Max von Bahrfeldt
Encyclopedia
Max Ferdinand Bahrfeldt, ennobled as von Bahrfeldt in 1913 (February 6, 1856, Willmine
, District of Templin
, Uckermark
-April 11, 1936, Halle an der Saale) was a royal Prussian General
of the infantry
, a local historian, and a numismatist of world renown. In the anglophone
and francophone world, however, he was also notorious as the alleged perpetrator of atrocities in Charleroi
, Belgium
, during the German invasion of 1914
.
in the Uckermark. As a lieutenant-general, Bahrfeldt was ennobled as a member of the Prussian hereditary nobility on June 16, 1913 (as part of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm II). In 1911, Bahrfeldt was granted an honorary doctorate by the philosophical faculty of the University of Giessen
and from 1921 onwards was honorary professor for numismatics at the University of Halle-Wittenberg
.
In the First World War, Bahrfeldt was the commander of the 37th Division, and captured Charleroi
on August 22, 1914. Accused by the Allies of atrocities at Charleroi, in 1925 he was condemned to death in absentia
by a Belgian
court.
Bahrfeldt had been interested in numismatics from his youth. He specialized in the coinage of the Roman Republic
and the coins of Lower Saxony
. Bahrfeldt commenced his numismatic researches in 1873 when he was lieutenant
in the 74th Infantry Regiment. He published his first numismatic essay in 1874 in Stade
. One year later he became co-editor of the Numismatisch-Sphragistischer Anzeiger. Zeitung für Münz-, Siegel-, und Wappenkunde (published in Hannover). From 1876 until 1882 he served as adjutant of the regiment stationed in Stade. During this period he served as secretary for the local historical society and curated its coin collection. He also carried out excavations at the Perleberg site of the beaker people.
On October 14, 1878, Bahrfeldt married in Gotha
Elisabeth (Ella) Mary Charlotte Samwer (October 8, 1859, Gotha - October 19, 1954, Frankfurt/Main), the daughter of the jurist, professor of constitutional law and author Karl Friedrich Samwer (1819–1882), who was also a numismatist. In 1883 Bahrfeldt published in Vienna from Samwer's papers the History of the Older Roman Coinage from about 200 B.C. He followed this up with further publications about the coinage issued in the region between the Elbe
and the Weser. In 1879 Bahrfeldt published, based on the previous work of Wilhelm Heinrich Jobelmann and Wilhelm Wittpenning, a revised History of the City of Stade.
Bahrfeldt joined the Deutsche Vaterlandspartei upon its formation in 1917. In the Weimar Republic
, he was a member of the conservative Deutschnationale Volkspartei and the Stahlhelm
. After the dissolution of the Stahlhelm during the Third Reich, Bahrfeldt transferred to the reserve of the SA
.
Bahrfeldt is acknowledged as one of the greatest, possibly the greatest, student of coinage of the Roman Republic.
Gerswalde
Gerswalde is a municipality in the Uckermark district, in Brandenburg, Germany....
, District of Templin
Templin
Templin is a small town in the Uckermark district of Brandenburg, Germany. Though it has a population of only 17,127 , it is with 377.01 km2 the second largest town in Brandenburg and the seventh largest town in Germany by area...
, Uckermark
Uckermark
Uckermark is a Kreis in the northeastern part of Brandenburg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Barnim and Oberhavel, the districts Mecklenburgische Seenplatte and Vorpommern-Greifswald in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and to the east Poland . It is the largest district of Germany areawise...
-April 11, 1936, Halle an der Saale) was a royal Prussian General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
of the infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
, a local historian, and a numismatist of world renown. In the anglophone
Anglosphere
Anglosphere is a neologism which refers to those nations with English as the most common language. The term can be used more specifically to refer to those nations which share certain characteristics within their cultures based on a linguistic heritage, through being former British colonies...
and francophone world, however, he was also notorious as the alleged perpetrator of atrocities in Charleroi
Charleroi
Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, during the German invasion of 1914
Rape of Belgium
The Rape of Belgium is a wartime propaganda term describing the 1914 German invasion of Belgium. The term initially had a figurative meaning, referring to the violation of Belgian neutrality, but embellished reports of German atrocities soon gave it a literal significance...
.
Life
Bahrfeldt was born into a family from PrenzlauPrenzlau
Prenzlau , a city in the Uckermark District of Brandenburg in Germany, had a population of about 21,000 in 2005.-International relations:Prenzlau is twinned with: Uster, Switzerland Barlinek, Poland Świdwin, Poland...
in the Uckermark. As a lieutenant-general, Bahrfeldt was ennobled as a member of the Prussian hereditary nobility on June 16, 1913 (as part of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm II). In 1911, Bahrfeldt was granted an honorary doctorate by the philosophical faculty of the University of Giessen
University of Giessen
The University of Giessen is officially called the Justus Liebig University Giessen after its most famous faculty member, Justus von Liebig, the founder of modern agricultural chemistry and inventor of artificial fertiliser.-History:The University of Gießen is among the oldest institutions of...
and from 1921 onwards was honorary professor for numismatics at the University of Halle-Wittenberg
University of Halle-Wittenberg
The Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg , also referred to as MLU, is a public, research-oriented university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg within Saxony-Anhalt, Germany...
.
In the First World War, Bahrfeldt was the commander of the 37th Division, and captured Charleroi
Charleroi
Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
on August 22, 1914. Accused by the Allies of atrocities at Charleroi, in 1925 he was condemned to death in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
by a Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
court.
Bahrfeldt had been interested in numismatics from his youth. He specialized in the coinage of the Roman Republic
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
and the coins of Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
. Bahrfeldt commenced his numismatic researches in 1873 when he was lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in the 74th Infantry Regiment. He published his first numismatic essay in 1874 in Stade
Stade
Stade is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany and part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region . It is the seat of the district named after it...
. One year later he became co-editor of the Numismatisch-Sphragistischer Anzeiger. Zeitung für Münz-, Siegel-, und Wappenkunde (published in Hannover). From 1876 until 1882 he served as adjutant of the regiment stationed in Stade. During this period he served as secretary for the local historical society and curated its coin collection. He also carried out excavations at the Perleberg site of the beaker people.
On October 14, 1878, Bahrfeldt married in Gotha
Gotha (town)
Gotha is a town in Thuringia, within the central core of Germany. It is the capital of the district of Gotha.- History :The town has existed at least since the 8th century, when it was mentioned in a document signed by Charlemagne as Villa Gotaha . Its importance derives from having been chosen in...
Elisabeth (Ella) Mary Charlotte Samwer (October 8, 1859, Gotha - October 19, 1954, Frankfurt/Main), the daughter of the jurist, professor of constitutional law and author Karl Friedrich Samwer (1819–1882), who was also a numismatist. In 1883 Bahrfeldt published in Vienna from Samwer's papers the History of the Older Roman Coinage from about 200 B.C. He followed this up with further publications about the coinage issued in the region between the Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
and the Weser. In 1879 Bahrfeldt published, based on the previous work of Wilhelm Heinrich Jobelmann and Wilhelm Wittpenning, a revised History of the City of Stade.
Bahrfeldt joined the Deutsche Vaterlandspartei upon its formation in 1917. In the Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
, he was a member of the conservative Deutschnationale Volkspartei and the Stahlhelm
Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten
The Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten also known in short form as Der Stahlhelm was one of the many paramilitary organizations that arose after the defeat of World War I in the Weimar Republic...
. After the dissolution of the Stahlhelm during the Third Reich, Bahrfeldt transferred to the reserve of the SA
Sturmabteilung
The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...
.
Bahrfeldt is acknowledged as one of the greatest, possibly the greatest, student of coinage of the Roman Republic.
Literature
- Gothaisches Genealogisches Taschenbuch der Adeligen Häuser, Part B 1941, page 18, Justus Perthes, Gotha 1941.
- Jürgen Bohmbach: Stader Stadtlexikon. Stade 1994
External links
- Biography with a portrait
- Another biography
- Literature in the online catalog of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin