Melchior von Redern
Melchior Baron von Redern (born January 6, 1555 in Breslau ; † September 20, 1600 in Deutsch Brod ) was an imperial military leader in the Turkish Wars .
biography
Redern came from an old noble family, the von Redern family . His father Friedrich von Redern the Elder († 1564) was the owner of the Silesian dominions of Ruppersdorf , Tost and Peiskretscham as well as Friedland in Bohemia. The mother Salomena came from the von Schönaich family .
In the military service of the Habsburgs since 1575, Redern fought against the Turks in Royal Hungary. He then took part in fighting in Poland and the Netherlands. In 1581 Rudolf II lent the property in Friedland including Reichenberg and Seidenberg to Melchior and his brothers Hans, Georg and Christoph. In 1582 Melchior von Redern married Katharina Schlick . In the same year he returned to the imperial army and was promoted to colonel in 1588.
Between 1585 and 1587 Melchior built Reichenberg Castle together with his brother Christoph († September 3, 1591) . After the death of all of his brothers, Melchior von Redern was the sole owner of the Friedland estate from 1591. In this year his only son Christoph was born. As the commander of a Silesian cavalry regiment of 1,300 men, he defeated a superior Turkish force on June 22, 1593 in the battle of Sissek . He succeeded in the same on September 30, 1593 in the battle of Papa .
1598 defended Rederns with 2,000 men Großwardein against 120,000 Turks who gave up their siege on November 3, 1598 after twelve attempts, taking of the city. On the basis of these services he received the knighthood on May 16, 1599 by Rudolf II in Prague and was raised to the rank of baron. At the same time he was appointed President of the Court War Council and gave him command of the most important Hungarian fortress, Raab .
After the death of Count Adolf Schwarzenberg in front of Pápa , Redern took command in 1600 to assault the Pápa fortress occupied by insurgent French and Walloon mercenaries, which he captured within one day on August 9 in a bloody slaughter without prisoners. On August 11, 1600, Privy Councilor Melchior von Redern was appointed Field Marshal General in Vienna .
A little later Redern traveled from Raab to Friedland in order to cure himself from an illness he had acquired on the way to Vienna. He died on the way there in the Goldener Hirsch zu Deutsch Brod . His mortal shell was transferred to Friedland and buried there on January 6, 1601 in the family crypt of the Redern in the dean's church in Friedland. The ornate pewter coffin was supplied in 1601 by the well-known bell founder Georg Wildt. In 1605 a marble tomb with a bronze statue was erected for him there.
The Protestant Redern promoted the economic development of the Friedland dominion and in particular the Jizera Mountains . In 1584 he founded the mountain town of Böhmisch Neustadt and in 1594 the village of Weißbach .
literature
- Felix Stieve: Melchior Freiherr von Rödern . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 29, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1889, pp. 23-25.
Web links
- http://www.boehm-chronik.com/grundherrschaft/mredern.htm
- Illustration by Mathias van Somer from 1665: Melchior von Redern, Ritter in Friedland ( digitized version )
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Speak, Melchior von |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Redern, Melchior Baron von |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | imperial military leader in the Turkish wars |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 6, 1555 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Wroclaw |
| DATE OF DEATH | 20th September 1600 |
| Place of death | German Brod |