Friedrich Karl von Tettenborn
Encyclopedia
Baron Friedrich Karl of Tettenborn (19 February 1778, in what was then the Baden part of the County of Sponheim
- 9 December 1845, Vienna
) was a famous cavalry general in the Austrian and Russian armies during the Napoleonic Wars
.
Forstwissenschaft and then at the Universities of Göttingen and Jena. In 1794 he joined the Austrian military
and quickly rose to captain during the French Revolutionary Wars
and Napoleonic Wars
. In the Austro-French war he was in 1805 in the army under Mack
, which dispersed after raising the siege of Ulm
. At the battle of Wagram
(1809), he rose to the rank of major. After the Treaty of Schönbrunn
he accompanied prince Schwarzenberg
to Paris.
At the outbreak of the Russian war of 1812
, he entered the Russian army as a lieutenant colonel. At the head of Kutuzov
's vanguard, he was again the first to engage at Moscow
, pursuing the French as far as the Beresina
at the head of the light cavalry, raising the siege of Vilnius
, going beyond the Neman River
, chasing MacDonald
through East Prussia
and occupying Königsberg
.
Appointed oberst
, he crossed the Vistula
and Oder
, joined up with general Tschernischew in Landsberg and then moved on Berlin
. From there, he was dispatched to Hamburg
, occupying it on 18 March 1813 after throwing back Morand
at Bergedorf
on the left bank of the Elbufer. Yet he had to leave the city to the advancing Davout on 30 May. His actions in Hamburg are judged critically. Fahl writes of von Tettenborn at this era "he observed Hamburg as a favourable location to enrich itself and to lead a straying life. He strove less for an earnest defence of the city than for collecting of an honourary award of 5,000 Friedriches d'or
and for his appointment as an honorary citizen he was also the first honorary citizen of Hamburg."
He then fought under Wallmoden
against Davout and against Pécheux
, after whose defeat he took Bremen
on 15 October. In January 1814 he was delegated to use a single corps of light cavalry to maintain communications between the many separate Allied armies operating in France.
After the peace, he withdrew to his estates, and in 1818 he left the service of Russia to join that of Baden. Here he resolved the territorial differences between Baden and Bayern and was active in the foundation of the constitution. In 1819 he went to Vienna as an envoy, where he died on 9 December 1845.
County of Sponheim
The County of Sponheim was an independent territory in the Holy Roman Empire which lasted from the 11th century until the early 19th century...
- 9 December 1845, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
) was a famous cavalry general in the Austrian and Russian armies during the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
.
Life
Tettenborn first studied at the WaltershausenWaltershausen
Waltershausen is a city in the district of Gotha, Thuringia, Germany.The town has a population of 11475 .-Sister cities: Bruay-sur-l'Escaut, France Korbach, Germany Wolbrom, Poland Hanau, Germany -External links:*...
Forstwissenschaft and then at the Universities of Göttingen and Jena. In 1794 he joined the Austrian military
Imperial and Royal Army during the Napoleonic Wars
The Imperial and Royal Army was that of the Austrian Empire, formed on 11 August 1804 preceding the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire ruled by the Habsburgs, under Emperor Francis II .-Background to the army:...
and quickly rose to captain during the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
and Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. In the Austro-French war he was in 1805 in the army under Mack
Karl Mack von Leiberich
Karl Mack von Leiberich, Freiherr was an Austrian soldier. He is best remembered as the commander of the Austrian forces that capitulated to Napoleon's Grande Armée in the Battle of Ulm in 1805. Historians of the late 20th century widely agree that he was among the poorest of the commanders of the...
, which dispersed after raising the siege of Ulm
Ulm
Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and...
. At the battle of Wagram
Battle of Wagram
The Battle of Wagram was the decisive military engagement of the War of the Fifth Coalition. It took place on the Marchfeld plain, on the north bank of the Danube. An important site of the battle was the village of Deutsch-Wagram, 10 kilometres northeast of Vienna, which would give its name to the...
(1809), he rose to the rank of major. After the Treaty of Schönbrunn
Treaty of Schönbrunn
The Treaty of Schönbrunn , sometimes known as the Treaty of Vienna, was signed between France and Austria at the Schönbrunn Palace of Vienna on 14 October 1809. This treaty ended the Fifth Coalition during the Napoleonic Wars...
he accompanied prince Schwarzenberg
Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg
Karl Philipp Fürst zu Schwarzenberg Karl Philipp Fürst zu Schwarzenberg Karl Philipp Fürst zu Schwarzenberg (or Charles Philip, Prince of Schwarzenberg (April 18, 1771 – October 15, 1820) was an Austrian field marshal.- Life :...
to Paris.
At the outbreak of the Russian war of 1812
French invasion of Russia
The French invasion of Russia of 1812 was a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars. It reduced the French and allied invasion forces to a tiny fraction of their initial strength and triggered a major shift in European politics as it dramatically weakened French hegemony in Europe...
, he entered the Russian army as a lieutenant colonel. At the head of Kutuzov
Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov
Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov was a Field Marshal of the Russian Empire. He served as one of the finest military officers and diplomats of Russia under the reign of three Romanov Tsars: Catherine II, Paul I and Alexander I...
's vanguard, he was again the first to engage at Moscow
Battle of Moscow
The Battle of Moscow is the name given by Soviet historians to two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between October 1941 and January 1942. The Soviet defensive effort frustrated Hitler's attack on Moscow, capital of...
, pursuing the French as far as the Beresina
Berezina River
The Berezina is a river in Belarus and a tributary of the Dnieper River.The Berezina Preserve by the river is in the UNESCO list of Biosphere Preserves.-Historical significance:...
at the head of the light cavalry, raising the siege of Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
, going beyond the Neman River
Neman River
Neman or Niemen or Nemunas, is a major Eastern European river rising in Belarus and flowing through Lithuania before draining into the Curonian Lagoon and then into the Baltic Sea at Klaipėda. It is the northern border between Lithuania and Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast in its lower reaches...
, chasing MacDonald
Étienne-Jacques-Joseph-Alexandre MacDonald
Étienne Jacques Joseph Alexandre MacDonald, 1st duke of Taranto was a Marshal of France and military leader during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.-Family background:...
through East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
and occupying 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...
.
Appointed oberst
Oberst
Oberst is a military rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway. The Swedish rank överste is a direct translation, as are the Finnish rank eversti...
, he crossed the Vistula
Vistula
The Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....
and Oder
Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
, joined up with general Tschernischew in Landsberg and then moved on 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...
. From there, he was dispatched to Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, occupying it on 18 March 1813 after throwing back Morand
Morand
Morand is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France....
at Bergedorf
Bergedorf
Bergedorf is the largest of the seven boroughs of Hamburg, Germany and a quarter within this borough. In 2006 the population of the borough was 118,942.-History:...
on the left bank of the Elbufer. Yet he had to leave the city to the advancing Davout on 30 May. His actions in Hamburg are judged critically. Fahl writes of von Tettenborn at this era "he observed Hamburg as a favourable location to enrich itself and to lead a straying life. He strove less for an earnest defence of the city than for collecting of an honourary award of 5,000 Friedriches d'or
Friedrich d'or
The Friedrich d'or was a Prussian gold coin nominally worth 5 silver Prussian Reichsthalers. It was used from 1741 to 1855 and since it was a silver standard regular issue coin and trade coin at this time, it had a different purpose to domestic silver coinage or Kurantgeld, the so-called window...
and for his appointment as an honorary citizen he was also the first honorary citizen of Hamburg."
He then fought under Wallmoden
Ludwig von Wallmoden-Gimborn
Ludwig Georg Thedel, Graf von Wallmoden was an Austrian "General of the Cavalry", best known for his training of light infantry and the refinement of the Tirailleur system.-Life:...
against Davout and against Pécheux
Marc Nicolas Louis Pécheux
Marc Nicolas Louis Pécheux was a French general during the Napoleonic Wars....
, after whose defeat he took Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
on 15 October. In January 1814 he was delegated to use a single corps of light cavalry to maintain communications between the many separate Allied armies operating in France.
After the peace, he withdrew to his estates, and in 1818 he left the service of Russia to join that of Baden. Here he resolved the territorial differences between Baden and Bayern and was active in the foundation of the constitution. In 1819 he went to Vienna as an envoy, where he died on 9 December 1845.