Paul Würtz

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Paul Würtz (1612–1676)

Paul Würtz (also: Würz or Wirtz ) (born October 30, 1612 in Husum , † March 23, 1676 in Hamburg ) was a German officer and diplomat who was in the imperial , Swedish , Danish and Dutch services.

Life

Würtz was the son of the cattle dealer Klaus Wirtz and his wife Margarete Busch. Würtz received his education at the Jesuit school in Vienna. After traveling through Europe in 1628, during the Thirty Years' War, he first served in imperial and then in Swedish services. There he became confidante of the Count Palatine Karl Gustav , the future King of Sweden.

After the end of the war , Würtz negotiated neutrality agreements in England. In 1654 he was appointed major general and commandant of Stade . The king then sent the general together with General von der Linde to (successfully) woo the hand of Princess Hedwig Eleonora of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf .

In 1655 he went with the king in the Second Northern War against the Polish king John II Casimir . After the Swedes were able to conquer Krakow on October 9, 1655 , he became commander there. He then had to defend himself against the siege by General Count Melchior von Hatzfeldt . On August 24, 1657 he had to surrender, but was given free retreat. With 2849 men and all weapons and ammunition, he retired to Stettin. For this he was appointed Baron von Örneholm in Finland, and was also appointed Lieutenant General and Governor of Stettin.

When Stettin was besieged by General de Souches from September 29 to November 14, 1659 , he was able to hold the position. The king died the following year, but Würtz was not promoted to field marshal general - as he expected - but was still lieutenant governor of Pomerania until 1661 . He then went to Hamburg. In 1664 he is said to have been the Swedish ambassador to the court of Elector Friedrich Wilhelm in Berlin . In 1665 he became a Danish field marshal. In 1668 the States General took him to the head of their army. Up until the war of 1672 he tried to build up the army there, but after disagreements with the government he left in 1674. He retired in Hamburg and declined the Swedes' invitation to make him Governor General of Bremen-Verden . He died in Hamburg on March 23, 1676.

family

Paul Würtz was not married, but had an illegitimate daughter named Matha with Johanna von der Planken. After his death a bitter dispute broke out between her and the general's relatives about his inheritance. His body was buried in the Old Church in Amsterdam on October 24, 1679 .

literature

Web links

Commons : Paulus Würtz  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Anton Joseph Weidenbach: Memorable and useful Rheinischer Antiquarius. 1854, books.google.de
personal data
SURNAME Würtz, Paul
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Würz, Paul; Wirtz, Paul
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swedish general, Danish and Dutch field marshal, governor of Cracow and Szczecin
DATE OF BIRTH October 30, 1612
PLACE OF BIRTH Husum
DATE OF DEATH March 23, 1676
Place of death Hamburg