Frederick Louis, Prince of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen (german: Friedrich Ludwig Fürst zu Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen) (31 January 1746 – 15 February 1818) was a

Prussian 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 e ...

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

Early life

Frederick Louis was the eldest son of Henry August, Prince of

Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen was a German County of the House of Hohenlohe, located in northeastern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, around Ingelfingen. Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen was a scion of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. It was raised from a County to a Principality i ...

(1715-1796) and his wife, Wilhelmine Eleonore of Hohenlohe-Neuenstein-Öhringen (1717-1794). His grandfather, Christian Kraft, was a younger son of

Henry Frederick, Count of Hohenlohe-Langenburg Henry Frederick, Count of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (7 September 1625 in Langenburg – 2 June 1699 ibid) was the youngest child of Count Philip Ernest of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and his wife Countess Anna Maria of Solms-Sonnewalde. He was head of the ...

Biography

He began his military career as a boy, serving against the Prussians in the last years of the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...

. Entering the

Prussian army The Royal Prussian Army (1701–1919, german: Königlich Preußische Armee) served as the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It became vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power. The Prussian Army had its roots in the co ...

after

the peace ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

, he was, as a result of his princely rank, at once made a

major Major ( commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicato ...

; and in 1775 he was elevated to

lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...

. In 1778 Frederick Louis took part in the

War of the Bavarian Succession The War of the Bavarian Succession (; 3 July 1778 – 13 May 1779) was a dispute between the Austrian Habsburg monarchy and an alliance of Saxony and Prussia over succession to the Electorate of Bavaria after the extinction of the Bavarian br ...

and at about the same time was made a

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 ...

. Shortly before the death of King

Frederick the Great Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Sil ...

, he was promoted to the rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

and appointed Chief of a Regiment. For some years the prince did

garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mili ...

duty at Breslau, until in 1791 he was made governor of

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

. In 1794 he commanded a corps in the Prussian army on the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , source ...

and distinguished himself greatly in many engagements, particularly in the

Battle of Kaiserslautern The Battle of Kaiserslautern (28–30 November 1793) saw a Coalition army under Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel oppose a Republican French army led by Lazare Hoche. Three days of conflict resulted in a victory by th ...

on 20 September. Frederick Louis was at this time the most popular soldier in the Prussian army. Blücher wrote of him that he was a leader of whom the Prussian army might well be proud. He succeeded his father in the principality, and acquired additional lands by his marriage with a daughter of

Count von Hoym Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York ...

. In 1806 Frederick Louis, now a

general of infantry General of the Infantry is a military rank of a General officer in the infantry and refers to: * General of the Infantry (Austria) * General of the Infantry (Bulgaria) * General of the Infantry (Germany) ('), a rank of a general in the German Im ...

, was appointed to command the left wing of the Prussian forces opposing

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

, having under him Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia; but, feeling that his career had been that of a prince and not that of a professional soldier, he allowed his quartermaster-general, the incompetent Oberst (Colonel)

Christian Karl August Ludwig von Massenbach Christian Karl August Ludwig von Massenbach (16 April 1758 – 21 November 1827), Prussian soldier, was born at Schmalkalden, and educated at Heilbronn and Stuttgart, devoting himself chiefly to mathematics. He became an officer of the Wür ...

to influence him unduly. Disputes soon broke out between Hohenlohe and the commander-in-chief the

Duke of Brunswick Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...

, the armies marched hither and thither without effective results, and finally Frederick Louis's army was almost destroyed by Napoleon at the

Battle of Jena 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 ...

on 14 October 1806. The prince displayed his usual personal bravery in the battle, and managed to rally a portion of his corps near

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits in ...

, whence he retreated into Prussia. But the pursuers followed him up closely and Marshal

Joachim Murat Joachim Murat ( , also , ; it, Gioacchino Murati; 25 March 1767 – 13 October 1815) was a French military commander and statesman who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. Under the French Empire he received the ...

intercepted his corps at

Prenzlau Prenzlau (, formerly also Prenzlow) is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, the administrative seat of Uckermark District. It is also the centre of the historic Uckermark region. Geography The town is located on the Ucker river, about north of Be ...

. On the morning of 28 October, a fortnight after Jena and three weeks after the beginning of hostilities, Hohenlohe refused two French demands that he surrender. However, the initial fighting went against the Prussians in the

Battle of Prenzlau In the Battle of Prenzlau or Capitulation of Prenzlau on 28 October 1806 two divisions of French cavalry and some infantry led by Marshal Joachim Murat intercepted a retreating Prussian corps led by Frederick Louis, Prince of Hohenlohe-Ingel ...

. Massenbach, who had gone to negotiate with the French, suddenly turned up with the news that the French completely surrounded them, which was untrue. Influenced by his

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

and assured by Murat "on his honour" that 100,000 French had encircled his forces, Hohenlohe capitulated with 10,000 men (in fact, Murat had no more than 12,000 near Prenzlau, including only 3,000 infantry). Frederick Louis's former popularity and influence in the army had now the worst possible effect, for the commandants of garrisons everywhere lost heart and followed his example. The

capitulation of Pasewalk The Capitulation of Pasewalk on 29 October 1806 resulted in the surrender of Oberst (Colonel) von Hagen's 4,200 Prussian soldiers to an inferior force of two French light cavalry brigades led by Generals of Brigade Édouard Jean Baptiste ...

occurred on 29 October, the

capitulation of Stettin In the Capitulation of Stettin on 29–30 October 1806, Lieutenant General Friedrich Gisbert Wilhelm von Romberg surrendered the garrison and fortress to a much smaller French light cavalry brigade led by General of Brigade Antoine Lasalle ...

on the night of 29–30 October, and Küstrin surrendered on 1 November. Before the month of November was over, the Siege of Magdeburg ended in a capitulation. West of the

Elbe River The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of ...

, the Sieges of Hameln, Nienburg, and Plassenburg also ended badly for Prussia. After two years spent as a

prisoner-of-war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, Frederick Louis retired to his estates, living in self-imposed obscurity until his death. He had, in August 1806, just before the outbreak of the

War of the Fourth Coalition The Fourth Coalition fought against Napoleon's French Empire and were defeated in a war spanning 1806–1807. The main coalition partners were Prussia and Russia with Saxony, Sweden, and Great Britain also contributing. Excluding Prussia, s ...

, resigned the principality to his eldest son, not being willing to become a mediatized ruler under

Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Württ ...

suzerainty.

Marriage and issue

On 8 April 1782 in

Gleina Gleina is a municipality in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 2009 it has included Baumersroda and Ebersroda.Hoym Hoym () is a town and former municipality in the district of Salzlandkreis in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 15 July 2009, it is part of the town Seeland. Hoym is located on the river Selke, between the towns Aschersleben and Quedlinb ...

(1763-1840), daughter Count Julius Gebhard von Hoym (d. 1769) and his wife, Christiane Charlotte von Dieskau, later Princess von der

Osten-Sacken The House von der Osten-Sacken is an old and distinguished noble family of Baltic Germans. The family members held the titles of ''Baron'', ''Graf'', ''Knyaz'' and ''Fürst''. History The origins of the family are traced to 14th century. In 16 ...

(1733-1811). They had: * Prince August of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen; he married Louise of

House of Württemberg The House of Württemberg is a German dynasty and former royal family from Württemberg. History County The House probably originated in the vicinity of the Salian dynasty. Around 1080 the ancestors of modern Württemberg, which was then calle ...

(1789-1851) and had issue * Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen (1787-1858), she married Prince Georg Ludwig Moritz of

Hohenlohe-Kirchberg Hohenlohe-Kirchberg was a German County located in northeastern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, around Kirchberg. It was ruled by a protestant branch of the Hohenlohe family. The county of Kirchberg was located between the territories of Brandenb ...

(1786-1836), no issue * Princess Emilie of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen (1788-1859), she married Count Albrech August Ludwig of Erbach-Fürstenau (1787-1851) and had issue * Prince Wilhelm Ludwig Eduard of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen (1789-1790) * Princess Auguste of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen (1793-1821), she married Charles, Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld and had issue * Prince Ludwig Karl of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen (1794-1794) *

Prince Adolf of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen Adolf Karl Friedrich Ludwig Prinz zu Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen (29 January 1797 – 24 April 1873) was a Prussian nobleman, soldier, and politician. He briefly served as Minister-President of Prussia in 1862 and was succeeded by Otto von Bismarck. ...

, married Princess Luise of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1799-1881) and had issue * Prince Alexander of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen (1798-1829)

Death

Frederick Louis died in Slawentzitz in

Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( pl, Górny Śląsk; szl, Gůrny Ślůnsk, Gōrny Ślōnsk; cs, Horní Slezsko; german: Oberschlesien; Silesian German: ; la, Silesia Superior) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, locate ...

in 1818. He was succeeded by his sons

August, Prince of Hohenlohe-Öhringen Frederick ''August'' Charles, Prince of Hohenlohe-Öhringen (27 November 1784 – 15 February 1853) was a German general of the Napoleonic Wars and nobleman of the house of Hohenlohe. Early life August was born on 27 November 1784 in Breslau. ...

and

Prince Adolf zu Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen Adolf Karl Friedrich Ludwig Prinz zu Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen (29 January 1797 – 24 April 1873) was a Prussian nobleman, soldier, and politician. He briefly served as Minister-President of Prussia in 1862 and was succeeded by Otto von Bismarck ...

Notes

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Frederick Louis, Prince of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen 1746 births 1818 deaths People from Ingelfingen German princes Prussian military personnel of the Seven Years' War Prussian commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Generals of Infantry (Prussia) House of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen Prussian princes German military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars Military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars Knights Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa