Leonhard Graf von Blumenthal
Leonhard von Blumenthal | |
---|---|
Field Marshal von Blumenthal, wearing his Pour le Mérite | |
Born | Schwedt, Kingdom of Prussia | 30 July 1810
Died | 21 December 1900 Quellendorf, Province of Brandenburg, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire | (aged 90)
Allegiance | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Service/ | ![]() ![]() |
Rank | Generalfeldmarschall |
Commands | 14th Infantry Division IV Corps |
Battles/wars | First Schleswig War Second Schleswig War Austro-Prussian War Franco-Prussian War |
Awards | Pour le Mérite with Oak Leaves Iron Cross (1870) Military Order of Savoy (Italy) Order of St. George (Russia) |
Karl Konstantin Albrecht Leonhard Graf[a] von Blumenthal (30 July 1810 – 21 December 1900) was an officer of the Prussian Army and field marshal of the Imperial German Army, chiefly remembered for his decisive intervention at the Battle of Königgrätz in 1866, his victories at Wörth and Weißenburg, and above all his refusal to bombard Paris in 1870 during the siege, of which he was in command.
Early life
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Born in Schwedt, Brandenburg, on 30 July 1810, Leonhard was the son of Ludwig Albrecht von Blumenthal (1774–1813) and his wife Friederike Charlotte Dorothea von Below (1783–1853). Ludwig was a captain in the Brandenburg Dragoon Regiment who was wounded in the Battle of Dennewitz, and later died from his injuries at Potsdam. Leonhard had a younger brother, Karl (1811-1903), who would later serve as a major-general in the army.
Leonhard was brought up on his grandfather's estate at Reddentin, where his uncle Gustav von Below was founding what would become the Pentecostal movement. He was educated at the military schools of Culm and Berlin, entering the Guards as a 2nd lieutenant in 1827, and studied at the Berlin General War School (later called the Prussian Military Academy).
Military career
[edit]After serving in the Rhine Province, von Blumenthal joined the topographical division of the general staff in 1846. As lieutenant of the 31st foot, he took part in 1848 in the suppression of the Berlin riots, and in 1849 was promoted captain on the general staff. The same year he served on the staff of General Eduard von Bonin in the First Schleswig War, and so distinguished himself, particularly at Fredericia, that he was appointed chief of the staff of the Schleswig-Holstein army,[1] when the previous chief of staff, Captain von Delius, was killed.
In 1850, von Blumenthal was general staff officer of the mobile division under Tietzen in Hesse-Kassel. He was sent on a mission to England in that year (4th class of Red Eagle), and on several subsequent occasions. Having attained the rank of lieutenant-colonel, he was appointed personal adjutant to Prince Frederick Charles in 1859. In 1860 he became colonel of the 31st, and later of the 71st, regiment. He was chief of the staff of the III Corps when, on the outbreak of the Second Schleswig War of 1864, he was nominated chief of the general staff of the army against Denmark, and displayed so much ability, particularly at Dybbøl and the night attack on the island of Als, which he masterminded and which ended the war, that he was promoted to major-general and awarded the order Pour le Mérite.[1]
In the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, von Blumenthal was Chief of Staff of the Second Army, commanded by the Crown Prince Frederick William. It was upon this army that the brunt of the fighting fell, and its arrival at Königgrätz saved the day. Von Blumenthal's own part in these battles and in the campaign generally was most conspicuous. At Königgrätz the crown prince said to him, "I know to whom I owe the conduct of my army", and von Blumenthal soon received promotion to lieutenant-general and the oak-leaves to the order Pour le Mérite. He was also made a knight of the Hohenzollern Order. From 1866 to 1870, he commanded the 14th Division at Düsseldorf.[1]
In the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, von Blumenthal was chief of staff of the Third Army under the crown prince. Eighteen other members of his family also fought in this war, including both his sons and three nephews, of whom two were killed. Von Blumenthal's soldierly qualities and talent were most conspicuous in the critical days preceding the battle of Sedan, and his services in the war have been considered as scarcely less valuable and important than those of Moltke himself.[1] Bismarck said:
So far as one can see, the papers make no mention of him, although he is chief of the staff to the Crown Prince and, next after Moltke, deserves most credit for the conduct of the war. ... He won the battles of Wörth and Wissembourg, and after that of Sedan, as the Crown Prince was not always interfering with his plans.[2]
He directed the Siege of Paris and resisted calls to bombard it. He also directed the operations conducted by General von der Tann around Orleans, and defended the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg from interference by Moltke.
Von Blumenthal represented Germany at the British manoeuvres at Chobham in 1871, and was given the command of the IV Corps at Magdeburg. In 1873, he was promoted to general of the infantry, and ten years later he was given the title of Count. In 1888 he was made a general field marshal, after which he served as commander of the 4th and 3rd army inspections before eventually retiring in 1896.[3]
In 1900, Kaiser Wilhelm II announced through the Court Circular that von Blumenthal would be made a Prince (Fürst). However, before this could be enacted the field marshal died that same year at Quellendorf near Köthen on 21 December. He was interred in the family crypt at Krampfer.[1][4]
Legacy
[edit]He was noted (among others by the English journalist William Howard Russell who followed him during the Franco-Prussian War) for his kindliness and sense of humour.
Like the Crown Prince, Moltke and other key Prussian leaders, he had an English wife, Delicia Vyner and it was widely thought in conservative circles that this was the basis of a liberal Prussian clique. His least appreciated but arguably most important work was the development of the doctrine of Fire and Infiltration, the basis of Blitzkrieg.
Titles, honours and awards
[edit]- Honorary Citizen of the City of Düsseldorf, 1871
- Fort No. XII of the Straßburg Fortress, a military barracks in Halle, and a colliery in Recklinghausen, named in his honour, 2 September 1873
- Honorary Member of the Swedish Academy of Sciences, 1 April 1876
- Granted the noble title of Count (Graf), 1883
Orders and decorations
[edit]Prussia:[5]
- Knight of the Red Eagle, 4th Class with Swords, 1853; 2nd Class with Oak Leaves, 1864; 1st Class, 1871; Grand Cross with Swords on Ring, 13 September 1876;[6] with Crown, 12 June 1892[7]
- Knight of the Royal Crown Order, 2nd Class, 22 September 1863; with Swords, 1864[6]
- Pour le Mérite (military), 22 April 1864; with Oak Leaves, 17 September 1866; in Diamonds, 22 April 1898[8]
- Service Award Cross
- Commander's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, with Star and Swords, 20 September 1866[6]
- Iron Cross (1870), 1st Class
- Knight of the Black Eagle, 21 July 1877; with Collar, 1878;[6] in Diamonds
Hohenzollern: Cross of Honour of the Princely House Order of Hohenzollern, 1st Class with Swords[5]
Anhalt: Grand Cross of the Order of Albert the Bear, 1872[9]
Austria-Hungary:[10]
- Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of Leopold, with War Decoration, 1875
- Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, 1889
Baden: Commander of the Military Karl-Friedrich Merit Order, 1870[11]
Bavaria:[5]
- Commander of the Military Order of Max Joseph, 18 October 1870[12]
- Knight of St. Hubert
- Grand Cross of the Military Merit Order
Brunswick: Grand Cross of the Order of Henry the Lion, with Swords, 1892[13]
Ernestine duchies: Grand Cross of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order, with Swords, 1877[14]
France: Commander of the Legion of Honour[5]
Hanover: Commander of the Royal Guelphic Order, 2nd Class, 1861[15]
Italy:[5]
- Grand Cross of Saints Maurice and Lazarus
- Grand Cross of the Military Order of Savoy
Mecklenburg:[5]
- Grand Cross of the Wendish Crown, with Golden Crown
- Military Merit Cross, 1st Class (Schwerin)
Oldenburg: Grand Cross of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig, with Swords, 31 December 1870;[16] with Golden Crown and Swords on Ring[5]
Reuss: Cross of Honour, 1st Class with Crown[5]
Russia:[5]
- Knight of St. George, 4th Class, 27 December 1870[17]
- Knight of St. Alexander Nevsky, 1876
Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach: Grand Cross of the White Falcon, with Swords, 1870[18]
Saxony:[19]
- Grand Cross of the Order of Merit, 1876
- Grand Cross of the Albert Order, with Golden Star, 1883
- Knight of the Rue Crown, 1884
Schaumburg-Lippe: Military Merit Medal, with Swords[5]
Schwarzburg: Princely Schwarzburg Cross of Honour, 1st Class with Swords and in Diamonds[5]
Spain: Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III, with Collar, 3 December 1883[20]
Sweden-Norway:[5]
- Knight of the Seraphim, 12 May 1873[21]
- Commander of the Sword, 2nd Class
Württemberg:[22]
- Grand Cross of the Military Merit Order, 30 December 1870
- Grand Cross of the Württemberg Crown, 1893
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- Attribution
- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Blumenthal, Leonhard". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
Further reading
[edit]- Journals of Field Marshal Count von Blumenthal for 1866 and 1870–71, edited by his son, Count Albrecht von Blumenthal, translated by Major Gillespie-Addison, published by Edward Arnold, 1903.
- Bismarck, Some Secret Pages of His History - the diary of Dr. Moritz Busch published by Macmillan & Co, 1898
- The War Diary of Emperor Frederick III 1870–1871 translated and edited by A. R. Allinson, published by Stanley Paul & Co, 1927
External links
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Works by or about Leonhard Graf von Blumenthal at the Internet Archive
- Journals of Field-Marshal Count von Blumenthal for 1866 and 1870-71
- New International Encyclopedia. 1905. .
- ^ a b c d e Chisholm 1911.
- ^ Bismarck - Some Secret Pages of His History, Being a Diary Kept by Dr. Moritz Busch - Macmillan & Co., New York, 1898
- ^ "Leonhard Graf von Blumenthal". prussianmachine.com. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ^ "Count Von Blumenthal Dead. Was Considered as Second Only to Von Moltke as a General and Tactician". New York Times. December 23, 1900. Retrieved 2010-12-14.
Count von Blumenthal, the oldest Field Marshal in the German Army, died last evening on his estate at Quellendorf, Duchy of Anhalt. ... but it was not so long ago that he owas regarded as second only to von Moltke in his abilities as a General and tactician. Born in 1810 at Schweldt, ...
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Rangliste de Königlich Preußischen Armee (in German), Berlin: Ernst Siegfried Mittler & Sohn, 1900, p. 36 – via hathitrust.org
- ^ a b c d Königlich Preussische Ordensliste (in German), vol. 1, Berlin: Gedruckt in der Reichsdruckerei, 1886, pp. 8, 11, 24, 582, 936 – via hathitrust.org
- ^ "Rother Adler-orden", Königlich Preussische Ordensliste (supp.) (in German), vol. 1, Berlin: Gedruckt in der Reichsdruckerei, 1886, p. 7 – via hathitrust.org
- ^ Lehmann, Gustaf (1913). Die Ritter des Ordens pour le mérite 1812–1913 [The Knights of the Order of the Pour le Mérite] (in German). Vol. 2. Berlin: Ernst Siegfried Mittler & Sohn. p. 442.
- ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Herzogtum Anhalt (1894) "Herzoglicher Haus-orden Albrecht des Bären" p. 18
- ^ "Ritter-Orden", Hof- und Staatshandbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie, 1900, pp. 58, 68, retrieved 22 May 2020
- ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden (1896), "Großherzogliche Orden" p. 68
- ^ Ruith, Max (1882). Der K. Bayerische Militär-Max-Joseph-Orden. Ingolstadt: Ganghofer'sche Buchdruckerei. p. 87 – via hathitrust.org.
- ^ Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Herzogtums Braunschweig für das Jahr 1897. Bd. 1897. Braunschweig : Meyer, 1897. p. 11
- ^ "Herzogliche Sachsen-Ernestinischer Hausorden", Staatshandbücher für das Herzogtums Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha, 1884, p. 36 – via zs.thulb.uni-jena.de
- ^ Staat Hannover (1865). Hof- und Staatshandbuch für das Königreich Hannover: 1865. Berenberg. p. 91.
- ^ Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Großherzogtums Oldenburg: für das Jahr 1872/73, "Der Großherzogliche Haus-und Verdienst Orden" p. 42
- ^ V. M. Shabanov (2004). Military Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George: A Nominal List, 1769-1920. Moscow. ISBN 5-89577-059-2.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Staatshandbuch für das Großherzogtum Sachsen / Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach (1900), "Großherzogliche Hausorden" p. 42
- ^ Sachsen (1888–1889). "Königlich Orden". Staatshandbuch für den Königreich Sachsen: 1888 und 1889. Dresden: Heinrich. pp. 5, 35, 86 – via hathitrust.org.
- ^ "Real y distinguida orden de Carlos III". Guía Oficial de España (in Spanish). 1899. p. 174.
- ^ Svensk Rikskalender (in Swedish), 1881, p. 378, archived from the original on 11 June 2011, retrieved 2018-01-06 – via runeberg.org
- ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Württemberg (1907), "Königliche Orden" pp. 44, 66
- 1810 births
- 1900 deaths
- People from Schwedt
- Blumenthal family
- Counts in Germany
- Field marshals of the German Empire
- Field marshals of Prussia
- German military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War
- Prussian people of the Austro-Prussian War
- People of the First Schleswig War
- Prussian military personnel of the Second Schleswig War
- Military personnel from the Province of Brandenburg
- Recipients of the Iron Cross (1870), 1st class
- Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class)
- Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary
- Commanders of the Military Order of Max Joseph
- Grand Crosses of the Military Merit Order (Bavaria)
- Commanders of the Legion of Honour
- Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus
- Knights Grand Cross of the Military Order of Savoy
- Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Fourth Degree
- Commanders of the Order of the Sword
- Military personnel from Brandenburg