Peter of Montargues

Peter von Montargues (* 1660 in Uzès , Languedoc , † 1733 in Maastricht ) was a Prussian major general and head of the engineering corps , he was also a knight of the de la Générosité order .

Life

Montargues comes from a Reformed family from Languedoc . He was studying in Geneva when the Edict of Nantes was revoked in 1685 . So he did not return to France, but went to Brandenburg like many others . The Elector Friedrich Wilhelm took him into his army and sent him to his engineering corps. His successor Friedrich III. appointed him captain of the musketeers. The regiment stayed with the Elector, but Montargues did not want to wait. So he asked for permission to return to the engineering corps that fought in the Dutch War . That was granted to him and he also got a company from the Heyden Regiment. He stayed with the companies until the Peace of Rijswijk . Many soldiers were released after the war. But Montargues received a free company that was stationed in Spandau.

When the War of the Spanish Succession broke out, the order was issued to hand over the company to General Daniel von Tettau . Montargues was assigned as an engineer major to Field Marshal Philipp Karl von Wylich and Lottum in Brabant. In 1703 he organized the siege of Geldern . His general also sent him to Aachen and had him raise contributions in Luxembourg . He was very successful at this, but was captured by the French. He was due to be convicted for being considered a traitor, but he was lucky and escaped. When he was back with the Prussians, he was sent to General Leopold von Anhalt-Dessau in Italy . From 1705 to 1707 he served the field marshal as lieutenant general quartermaster. At the end of the campaign he returned to Holland, where he became lieutenant colonel and quartermaster general as well as chief of the engineering corps. In 1709 he fought in the Battle of Malplaquet . On the orders of the then Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm I (Prussia) he was allowed to bring the news of the victory to Berlin and was richly rewarded by the king. He received a diamond ring worth 2000 thalers, 2000 ducats and the travel expenses. He was also appointed a brigadier . As such, he continued to serve in Holland until the Peace of Utrecht . In 1712 he drafted a plan for the conquest of Moers on the orders of Leopold von Anhalt-Dessau , which he successfully implemented.

After the war he stayed with the Prussian troops on the Rhine under the command of General Stephan du Trossel . Here he got a new assignment in 1714. The king sent him to the Swedish king Karl XII. who returned from exile in Bender, Turkey. He should not only wish him luck, but also confirm the sequestration contract. Karl invited him to his table and let him visit the Swedish fortress Stralsund .

In the Pomeranian campaign of 1715/1716 that followed shortly thereafter , Montargues accompanied the king as major general and, from December 24, 1715, as head of the engineering corps. He was so involved in the successful siege of Stralsund. Then the King of Denmark Frederick IV borrowed the successful major general to conquer the city of Wismar . For the successful conquest, the king wanted to give him the Dannebrogorden , but Montargues refused and instead received the order de la Générosité from the Prussian king . In 1718 he had a palace built by Philipp Gerlach in Berlin on Burgstrasse ( demolished in 1762/63 for the new building of Palais Itzig , which was replaced in 1858 by the new building for the Berlin Stock Exchange ).

During the peace that followed, he inspected the Prussian fortresses and reported on their condition. He also made precise maps of the Prussian provinces. In 1726 he asked for his departure, which was approved by the king. This gave him a salary of 1000 thalers. He then went to the Duchy of Cleves . He died in Maastricht in 1733 and was buried in the French church there.

family

Montargues was married to Judith von Huhn, who came from a patrician family in Cologne. Two daughters died young. One son died in the Prussian service, a second as a cavalry master in Danish. Johann Peter von Montargues (Jean Pierre de Montargues, born September 15, 1695 in Aachen) became Danish major general in Oldenburg. A sister Juliene-Marie was married to a Colonel Drevon in The Hague . The descendants were called Drevon von Montargues (Drevon de Montargues).

literature

• Eugène Haag, Emile Haag: La France protestante ou vies des protestants français qui se sont fait un nom dans l'histoire, depuis les premiers temps de la reformation jusqu'à la reconnaissance du principe de la liberté des cultes par l'Assemblée nationale. Volume 7, 1857, p. 453, digitized
• Anton Balthasar König : Peter von Montargues . In: Biographical lexicon of all heroes and military figures who made themselves famous in the Prussian service . tape 3 . Arnold Wever, Berlin 1790, p. 61 ( Peter von Montargues at Wikisource [PDF]).
• Karl Friedrich Pauli : Monuments of great heroes. Volume 1, Hall 1768, p. 269, digitized

Web links

• Devron family