Lübeck military (1814–1867)
In the course of the restoration of Lübeck as a sovereign state by the Congress of Vienna , the city also regained the military sovereignty that it had lost in 1811 when it was incorporated into the French Empire . Lübeck accordingly set up its own armed forces again.
The regular Lübeck military was initially a purely professional army of volunteers. The core force initially consisted of former members of the Hanseatic Legion who, after the dissolution of this association, had decided on a service obligation in Lübeck pay. Parallel to the regular military, there was also the militia-like civil guard , in which theoretically every adult male Lübeck citizen had to serve.
history
The military was established at the end of November 1814, and only members of the Hanseatic Legion who had passed with good credentials were accepted. On the news of Napoleon's return from Elba , Lübeck set up a Hanseatic Brigade together with Hamburg and Bremen on March 29, 1815 ; A large part of the city's military was integrated into the Lübeck contingent of the association and moved out on June 12 for the campaign, but was no longer used in combat because the war ended before that. The troops returned to the city on January 29, 1816.
With the war constitution of the German Confederation , which was enacted in 1821, new military demands came to Lübeck. The stipulation that one percent of the population of each state should be under arms went hand in hand with the basic obligation to introduce universal conscription . The regular armed forces had to be integrated into the army organization of the German Confederation . However, the implementation of these requirements in Lübeck, as in many other states of the German Confederation, was carried out without any particular hurry. It was not until 1831 that conscription was made mandatory in Lübeck, to which all men between the ages of 21 and 25 were subject; however, it was permissible to have a deputy perform the service. Since 1832 the Lübeck military has been officially designated as a federal contingent and, together with the contingents of Hamburg, Bremen and the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, formed a brigade in the armed forces that was assigned to the X Federal Army Corps and had a nominal strength of 5,019 men.
On May 24, 1848, the Lübeck contingent moved out to take part in the Federal War against Denmark , and returned on September 14, after having had only sporadic enemy contact. At the German-Danish War of 1864 Lübeck military had no active part.
In 1866 Lübeck sided with Prussia in the Austro-Prussian War and, like Hamburg, Bremen and Oldenburg, placed its armed forces under Prussian command. The contingent left Lübeck on July 18 and joined General Edwin von Manteuffel's main army . The Lübeck soldiers did not take part in the fighting. They arrived back in town on September 18.
After Lübeck had become part of the North German Confederation , the city concluded a military convention with Prussia on May 3, 1867 . It was decided that Prussia would henceforth take over all of Lübeck's military obligations in return for financial compensation. The Lübeck armed forces were disbanded and their relatives were given the option of continuing their service with the Prussian army . Lübeck conscripts were to serve in Infantry Regiment No. 76 , which was permanently relocated to Lübeck and was henceforth known as the 2nd Hanseatic Infantry Regiment .
Composition and strength
From 1815 to 1834 the peacetime strength of the Lübeck armed forces was around 300 men. Between 1834 and 1851, the nominal strength according to the Federal War Constitution was set at 478 infantrymen (including 52 replacements) and 88 cavalrymen (including 11 replacements); In 1844, however, only 318 infantrymen and 56 cavalrymen were actually under arms.
The cavalry unit established in 1835 was reduced to 14 men in 1848 and completely disbanded in 1857.
In 1853 the target strength of the Lübeck army was 679 men; only 572 were actually active.
Artillery did not maintain Lübeck; Oldenburg had taken on the corresponding obligations within the German Confederation in return for financial compensation .
Uniformity
The color of the Lübeck uniforms was, as in the other two Hanseatic cities of Hamburg and Bremen, green with red collars and lapels . The cut of the uniform skirt changed over time; He was initially swallowtail-like cut, but was in 1843 by the tunic replaced Prussian type.
The headgear was originally a black shako , from 1843 the spiked hood . In 1866 there was another change to the kepi .
See also
literature
- Peter Galperin: In defense and arms. Military citizens, mercenaries and soldiers in Oldenburg and the Hanseatic cities . Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1983, ISBN 3-87943-963-X .
- Georg Fink : Lübeck and its military. From the beginning until 1939 . Edited by Otto Wiehmann and Antjekathrin Graßmann . Schmidt-Römhild, Lübeck 2000, ISBN 3-7950-3115-X , ( small booklets on city history 16).
- Schlürmann, Jan : The military of the Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck 1623-1867 , in: Handbuch zur Nordelbischen military history. Armies and wars in Schleswig, Holstein, Lauenburg, Eutin and Lübeck 1623-1663 / 67 , ed. by Eva S. Fiebig and Jan Schlürmann, Husuem 2010, pp. 165–204.
