August Wilhelm Graf von Kanitz

Graf August Karl Wilhelm von Kanitz (29 October 1783 – 22 May 1852) was a

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

and was also the

Minister of War A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

from 26 April to 16 June 1848 (without party affiliation) in the Camphausen- Hansemann government. Kanitz became an officer-cadet in 1798, and an

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

one year later. In 1801 he was made a Second Lieutenant. In 1806 he took part in the

Battle of Jena-Auerstedt A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

. In 1810 he was promoted to

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

and to ''

Stabskapitän ''Stabskapitän'' (en: Staff captain), in the cavalry also ''Stabsrittmeister'' (en: "Staff riding master" or "Staff cavalry master"), or ''Kapitänleutnant'' (en: Captain lieutenant), was a historic military rank in the Prussian Army. In refer ...

'' in 1811. In 1812 Kanitz received the

Pour le Mérite The ' (; , ) is an order of merit (german: Verdienstorden) established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia. The was awarded as both a military and civil honour and ranked, along with the Order of the Black Eagle, the Order of the Red Eag ...

award. In 1813-14 he took part in the

War of the Sixth Coalition In the War of the Sixth Coalition (March 1813 – May 1814), sometimes known in Germany as the Wars of Liberation, a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, and a number of German States defeated F ...

. In 1813 he was made a Major. Two years later he was assigned to be adjutant to Frederick William III of Prussia. In 1819 he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and in 1825 to

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

. From 1832 Von Kanitz was commander of the ''1. Landwehrbrigade'', after 1840 commanded the 1st Division and after 1841 the 15th Division. Between 1841 and 1848 Von Kanitz was the interim commander in

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

. In 1843 he became a

and in 1848 was made a general officer commanding (''Kommandierender General'') on an interim basis. Camphausen had originally planned to make Colonel Hans Adolf Erdmann von Auerswald his Minister of War. However, as part of an early power struggle over the right to decide on military matters, King

Frederick William IV Frederick William IV (german: Friedrich Wilhelm IV.; 15 October 17952 January 1861), the eldest son and successor of Frederick William III of Prussia, reigned as King of Prussia from 7 June 1840 to his death on 2 January 1861. Also referred to ...

refused to appoint him and instead chose Kanitz. His predecessor as War Minister was Karl von Reyher, he was succeeded by General

Ludwig Freiherr Roth von Schreckenstein Ludwig Johann Karl Gregor Eusebius Freiherr Roth von Schreckenstein (16 November 1789, in Immendingen – 30 May 1858, in Münster) was a Prussian General of the cavalry and Minister of War. Biography Her was the son of Friedrich Freiherr Ro ...

. Von Kanitz was a Freemason and belonged to the Grand Lodge "Zu den drei Weltkugeln" in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kanitz, August Wilhelm Graf Von 1783 births 1852 deaths Lieutenant generals of Prussia Prussian Ministers of War People from East Prussia People from Elbląg County Prussian Army personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Von Kanitz family