Marinier Corps (Brandenburg)
The Brandenburg Marinier Corps was a Brandenburg-Prussian marine infantry unit . The corps was founded on October 1st, 1684, at the same time as the Brandenburg Navy was founded . The unit existed until 1744 when the corps in Garrison Regiment No. XII rose.
Formation of the Marinier Corps
By the colonial ambitions BrandenburgPrussia conditional, was needed for the Brandenburg ships and established bases of Brandenburg-African Compagnie an infantry protection. The commander-in-chief of the Brandenburg Navy, Benjamin Raule , demanded the establishment of a naval company in 1681. In the meantime, the colonial projects had already taken shape. On January 1, 1683, the Groß Friedrichsburg colony was founded. The previous Brandenburg fleet ports of Königsberg and Pillau no longer met the requirements, so the elector forged plans to acquire a deep sea port on the North Sea. He chose the city of Emden for this , as the port there was considered one of the best in Europe.
At the time, the Princess of East Frisia was in conflict with the East Frisian estates. Taking advantage of this, the Great Elector got involved as chairman of the Westphalian Imperial Circle on site and tried to assert his claim to power against the influence of the Netherlands. While the Netherlands supported the East Frisian princess, Brandenburg-Prussia supported the estates and the city of Emden. “To protect the country”, the elector, in agreement with Denmark, had 300 Brandenburg soldiers embark in Glückstadt on October 26, 1682 . Greetsiel Castle was captured on November 6th . After further contractual arrangements with the estates from Emden, the permanent garrison of Brandenburg soldiers in Emden and Greetsiel was established. On January 25, 1684, the elector's plan to set up a Compagnie de Marine was announced.
The main task of the Brandenburg Marinier Corps should be the enforcement of Brandenburg claims in East Frisia. Ultimately, the naval unit was set up for national political needs and not for colonial political reasons.
The soldiers of the Marine Corps on board the ships sent overseas had the primary task of performing military security and, if necessary, participating in seafaring service. The overseas possessions were particularly at risk. In order to protect them against attacks by European and African opponents, the bases were assigned smaller infantry contingents. But this only applied to Großfriedrichsburg and Arguin.
resolution
After the death of the Great Elector in 1688, overseas trade declined and the Brandenburg Navy fell into disrepair. The reasons lay in the financial weakness of the state and the great European competition. The bases could no longer be started and supplied regularly. Therefore, the Brandenburg possessions outside Europe were sold to the Dutch. With the end of the colonial endeavors, there was no longer any need for a Marinier Corps .
In addition, East Frisia fell to Prussia in 1744 as a result of succession plans by the House of Cirksena . A force to enforce claims to power was no longer necessary, only a garrison was needed . For this reason, the Navy battalion was converted into Garrison Battalion number 12 in 1744 . This ended the history of the Brandenburg-Prussian Marinier Corps.
Mission history
The Marine Corps primarily served as garrison troops for the two East Frisian cities of Emden and Greetsiel . In the 73 years of its existence, however, there were no military actions in the two locations.
Parts of the corps were also deployed to protect the ships of the Brandenburg-African Compagnie on their overseas voyages. In addition, members of the marine corps were used to crew the Brandenburg bases overseas. The garrison of Fort Groß Friedrichsburg consisted of Brandenburg marines.
Formation history of the Marine Corps
The budget of October 1, 1684, the founding date, provided for a company strength of 9 officers , 27 NCOs and 420 marines. On May 16, 1685 a second company and a staff were set up. In 1687 the battalion was reinforced by a third company. On June 26, 1688, a fourth company was set up. At that time there was a plan to enlarge the regiment to 8 companies and thereby achieve regimental status. The death of the Great Elector prevented this. In 1692 two companies were dissolved.
Commanders
| Service position | Surname | Command time |
|---|---|---|
| captain | Theodore du Moulin | May 16, 1685 to 1699 |
| Lieutenant Colonel | de Vulson | 1699 to 17 ?? |
| ? | Georg Wilhelm von Frydag | ? to ? |
| Colonel | Philippe de Brueys | 1725 to 1737 |
| ? | from Ampach | 1737 to 1740 |
| ? | Ernst Georg von Kalckreuth | 1740 to 1744 |
Garrison Battalion No. XII
After the takeover of East Friesland by King Friedrich II. Two companies "Mariniers" became the tribe of Garrison Battalion No. XII formed. The battalion itself was made up of three companies of 200 men each. Its first commander was Colonel Ernst Georg von Kalckreuth (commander of the Mariniers since 1740).
At the beginning of the Seven Years' War, the battalion fell into French captivity. After the war, the Courbier Free Battalion was relocated to Emden in 1763 and transferred to Garrison Battalion No. XII. 1788 the establishment of depot battalions took place under Lieutenant Colonel von Beauvrye . Three companies were added to Infantry Regiment No. 45, one each assigned to infantry regiments No. 10 and 48.
literature
- Horst Auerbach: Prussia's way to the sea - Pomerania, the cradle of the Royal Prussian Navy . Brandenburgisches Verlagshaus, Berlin 1995, ISBN 3-89488-091-0
- Walter Deeters: History of the city of Emden. Rautenberg publishing house, Leer 1980.
- Kurt Petsch: Seafaring for Brandenburg-Prussia 1650 - 1815: History of naval battles, overseas branches and state trading companies . Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1986, ISBN 3-7648-1192-7
- Hans Szymanski: Brandenburg-Prussia at sea 1605-1815: A contribution to the early history of the German navy . Koehler & Amelang Verlag, Leipzig 1939.
- Ulrich van der Heyden: Red eagles on Africa's coast - The Brandenburg-Prussian colony Großfriedrichsburg in West Africa . Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-933889-04-9
- Eduard Lange : The soldiers of Frederick the Great p. 270 Digital copy of Garrison Battalion No. 12
Individual evidence
- ^ Johann Conrad Freese, History and Explanation of the former Royal Prussian Domains p. 8 [1]
- ↑ www.marine-infanterie.de [2]
- ^ Rolf Klodt: At sea and on land. Report-Verlag, Bonn 2008, p. 72.
- ↑ IV. Brandenburg-Prussia and East Frisia until 1744 ( PDF )
- ↑ Tileman Dothias Wiarda, East Frisian History: 1734 - 1758 Volume 8, p. 17 [3]
- ↑ Tileman Dothias Wiarda, Ostfriesische Geschichte: 1734 - 1758 Volume 8, p. 164 [4]
- ↑ Tileman Dothias Wiarda, Ostfriesische Geschichte: 1734 - 1758 Volume 8, p. 164 [5]