.
  16. ^ Sigmund von Riezler : Bavarian history from 1597–1651. Volume 5, Gotha 1905, p. 579.
  17. ^ Gerhard Immler : Elector Maximilian I and the Westphalian Peace Congress. Bavarian foreign policy from 1644 to the Ulm armistice. Aschendorff / Münster 1992 (= series of publications by the Association for Research into Modern History, Volume 20), p. 109.
  18. ↑ oA Summarized relation of the Armada between the Chur-Bavarian Empire and the Royal French Armada given to General Visconte di Tourraine ... at the village of Herbsthausen located next to Mergentheimb, May 5th of this 1645th year for the previous main meeting, in which Tourrainians reported Armada been beaten. Augsburg 1645, o. S. online website of the Bavarian State Library. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  19. ^ Friedrich Münich: History of the royal Bavarian I. Chevaulerger Regiment Emperor Alexander of Russia. Volume 1: The Tribes of the Regiment (1645–1682). At the same time a contribution to the oldest Bavarian army = history from 1611–1682. Munich 1862, p. 100.
  20. ↑ Helmut Lahrkamp: Jan von Werth. His life according to archival sources. Cologne 1962, p. 161.
  21. ^ Johann von Reuschenberg, Johann Küttner von Künitz and Hans Bartholomae Schäffer: Copia Derer Elsewhere To the Royal Swedish / from the ChurBäyerische to the standstill tracts after Ulm / Gentlemen's deputies, requests / and proposals made. Ulm 1647 o. S. online website of the University and State Library of Saxony-Anhalt. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  22. ^ Sigmund von Riezler : Bavarian history from 1597–1651. Volume 5, Gotha 1903, pp. 616 and 617.
  23. ^ Sigmund von Riezler : Bavarian history from 1597–1651. Volume 5, Gotha 1903, p. 644.
  24. ^ Hermann von Egloffstein: Baiern's peace policy from 1645–1647. A contribution to the history of the Westphalian peace negotiations. Leipzig 1898, p. 167.
  25. ^ Jean Dumont (ed.): Corps Universel Diplomatique du Droit des Gens contenant un Recueil des Traitez. Amsterdam 1728, pp. 97-102. online website of the Bavarian State Library. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  26. ^ Hugo Altmann and Paul Hoffmann (edit.): Reichskammergericht A – B. In: Nordrhein-Westfälischen Hauptstaatsarchiv (Hrsg.): Publication of the state archives of North Rhine-Westphalia, Series A: Inventories of state archives, the main state archive in Düsseldorf and its holdings. Volume 9, part 1, Siegburg 2003, p. 709.
  27. ^ Ernst Höfer: Vilshofen and the last year of the Thirty Years War. Vilshofen 1998. (= Vilshofener Jahrbuch 1998. Volume 6), pp. 16-20.
  28. ↑ Christian von Stramberg (ed.): Memorable and useful Rhenish antiquarian, which represents the most important and pleasant geographical, historical and political peculiarities of the entire Rhine river. Middle Rhine. 3rd Division, Volume 8. Coblenz 1861, pp. 666-685.

Remarks

  1. ↑ These family relationships very likely contributed to the fact that Johann was allowed to serve as a young officer in the "Geleen" regiment. This regiment is the former elite regiment "Anholt". This was particularly true in the early 1620s as the cadre forge of the Bavarian Armada.
personal data
SURNAME Reuschenberg, Johann von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Reuschenberch, Ioannes de; Rauschenberg, Johann von; Ruschenberg, Johann von; Reuschenbergh, Joannes a
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German Marshal in the Thirty Years War
DATE OF BIRTH baptized March 29, 1603
PLACE OF BIRTH Setterich
DATE OF DEATH March 31, 1660
Place of death Cologne