Maximilian von Ditfurth

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Maximilian Joseph Carl von Ditfurth , also Maximilian Karl Joseph von Ditfurth , (born May 10, 1806 in Munich , † August 8, 1861 in Marburg ) was a Hessian officer and military historian . Ditfurth was a member of the Hessian Estates Assembly from 1848 to 1849 . He was made the first honorary citizen of the city of Kassel .

Life

Gravestone Maximilian von Ditfurth, cemetery at Barfüßer Tor, Marburg

family

Maximilian Joseph Carl Freiherr von Ditfurth came from the old noble family von Ditfurth , which originally came from the Harzgau . His father Karl Freiherr von Ditfurth (born December 6, 1774 in Hanau , † April 19, 1809 in Innsbruck ) served as a royal Bavarian officer, most recently as a colonel . He died of a wound sustained on April 12, 1809 during the Fifth Coalition War . Karl von Ditfurth married Karoline Philippine Freiin von Verschuer on April 22, 1804 in Munich (born August 3, 1770 in Hanau, † September 19, 1841 in Kassel), the lady-in-waiting of Princess Karoline Auguste of Bavaria .

Due to the early death of the father, Maximilian was only three years old, he was the couple's only child. His mother did not enter into another marriage; in 1809 she suffered a serious injury while fleeing from the Tyrolean insurgents .

Professional background

Ditfurth was first educated at the court of the Bavarian king in Munich. In 1823 he went to Kassel, where he joined the Hessian Guard Jäger battalion, but already said goodbye after five years. During the unrest as a result of the July Revolution , at the age of 24 he was elected captain and battalion commander of the newly established Kassel Citizens Guard and was made the first honorary citizen of the city of Kassel on November 18, 1830 for his services.

In 1836 Ditfurth entered the service of the Electorate of Hesse again as Prime Lieutenant , and later he became a captain in the general staff . He also dealt with scientific treatises on military history, was a co-author in numerous newspapers and magazines and wrote a biography about his father. Some of his works were only published posthumously . In 1848 Ditfurth became a member of the 1st Chamber of the Electoral Hesse Assembly, the 11th Landtag, for the Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld . An office he held until 1849. In 1852 he was appointed commander of the garrison company in Marburg.

Maximilian von Ditfurth fell ill with a stomach ailment from which he died on August 8, 1861, at the age of 55 in Marburg. On March 5, 1814, he received an entry in the aristocratic class in the nobility register in the Kingdom of Bavaria and later a permit to continue the previously held baron title in Prussia and Austria. His grave is in the cemetery at Barfüßer Tor in Marburg.

Marriage and offspring

Maximilian von Ditfurth married Isabella Marie Louise Gissot on May 11, 1828 in Kassel (* July 20, 1803 in Marburg, † December 18, 1861 in Marburg). They had eleven children, five daughters and six sons. Two sons died two years after their birth, the others became officers and served in the Austrian and Prussian armies . Of the daughters, Adelheit Pauline Freiin von Ditfurth (born April 29, 1835 in Kassel, † 1911) married the royal Prussian Lieutenant General Oswald von Loebell .

Publications (selection)

  • The Hessians in the campaigns of 1793, 1794 and 1795 in Flanders, Brabant, Holland and Westphalia.
Volume 1: History of the 1793 campaign in Flanders. Bohné, Kassel 1839.
Volume 2: History of the campaigns of 1794 and 1795. Bohné, Kassel 1840.
  • Considerations on the fortification of Paris, with special reference to the text: Considerations of a militaire on an impending war between Germany and France. Theodor Fischer, Kassel 1842.
  • The storming of Frankfurt by the Hessians on December 2, 1792. Fischer, Kassel 1842.
  • To correct some of the most recent edition of Frh. Hormayr's story of Andreas Hofer repeated accusations against Colonel Karl Frh. V. Kb, who died in 1809 at Inspruck from his wounds. Ditfurth. Krieger, Kassel 1846.
  • Illustrative examples of the royal teaching method. Prussian Lieutenant General Count Waldersee in the military training of the infantry for the scattered battle. Vieweg, Braunschweig 1855.
  • Tales from the Hessian war history. A reader for young and old, as well as for Hessian patriot friends of every class. Freyschmidt, Kassel 1859.
  • From the life of the Royal Bavarian Colonel Karl Freiherrn v. Ditfurth. Contribution to the history of the wars from 1792 to 1809. Krieger, Kassel 1864.
  • The Hessian Life Guard Regiment. A historical sketch. (from the estate of Maximilian von Ditfurth), Klaunig, Kassel 1882.
  • The battle of Borodino on September 7th, 1812. With special consideration for the participation of the German cavalry contingents. Elwert, Marburg 1887.

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Ditfurth, Maximilian von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ditfurth, Maximilian Joseph Carl von (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Elector of Hesse officer and military historian, member of the Electorate of Hesse assembly of estates
DATE OF BIRTH May 10, 1806
PLACE OF BIRTH Munich
DATE OF DEATH August 8, 1861
Place of death Marburg