Karl Wilhelm Heinrich von Kleist

Karl Wilhelm Heinrich von Kleist (born November 1, 1836 in Hohennauen , † January 2, 1917 in Berlin ) was a Prussian general of the cavalry .

Life

origin

Karl Wilhelm Heinrich von Kleist came from the ancient noble family of Kleist, which was widely ramified in Prussia and the Baltic States . Within the family he belonged to the Kleist von Bornstedt branch, to which the Prussian crown had approved the association of names and coats of arms with that of Bornstedt on April 11, 1803. He was the third son of the Prussian major Ludwig Karl Kleist von Bornstedt (1772-1854), Fideikommißherr on Hohennauen, and his second wife Wilhelmine von Hanstein (1818-1869)

Military career

As a later-born son who was not entitled to inheritance for his father's Fideikommiß , Kleist chose the soldier profession. He joined the 10th Hussar Regiment of the Prussian Army on March 6, 1856 as an ensign and was appointed second lieutenant on February 5, 1857 . This was followed by a very long period of lieutenant with multiple transfers to other units. So he was on December 15, 1863 Adjutant of the 8th Cavalry Brigade, in 1866 Adjutant of the 7th Division and there on July 20, 1866 promoted to Premier Lieutenant. Again an adjutant, this time in the 11th Cavalry Brigade, he finally became a superfluous Rittmeister while remaining in his post . On December 14, 1868, he returned to the troops and became squadron chief . Finally, on October 24, 1871, he became a General Staff Officer in the 13th Division , after having been seconded to the General Staff for a few months . He had been a major since September 10, 1872 . After further posts in various positions in the general staff , he returned to the troop service in 1878 and after a temporary assignment was finally commander of the Dragoon Regiment No. 19 and lieutenant colonel . In 1883 he was promoted to colonel and appointed commander of the 31st Cavalry Brigade and in 1888 major general . Finally, on October 18, 1891, the Kaiser appointed him Commander of the 10th Division in Posen and Lieutenant General . In 1898 it was put up for disposition .

On the occasion of his 50th service anniversary in 1906, Kleist was promoted to general of the cavalry.

family

Kleist was married since June 19, 1869 to Klara von Gordon (born July 6, 1849 in Breslau; † 1920), daughter of the Prussian infantry general Helmuth von Gordon .

Awards

• Order of the Red Eagle III. Class with swords on rings
• Order of the Crown II class
• Iron Cross (1870) 2nd class
• Knight's Cross 1st Class of the Order of the Zähringer Lion with oak leaves and swords
• Honorary Commander of the House and Merit Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig

literature

• Gustav Kratz u. a .: The history of the Kleist family. Volume III, No. 775, p. 454. pdf

Individual evidence

1. ^ Genealogical handbook of the nobility. Volume A XIII. CA Starke Publishing House. Limburg. 1975. p. 322.
2. ^ Genealogical handbook of the nobility. Volume A XIII. CA Starke Publishing House. Limburg. 1975. p. 324.
3. ^ Gustav Kratz: The story of the Kleist family. Supplementary volume to Volume III. P. 175.
4. ^ Kurt von Priesdorff : Soldatisches Führertum . Volume 7, Hanseatische Verlagsanstalt Hamburg, undated [Hamburg], undated [1939], DNB 367632829 , p. 310, no. 2313.