Theodor von Reding
Theodor von Reding or Theodor Reding von Biberegg (born July 3, 1755 in Schwyz , † April 23, 1809 in Tarragona ) was a Swiss general of the Napoleonic Wars in Spanish service. His parents were the Spanish lieutenant colonel Theodor Anton Reding and his wife Magdalena Freuler . He was the brother of the Swiss politician Alois von Reding and Nazar von Reding , later governor of Mallorca.
On October 22, 1772, at the age of 17, he joined the Spanish army.
He was transferred to Málaga with his regiment in 1802 . During the yellow fever epidemics in 1803 and 1804 he took over the duties of the health authority (Junta de Sanidad). With his regiment he set up a cordon sanitaire around the city to prevent the spread of the disease, organized the spring water transport from the nearby mountains and the supply of food to the ailing city. After the epidemic ended, a delegation from the city government of Málaga obtained the appointment of Reding to the king of Spain as military and civil governor of the city in 1806.
Under Francisco Javier Castaños , he played a decisive role in the Battle of Bailén in July 1808 as Lieutenant General . At the head of the Spanish troops he broke the political myth of the invincibility of the French in the Spanish War of Independence.
He was then summoned to Catalonia and appointed Governor of Tarragona and Captain General of Catalonia . In various battles he fought against the advance of the troops of the Napoleonic general Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr .
The two generals faced each other at the Siege of Roses from November 6 to December 5, 1808, at the Battle of Llinars on December 16, and the Battle of Molins de Rei on December 21, 1808. In the Battle of Valls on February 25, 1809, Theodor von Reding was wounded by a saber blow on the left arm in the renewed defeat against the troops of Saint-Cyr. He was still able to retreat to Tarragona with the remnants of his troops. Despite his victory, Saint-Cyr was unable to attack Tarragona. He offered to negotiate a surrender to Reding ; but this refused.
While Theodor von Reding was working out new plans and organizing troops, he had febrile attacks in March 1809. On April 23, 1809, he died of typhus , which he picked up when visiting wounded soldiers on both sides in the military hospital. Reding had also tried to rescue French prisoners of war (including Swiss mercenaries) who were deported to the uninhabited island of Cabrera . He was buried in the Cathedral of Tarragona. In 1892 his bones were exhumed and transferred to the new cemetery.
In 1778 he married Josefa von Reding, the daughter of Josef Ulrich von Reding.
literature
- Josef Wiget: Reding, Theodor. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
- Life story of Freiherr Theodor Reding, von Biberegg, General-Kapitaens of the Principality and the Army of Catalonia, digitized
- Marguerite Desfayes-de Boccard, Andrés Oliva Marra-Lopez: Théodore de Reding, le général suisse vainqueur de Napoléon. LEP, Editions Loisirs et pédagogie, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne 2007.
Web links
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Reding, Theodor von |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Reding from Biberegg, Theodor |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Swiss military person in Spanish service |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 3, 1755 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Schwyz |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 23, 1809 |
| Place of death | Tarragona |