Hans Ernst Karl, Graf von Zieten
Hans Ernst Karl Graf von Zieten ( born March 5, 1770 in Dechtow; † May 3, 1848 in Warmbrunn ) was a Prussian officer, last Field Marshal.
Life
Origin
Hans Ernst Karl was the second hussar general named Zieten. The Frederick Rider General Hans Joachim von Zieten (gen. " Zieten from the bush " ) and later Field Marshal Count Hans Ernst Karl von Zieten are not related to each other. Both families have no common ancestor, when one speaks of an older line of the later Counts of Zieten on Dechtow Havel in the country and the younger line on Wustrau in general.
Military career
In Leibregiment of Zieten, was included in the Hans Ernst von Zieten still alive Frederick the Great as a cadet, the young Secondelieutenant 1789 received his commission. In 1793 he served as adjutant Lieutenant General Friedrich von Kalckreuth, later Field Marshal. Due to its kavalleristischen skills he was entrusted in 1799 with the post of adjutant inspection and promoted him in the following year to Major.
In the campaigns against Napoleon he proved himself as a cavalry leader and corps commander. His military successes brought him on 18 February 1809 a promotion out of turn to the Supreme. In Scharnhorst's proposal, he was member of a commission for the " abolition of the cavalry drill book ". On March 20, 1813 promoted to Major General, to him on May 26, 1813 took an important success, strengthening the Prussian Watch before the armistice of Poischwitz: at Haynau he could lure the troops of the French general Maison in an ambush and defeat, and thereby the facilitate withdrawal of Allied troops from Bautzen to Legnica. For this achievement he was awarded the Iron Cross First Class.
In the fighting in France in 1814, he made like in the battle of Laon, where he made a circumvention of the opponent and thereby mitentschied victory. The largest part of guns and ammunition wagons in this battle captured Zieten squadrons.
On June 18, 1815, the day the Battle of Waterloo, he brought the Duke of Wellington a decisive for the outcome of the battle assistance. In the afternoon, the French attacked with great violence, and the left wing of the British came by in severe distress. Zieten had orders get to stop von Blücher, but the convincing Müfflings Council, who worked on the staff of Wellington, to move Zieten to intervene in the battle succeeded. This caused panic among the French and contributed to the victorious outcome of the battle of. Importantly for the capitulation of Paris was finally the July at Issy on 20 of General Zieten victorious guided action.
Between Gneisenau and Zieten a time there was a strained relationship. All the more important is the assessment of Gneisenau on Zieten character: "The General of Zieten is but one of our best Untergeneräle. He never sees difficulties and leads without propriety of what is being told. " As commander in chief of the Prussian occupation corps Zieten was still over three years in France. In 1817 he was elevated to the rank of count and received a gift of 25,000 thalers. On September 14, 1824 Zieten chief of the 4th Hussars Regiment and on June 16, 1825 General of Cavalry.
As an avid rider, interested Zieten that you with the requested leave was given in 1839 to the rank of Field Marshal, and later for all the questions of the cavalry and was used to appropriate expertise.
For his services Zieten has won several awards. On 5 December 1792, he became a Knight of the Pour le Mérite, received on 5 September 1813, the oak leaves for the battle of Dresden, and on July 18, 1844, the Golden Crown. On the occasion of its 50th anniversary service he received on 26 May 1835, the diamonds to the Black Eagle. Zieten was also the owner of the Red Eagle Order, First Class (1814 ), the Grand Cross of the French Military Merit ( 1816), Knight Grand Cross of the Bath- Order (1819 ), the Russian Alexander Nevsky (1829 ) and Andreas Medal (1835 ) and the Grand Cross of the ku St. Stephen's Order ( 1830).
Family
Zieten (1776-1814) was since January 31, 1797 with Josephine, née Countess of Berlo - Suys married. The marriage produced three children:
- Josephine Clementine (* October 23, 1799, † February 24, 1862 ) ∞ May 5, 1821 Leopold Christian Graf Gotthard Schaffgotsch († October 19, 1864 ), Prussian Chamberlain and Lord on Maywaldau
- Leopold Karl ( * May 23, 1802, † May 19, 1870 ), Secret Government and District
- Adrian Hans (* November 13, 1803; † February 3, 1849 ), Captain in the Guards Cuirassiers ∞ Amalie Countess von der Schulenburg (* January 26, 1807, † April 14, 1853 ) out of the house Hornhausen