Alexander von Dönhoff
Encyclopedia
Alexander Graf von Dönhoff (born February 9, 1683 in Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...

 - October 9, 1742) was a Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...

n Lieutenant-General and confidant of King Friedrich Wilhelm I
Frederick William I of Prussia
Frederick William I of the House of Hohenzollern, was the King in Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg from 1713 until his death...

.

Biography

Alexander was the son of Friedrich von Dönhoff and Eleonore Katharina née von Schwerin. In November 1699 he became enlisted in Brandenburg services. Then he went to Hesse-Kassel, where he was captain and in 1701 participated in the War of Spanish Succession against France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. In 1704 he became a Major, on 9 Lieutenant Colonel in February 1705 and fought in northern Italy in the years 1706 and 1707. On 27 December 1709 he became a colonel, and led a separate regiment in 1720 and became Major General on 13 July 1722, in the Prussian service. In the trial against the Prussian Crown Prince Frederick
Frederick II of Prussia
Frederick II was a King in Prussia and a King of Prussia from the Hohenzollern dynasty. In his role as a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, he was also Elector of Brandenburg. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel...

 and Hans Hermann von Katte
Hans Hermann von Katte
Hans Hermann von Katte was a Lieutenant of the Prussian Army and close friend and possibly lover of the future Frederick II of Prussia, then the Crown Prince. He was executed by Frederick's father King Frederick William I of Prussia when he and Frederick plotted to escape from the Kingdom of...

 1730, he was a member of the war court. In the years 1734 and 1735 he led the campaign on the Rhine, and on 7 June 1737 was promoted to Lieutenant General. On 24 June 1740 he retired from active service.

On 31 October 1720 he married Charlotte Gräfin von Blumenthal (born September 28, 1761 in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

, the daughter of a Prussian Supreme Lord), and they had two sons and a daughter. His son, Friedrich Ludwig Graf von Dönhoff  (born February 10, 1724 - June 19, 1778) was also Major-General.

Literature

  • Kurt von Priesdorff (Hg.): Soldatisches Führertum. Hanseatische Verl.-Anst., Hamburg [1937], Band 1, Nr. 216
  • Anton Balthasar König: Biographisches Lexikon aller Helden und Militärpersonen, welche sich in preussischen Diensten berühmt gemacht haben, [Wever], Berlin 1788-1791, Nachdruck: LTR-Verlag, Starnberg 1989, ISBN 3-88706-305-8
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