Viktor Amadeus Henckel von Donnersmarck

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Viktor Amadeus Count Henckel von Donnersmarck (born September 15, 1727 in Mertschütz , † January 31, 1793 in Königsberg ) was a Prussian lieutenant general and governor of the Königsberg fortress . He was a registrar in Silesia on the estates of Beuthen and Tarnowitz, knight of the Order of St. John and designated Commander of Süpplingenburg .

Life

origin

Viktor Amadeus came from a noble Silesian family and was the son of Leo Maximilian Henckel von Donnersmarck (born March 1, 1691 in Neudeck; † August 25, 1771 in Berlin ) and his wife Barbara Eleonora, née Freiin von Hock (born February 14, 1691 in Groß-Reichen; † April 13, 1753 in Liegnitz ). His father was a knight of the Order of the Black Eagle , heir to Wesendorf, Seyfrodau, Dittersbach, Hold, Mittel- and Niederreppersdorff, as well as a freelance gentleman of Beuthen.

Military career

At the age of 19 Henckel von Donnersmarck entered Prussian service and was employed as an ensign in the infantry regiment "Prince of Prussia" No. 15 . With the regiment he took part in the battle of Kesselsdorf in December 1745 . In 1750 he became second lieutenant . November 8, 1756 to April 12, 1758 Henckel von Donnersmarck was adjutant of Prince Henry and was in that position on March 25, 1757 First Lieutenant . He then returned to his old regiment but remained a lifelong friend of the prince.

Honor plaque for Count Henkel on the obelisk in Rheinsberg

During the Seven Years' War he took part in battles near Kesselsdorf , Prague , Roßbach , Zorndorf , Hochkirch and Torgau and fought in the battles of Dedeleben and Hornburg . For his bravery in the Battle of Prague in 1757 he was awarded the Order of Pour le Mérite . On February 19, 1758 he was staff captain and on April 12, 1758 captain and company commander .

In 1762 he became a major , in 1772 a lieutenant colonel and in 1776 a colonel . In the same year he was appointed commander of the Steinwehr Infantry Regiment No. 14 . He then led the regiment in the 1778/79 campaign . On May 20, 1782 he was major general and on June 6, 1782 chief of the regiment. In October 1786, King Friedrich Wilhelm II appointed him successor to Lieutenant General von Anhalt . Henkel took over his regiment and general inspection of the infantry in East Prussia. In August 1787 he was appointed in command of Memel and Pillau . In 1789 he was appointed lieutenant general and governor of Königsberg. For his many years of service he was awarded the Great Red Eagle Order on July 14, 1792 .

He fought against the Turks as a volunteer in the Russian Army. In the battle of Choczim on September 18, 1769, the Turks had penetrated into the Russian camp when he managed to regroup the Russians and repel the attack.

Prince Heinrich of Prussia dedicated a plaque on his Rheinsberg obelisk to him .

family

Henckel von Donnersmarck was married twice. On December 13, 1763 in Halberstadt, he married Katharina Friederike Wilhelmina von Wackerhagen (* March 8, 1745; † March 22, 1770 in Berlin), the daughter of the wealthy industrialist and Prussian councilor Wackerhagen, who had only received his nobility elevation in 1763. The couple had the following children:

  • Friederike Henriette Maximilliane Auguste Helene (* November 23, 1764 - July 2, 1835) ⚭ August 21, 1796 Johann Karl von Hagen (* November 9, 1758 - November 18, 1823), Prussian second lieutenant, later chamberlain in Dessau
  • Wilhelmine Amalie (born December 26, 1765, † January 25, 1838);
⚭ September 23, 1783 (divorce 1788) Albrecht Wilhelm von Massenbach (* September 10, 1751; † August 1, 1820), court judge
⚭ May 6, 1790 Karl Alexander Wilhelm von Tresckow (1764–1823), Prussian major general

His second wife was Eleonore Maximiliane Ottilie von Lepel (1756–1843). The couple had the following children:

literature
personal data
SURNAME Henckel von Donnersmarck, Viktor Amadeus
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Henkel von Donnersmarck, Count Viktor Amadäus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prussian lieutenant general and governor of Königsberg
DATE OF BIRTH September 15, 1727
PLACE OF BIRTH Mertschütz
DATE OF DEATH January 31, 1793
Place of death Königsberg (Prussia)