Bavarian Army Reform (1868)
Encyclopedia
After the experience of the Bavarian army in the war against Prussia
, in 1868 the Bavarian War Minister
Siegmund Freiherr von Pranckh
fundamentally reformed the army. His main measures were:
Through these reforms, the Bavarian Army was able to participate significantly in the Franco-Prussian War
.
Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War was a war fought in 1866 between the German Confederation under the leadership of the Austrian Empire and its German allies on one side and the Kingdom of Prussia with its German allies and Italy on the...
, in 1868 the Bavarian War Minister
Ministry of War (Kingdom of Bavaria)
The Ministry of War was a ministry for military affairs of the Kingdom of Bavaria, founded as Ministerium des Kriegswesens on October 1, 1808 by King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria. It was located at Ludwigstraße in Munich...
Siegmund Freiherr von Pranckh
Siegmund von Pranckh
Siegmund Freiherr von Pranckh was a Bavarian general and Minister of War. Pranckh joined the army in Munich in 1840 from the cadet corps and in 1849 worked on the staff of the Generalquartiermeister...
fundamentally reformed the army. His main measures were:
- Modification of compulsory military service (abolition of the substitute position for long-serving recruits, introduction of the "Hardy-volunteer" - serving three years - after the Prussian model)
- Abolition of Bavaria's LandwehrLandwehrLandwehr, or Landeswehr, is a German language term used in referring to certain national armies, or militias found in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Europe. In different context it refers to large scale, low strength fortifications...
, was henceforth the term "Landwehr" for the older members of the reserve is used. - Foundation of the I. GeneralkommandosHigh commandThe phrase High command may refer to:* Command * Chain of command* Commander-in-Chief* Defence minister* Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, the WWII command structure popularly known as "German High Command"Compare:* Staff...
in Munich and II. Generalkommandos in Munich and WürzburgWürzburgWürzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
- The Bavarian Cadet Corps was put on an equal footing with a RealgymnasiumGymnasium (school)A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
.
Through these reforms, the Bavarian Army was able to participate significantly in the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
.