Hendrik George de Perponcher Sedlnitsky
Encyclopedia
Hendrik George, Count de Perponcher Sedlnitsky (also Sedlnitzky), (The Hague
, May 19, 1771 — Dresden
, November 29, 1856) was a Dutch general and diplomat. He commanded the 2nd Netherlands Division at the Battle of Quatre Bras
and the Battle of Waterloo
.
Dutch family, which had somewhere in its history acquired a Polish baronial title, that was however not recognized as a Dutch noble title), a justice in the Hof van Holland (the supreme court of the province of Holland), and Jonkvrouwe
Johanna Maria van Tuyll
van Serooskerke. Though the family was not part of the Dutch nobility under the Dutch Republic
it had acquired a number of Heerlijkheden
, like many Regents
, which gave it a de facto aristocratic status. When King William I of the Netherlands
reorganized, and greatly extended, the Dutch nobility in 1815, the family De Perponcher Sedlnitsky was inducted into the Dutch nobility with the title of baron. Perponcher was himself elevated to the rank of hereditary count by the King in 1825.
Perponcher married Adelaide, countess Van Reede on October 2, 1816. They had three sons and a daughter. The three sons all went into Prussian government service and achieved high rank.
in a regiment of dragoon
s in 1788. He was promoted to captain in 1792, and appointed aide-de-camp to Prince Willem George Frederik of Orange-Nassau, a younger son of stadtholder
William V, Prince of Orange
. With him he took part in the campaigns of the War of the First Coalition
(he saved the Prince's life at the battle of Werwick of September 13, 1793) until the Republic was overrun by the revolutionary French armies and the Batavian Republic
was proclaimed in 1795. Perponcher then followed his master into Austrian service, where Prince Frederik became a general. He was wounded at the siege of Kehl
.
When Prince Frederik died on January 6, 1799 in Padua
during an Austrian campaign in Italy, Perponcher transferred his allegiance to the British. He obtained a commission in a regiment of Jäger
in British pay as a major. This regiment was sent to Egypt to fight the French in the Egypt and Syria Campaign of 1800-1801. He was wounded at the Battle of Alexandria
. In 1804 he transferred as a major to Dillon's Regiment, which he soon thereafter commanded as a lieutenant-colonel in the Malta
garrison.
In 1808 he was put in charge of the Loyal Lusitanian Legion as a colonel in the Peninsular War
. He did not see action there, however, because he was recalled to England to become chief-of-staff of the Earl of Rosslyn
's's light division in the Walcheren Campaign
of 1809, where he saw action against his Dutch compatriots (now part of the Kingdom of Holland
). After that campaign ended he resigned his British commission under threat of forfeiture of his Dutch possessions by Napoleon I of France
, who annexed the Netherlands in 1810 and frowned on his new subjects serving in hostile armies.
Though without official duties, he was very active in Orangist circles during the next few years, which explains why he was selected as one of the emissaries of the Van Hogendorp
triumvirate (that seized power in October, 1813, in the Netherlands) to Prince William to invite him to become Sovereign Prince of the Netherlands. The Prince soon afterwards promoted him to major-general and put him in charge of the nascent new Dutch army. He led the campaign against the retreating French, and besieged the fortresses of Gorinchem
, Bergen op Zoom
, and Antwerp in late 1813 and early 1814. After the First Peace of Paris
in 1814 he was for the first time appointed Dutch minister plenipotentiary
at the Prussian court in Berlin.
in March, 1815. He was put in charge of the new 2nd Netherlands Division with the rank of lieutenant-general. This division was partially (second brigade under major-general Saxe-Weimar) bivouacked at Quatre Bras
, partially (first brigade under major-general Van Bylandt
) at Nivelles
on the fateful night of June 15, 1815. When Saxe-Weimar received orders from the Duke of Wellington
to evacuate the strategic crossroads at Quatre Bras, he alerted Perponcher, because he thought that could not be right, and Perponcher took the matter up with major-general Jean Victor de Constant Rebecque
, the chief-of-staff of the Netherlands Mobile Army. Together they decided to countermand Wellington's order, and Perponcher also sent his other brigade to take up positions at Quatre Bras. The two brigades together (though far outnumbered) managed to hold off the onslaught of the French left wing under Marshal Michel Ney
long enough the next day to allow Wellington to bring up British reinforcements. The allies defeated the French at the Battle of Quatre Bras on June 16. The next day the Anglo-Dutch army performed a strategic retreat to the environs of Waterloo.
Here Wellington decided to split up Perponcher's division (though leaving him in charge). The Saxe-Weimar brigade was put on the extreme left wing of the Allied army; the Bylandt brigade was eventually placed between the British brigades of Pack and Kempt. The placement of the Bylandt brigade at the beginning of the battle of Waterloo is the subject of some controversy, as many historians erroneously place the brigade in an exposed position, due to faulty staff work. Others credit Perponcher with giving the order to move the brigade to a safer position before the initial French bombardment started around noon on June 18. However, apparently Perponcher only executed an order from Wellington through the intermediary of the prince of Orange.
Both brigades performed well (despite what some British historians have written about the conduct of the Bylandt brigade, which ought to be contradicted by the appallingly high casualty figures of this brigade). Perponcher was in the thick of it, steadying the militia battalions of the Bylandt brigade after Bylandt had been forced to relinquish command, and leading them in a counterattack. He was made a Knight Commander of the Military William Order on July 18, 1815 in recognition.
Perponcher died in Dresden in 1856.
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, May 19, 1771 — Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, November 29, 1856) was a Dutch general and diplomat. He commanded the 2nd Netherlands Division at the Battle of Quatre Bras
Battle of Quatre Bras
The Battle of Quatre Bras, between Wellington's Anglo-Dutch army and the left wing of the Armée du Nord under Marshal Michel Ney, was fought near the strategic crossroads of Quatre Bras on 16 June 1815.- Prelude :...
and the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
.
Family Life
Perponcher was the son of Cornelis, baron de Perponcher Sedlnitsky, (scion of an old HuguenotHuguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
Dutch family, which had somewhere in its history acquired a Polish baronial title, that was however not recognized as a Dutch noble title), a justice in the Hof van Holland (the supreme court of the province of Holland), and Jonkvrouwe
Jonkheer
Jonkheer is a Dutch honorific of nobility.-Honorific of nobility:"Jonkheer" or "Jonkvrouw" is literally translated as "young lord" or "young lady". In medieval times such a person was a young and unmarried son or daughter of a high ranking knight or nobleman...
Johanna Maria van Tuyll
Tuyll
Tuyll is the name of a noble Dutch family, with familial and historical links to England, whose full name is van Tuyll van Serooskerken. Several knights, members of various courts, literary figures, generals, ambassadors, statesmen and explorers carried the family name.-Early and High Middle...
van Serooskerke. Though the family was not part of the Dutch nobility under the Dutch Republic
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
it had acquired a number of Heerlijkheden
Heerlijkheid
A heerlijkheid was the basic administrative and judicial unit in rural areas in Dutch-speaking lands before 1800. It originated in the feudal subdivision of government authority in the Middle Ages. The closest English equivalents of the word are "seigniory" and "manor"...
, like many Regents
Regenten
In the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, the regenten were the rulers of the Dutch Republic, the leaders of the Dutch cities or the heads of organisations . Though not formally a hereditary "class", they were de facto "patricians", comparable to that ancient Roman class...
, which gave it a de facto aristocratic status. When King William I of the Netherlands
William I of the Netherlands
William I Frederick, born Willem Frederik Prins van Oranje-Nassau , was a Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg....
reorganized, and greatly extended, the Dutch nobility in 1815, the family De Perponcher Sedlnitsky was inducted into the Dutch nobility with the title of baron. Perponcher was himself elevated to the rank of hereditary count by the King in 1825.
Perponcher married Adelaide, countess Van Reede on October 2, 1816. They had three sons and a daughter. The three sons all went into Prussian government service and achieved high rank.
Early career
Perponcher entered the service of the Dutch Republic as a cadetCadet
A cadet is a trainee to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. The term comes from the term "cadet" for younger sons of a noble family.- Military context :...
in a regiment of dragoon
Dragoon
The word dragoon originally meant mounted infantry, who were trained in horse riding as well as infantry fighting skills. However, usage altered over time and during the 18th century, dragoons evolved into conventional light cavalry units and personnel...
s in 1788. He was promoted to captain in 1792, and appointed aide-de-camp to Prince Willem George Frederik of Orange-Nassau, a younger son of stadtholder
Stadtholder
A Stadtholder A Stadtholder A Stadtholder (Dutch: stadhouder [], "steward" or "lieutenant", literally place holder, holding someones place, possibly a calque of German Statthalter, French lieutenant, or Middle Latin locum tenens...
William V, Prince of Orange
William V, Prince of Orange
William V , Prince of Orange-Nassau was the last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, and between 1795 and 1806 he led the Government of the Dutch Republic in Exile in London. He was succeeded by his son William I...
. With him he took part in the campaigns of the War of the First Coalition
First Coalition
The War of the First Coalition was the first major effort of multiple European monarchies to contain Revolutionary France. France declared war on the Habsburg monarchy of Austria on 20 April 1792, and the Kingdom of Prussia joined the Austrian side a few weeks later.These powers initiated a series...
(he saved the Prince's life at the battle of Werwick of September 13, 1793) until the Republic was overrun by the revolutionary French armies and the Batavian Republic
Batavian Republic
The Batavian Republic was the successor of the Republic of the United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on January 19, 1795, and ended on June 5, 1806, with the accession of Louis Bonaparte to the throne of the Kingdom of Holland....
was proclaimed in 1795. Perponcher then followed his master into Austrian service, where Prince Frederik became a general. He was wounded at the siege of Kehl
Siege of Kehl (1796)
The 1796-1797 Siege of Kehl lasted from October 1796 to 9 January 1797, during the War of the First Coalition...
.
When Prince Frederik died on January 6, 1799 in Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
during an Austrian campaign in Italy, Perponcher transferred his allegiance to the British. He obtained a commission in a regiment of Jäger
Jäger (military)
Jäger is a term that was adopted in the Enlightenment era in German-speaking states and others influenced by German military practice to describe a kind of light infantry, and it has continued in that use since then....
in British pay as a major. This regiment was sent to Egypt to fight the French in the Egypt and Syria Campaign of 1800-1801. He was wounded at the Battle of Alexandria
Battle of Alexandria
The Battle of Alexandria or Battle of Canope, fought on March 21, 1801 between the French army under General Menou and the British expeditionary corps under Sir Ralph Abercrombie, took place near the ruins of Nicopolis, on the narrow spit of land between the sea and Lake Abukir, along which the...
. In 1804 he transferred as a major to Dillon's Regiment, which he soon thereafter commanded as a lieutenant-colonel in the Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
garrison.
In 1808 he was put in charge of the Loyal Lusitanian Legion as a colonel in the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
. He did not see action there, however, because he was recalled to England to become chief-of-staff of the Earl of Rosslyn
James St Clair-Erskine, 2nd Earl of Rosslyn
General James St Clair-Erskine, 2nd Earl of Rosslyn GCB, PC , known as Sir James Erskine, Bt, between 1765 and 1789 and as Sir James St Clair-Erskine, Bt, between 1789 and 1805, was a Scottish soldier, politician, and Acting Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, on behalf of King George...
's's light division in the Walcheren Campaign
Walcheren Campaign
The Walcheren Campaign was an unsuccessful British expedition to the Netherlands in 1809 intended to open another front in the Austrian Empire's struggle with France during the War of the Fifth Coalition. Around 40,000 soldiers, 15,000 horses together with field artillery and two siege trains...
of 1809, where he saw action against his Dutch compatriots (now part of the Kingdom of Holland
Kingdom of Holland
The Kingdom of Holland 1806–1810 was set up by Napoleon Bonaparte as a puppet kingdom for his third brother, Louis Bonaparte, in order to better control the Netherlands. The name of the leading province, Holland, was now taken for the whole country...
). After that campaign ended he resigned his British commission under threat of forfeiture of his Dutch possessions by Napoleon I of France
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
, who annexed the Netherlands in 1810 and frowned on his new subjects serving in hostile armies.
Though without official duties, he was very active in Orangist circles during the next few years, which explains why he was selected as one of the emissaries of the Van Hogendorp
Gijsbert Karel van Hogendorp
Gijsbert Karel, Count van Hogendorp was a conservative Dutch statesman. He was the brother of Dirk van Hogendorp the elder and the father of Dirk van Hogendorp the younger....
triumvirate (that seized power in October, 1813, in the Netherlands) to Prince William to invite him to become Sovereign Prince of the Netherlands. The Prince soon afterwards promoted him to major-general and put him in charge of the nascent new Dutch army. He led the campaign against the retreating French, and besieged the fortresses of Gorinchem
Gorinchem
Gorinchem , also called Gorkum , is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of 21.99 km² of which 3.03 km² is water...
, Bergen op Zoom
Bergen op Zoom
Bergen op Zoom is a municipality and a city located in the south of the Netherlands.-History:Bergen op Zoom was granted city status probably in 1266. In 1287 the city and its surroundings became a lordship as it was separated from the lordship of Breda. The lordship was elevated to a margraviate...
, and Antwerp in late 1813 and early 1814. After the First Peace of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1814)
The Treaty of Paris, signed on 30 May 1814, ended the war between France and the Sixth Coalition, part of the Napoleonic Wars, following an armistice signed on 23 May between Charles, Count of Artois, and the allies...
in 1814 he was for the first time appointed Dutch minister plenipotentiary
Plenipotentiary
The word plenipotentiary has two meanings. As a noun, it refers to a person who has "full powers." In particular, the term commonly refers to a diplomat fully authorized to represent his government as a prerogative...
at the Prussian court in Berlin.
Hundred Days Campaign
Perponcher was recalled from Berlin when Napoleon escaped from ElbaElba
Elba is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino. The largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago, Elba is also part of the National Park of the Tuscan Archipelago and the third largest island in Italy after Sicily and Sardinia...
in March, 1815. He was put in charge of the new 2nd Netherlands Division with the rank of lieutenant-general. This division was partially (second brigade under major-general Saxe-Weimar) bivouacked at Quatre Bras
Quatre Bras
Quatre Bras is a common name given to a crossroad in French.More specifically it refers to the crossroad of the Charleroi-Brussels road and the Nivelles-Namur road South of Genappe in Wallonia, Belgium...
, partially (first brigade under major-general Van Bylandt
Willem Frederik van Bylandt
Willem Frederik count of Bylandt or Bijlandt was a Dutch lieutenant-general who as a major-general commanded a Belgian-Dutch infantry brigade at the Battle of Quatre Bras and the Battle of Waterloo.-Family Life:Bylandt was the son of major-general Alexander count of Bylandt and Anne, baroness Van...
) at Nivelles
Nivelles
Nivelles is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. The Nivelles municipality includes the old communes of Baulers, Bornival, Thines, and Monstreux....
on the fateful night of June 15, 1815. When Saxe-Weimar received orders from the Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
to evacuate the strategic crossroads at Quatre Bras, he alerted Perponcher, because he thought that could not be right, and Perponcher took the matter up with major-general Jean Victor de Constant Rebecque
Jean Victor de Constant Rebecque
Jean Victor baron de Constant Rebecque was a Swiss lieutenant-general in Dutch service of French ancestry...
, the chief-of-staff of the Netherlands Mobile Army. Together they decided to countermand Wellington's order, and Perponcher also sent his other brigade to take up positions at Quatre Bras. The two brigades together (though far outnumbered) managed to hold off the onslaught of the French left wing under Marshal Michel Ney
Michel Ney
Michel Ney , 1st Duc d'Elchingen, 1st Prince de la Moskowa was a French soldier and military commander during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one of the original 18 Marshals of France created by Napoleon I...
long enough the next day to allow Wellington to bring up British reinforcements. The allies defeated the French at the Battle of Quatre Bras on June 16. The next day the Anglo-Dutch army performed a strategic retreat to the environs of Waterloo.
Here Wellington decided to split up Perponcher's division (though leaving him in charge). The Saxe-Weimar brigade was put on the extreme left wing of the Allied army; the Bylandt brigade was eventually placed between the British brigades of Pack and Kempt. The placement of the Bylandt brigade at the beginning of the battle of Waterloo is the subject of some controversy, as many historians erroneously place the brigade in an exposed position, due to faulty staff work. Others credit Perponcher with giving the order to move the brigade to a safer position before the initial French bombardment started around noon on June 18. However, apparently Perponcher only executed an order from Wellington through the intermediary of the prince of Orange.
Both brigades performed well (despite what some British historians have written about the conduct of the Bylandt brigade, which ought to be contradicted by the appallingly high casualty figures of this brigade). Perponcher was in the thick of it, steadying the militia battalions of the Bylandt brigade after Bylandt had been forced to relinquish command, and leading them in a counterattack. He was made a Knight Commander of the Military William Order on July 18, 1815 in recognition.
Diplomatic career
After the Battle of Waterloo Perponcher was right away returned to his post as Dutch envoy to the Prussian Court in Berlin. He remained in this post until 1842. At his retirement he was promoted to full general. Apparently these many years in Berlin completely assimilated his three sons (born in 1819, 1821 and 1827) to their new environment. They all entered Prussian diplomatic or military service, where they achieved high rank. (One was chamberlain of Emperor Wilhelm I).Perponcher died in Dresden in 1856.