Otto Magnus von Schwerin

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Otto Magnus von Schwerin (1701–1777)

Otto Magnus (Martin) von Schwerin (born June 21, 1701 in Halberstadt , † August 14, 1777 in Busow near Anklam ) was a Prussian general of the Frederician era .

origin

His parents were the Prussian Colonel Johann Georg (Hans Jürgen) von Schwerin (born May 3, 1668: † June 5, 1712) and Maria Esther von Dockum . His mother was the daughter of Martin Arnd von Dockum from the Duchy of Geldern and Magdalena Esther von Loë von Oldenpiel . His brother Friedrich Leopold (1699–1750) also became a Prussian general.

Life

At the age of 13 he joined the cuirassier regiment on horseback "Crown Prince" in the Prussian army service. At the beginning of the First Silesian War , Schwerin was already a lieutenant colonel and commander of the "Margravial Bayreuth Dragoon Regiment ". Neither his regiment nor himself earned any laurels in the battles near Mollwitz in 1741 and Chotusitz in 1742: the battle near Chotusitz was particularly painful, because his regiment was dispersed by the enemy cavalry before the deployment, he himself was badly wounded and captured by the Austrians taken. Frederick the Great then imposed royal disgrace on his cavalry.

After the peace treaty returned to his garrison town of Pasewalk , Schwerin devoted himself to the intensive training of his regiment. Friedrich II was very satisfied with his work and issued an order to the commanders of the three East Prussian dragoon regiments to go to Pasewalk and learn from Schwerin.

Schwerin's fame day came on June 4, 1745 in the Battle of Hohenfriedberg through the famous batch of his Bayreuth regiment under Geßler and his leadership. After the battle, Frederick the Great said to him: "Schwerin, a deed like yours today is not to be found in the whole of Roman history" and rewarded Schwerin with promotion to major general and the award of the order Pour le Mérite . Schwerin later also received the administrative authorities for Stettin and Fischhausen , which brought an annual income of 10,000 thalers.

King Friedrich was less satisfied with Schwerin's achievements in peace, because the general was soon known for having fun drinking parties with his officers and Friedrich warned him several times to “stop drinking”, but without success. In 1755, during the autumn maneuver at Stargard , Schwerin received such a sharp reprimand from the king that he put his pallasch in his sheath and said "A becket that pulls him again" . He then withdrew to his property in Pomerania and asked to leave, but this was not granted. After a year the Seven Years War broke out and Friedrich asked Schwerin to take command of his regiment again, which the general did without moving his pallasch - in his place he wielded a riding crop. In 1756 Schwerin was promoted to lieutenant general and distinguished himself again in the battle of Lobositz (October 1, 1756), but already left in 1757. Due to his conflict with Friedrich II, he was never raised to the rank of baron or count and remained a simple lord of Schwerin.

Grave at the Busow Chapel

In 1761 Otto von Schwerin , who lived in Busow , bought the Dargibell estate from Leonhard von Eickstedt . The well-drunk rider general erected a pavilion with a wine cellar, the so-called "drinking house", on a trench-guarded early German tower hill. There he celebrated hunting and drinking bouts with his former officers from Pasewalk.

Otto Magnus von Schwerin died on his Busow estate near Anklam on August 14, 1777.

family

He married Baron Esther Marie von Quadt zu Landskron on December 17, 1732 in Minden . The couple had the following children:

  • Marie Luise Emilie Friedrike (* September 15, 1733) ⚭ 1754 Adam Wilhelm von Rochow auf Trechwitz († 1779) (later divorced)
  • Friedrich Christoph Otto (* December 14, 1734; † April 20, 1739)
  • Ulrike Sophie (October 1, 1735 - July 14, 1768)
  • Caroline Friedrike (born April 15, 1739 - † October 4, 1744)
  • Friedrich Curd Otto (September 1, 1740 - April 14, 1757)
  • Ludwig Wilhelm Albrecht (* May 16, 1743; † April 23, 1777) ⚭ 1771 Sophie Charlotte von Grumbkow († November 10, 1785)
  • Beate Juliane Agnes Friedrike (* October 22, 1744; † June 12, 1746)
  • Moritz Friedrich Wilhelm (November 4, 1745; † March 11, 1829) ⚭ October 20, 1774 Freiin Helene Eleonore Marianne von Stosch (* May 25, 1759; † February 8, 1826)
  • Albert Christoph Carl (* February 12, 1747; † 1748)
  • Friedrike Caroline Wilhelmine (born September 23, 1751 - † October 24, 1810) ⚭ 1786 Bernd Christian von Linstow
  • Charlotte Friedrike Elisabeth Justine (* February 3, 1753; † 1778) ⚭ in Sweden NN Bartholdi

literature

  • Georg von Alten : manual for army and fleet. Volume VII, Berlin 1913.
  • Ludwig Gollmert: History of the family of Schwerin , Vol. 2: Biographical news about the family of Schwerin . Wilhelm Gronau, Berlin 1878, p. 271 (→ Johann Georg von Schwerin); P. 273 (→ Otto Martin von Schwerin)
  • Anton Balthasar König : Otto Magnus von Schwerin . In: Biographical lexicon of all heroes and military figures who made themselves famous in the Prussian service . tape 3 . Arnold Wever, Berlin 1790, p. 465 ( Otto Magnus von Schwerin at Wikisource [PDF]).
  • Bernhard von Poten :  Schwerin, Otto Magnus von . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 33, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1891, p. 425 f.
  • Heinrich Ravenstein: Historical representation of the most important events of the 2nd cuirassier regiment. Berlin 1827 ( digitized version )

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Eckhard Oberdörfer: "Ostvorpommern", Edition Temmen, Bremen 2006, p. 27 ff, ISBN 3-86108-917-3
personal data
SURNAME Schwerin, Otto Magnus von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Schwerin, Otto Martin von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prussian general
DATE OF BIRTH June 21, 1701
PLACE OF BIRTH Halberstadt
DATE OF DEATH August 14, 1777
Place of death Busow