Friedrich Wilhelm von Grumbkow (4 October 1678 – 18 March 1739) 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 ...

Generalfeldmarschall ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (from Old High German ''marahscalc'', "marshal, stable master, groom"; en, general field marshal, field marshal general, or field marshal; ; often abbreviated to ''Feldmarschall'') was a rank in the armies of several ...

'' and statesman. The cultured Grumbkow was born 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 ...

as the son of

Joachim Ernst von Grumbkow Joachim Ernst von Grumbkow (1637 – 26 December 1690) was a general and statesman of Brandenburg-Prussia. Grumbkow came from a family of Pomeranian nobility whose first mention was the brothers Bisbranus, Gneomarus and Tezlaus in 1277. Grumb ...

, General War Minister of Brandenburg-Prussia. Educated in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, he married a Mademoiselle de la Chevalerie.MacDonogh, p. 44 He took part in the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

, fighting in the

Battle of Malplaquet The Battle of Malplaquet took place on 11 September 1709 during the War of the Spanish Succession and was fought between a French army commanded by the Duke of Villars and a Grand Alliance force under the Duke of Marlborough. In one of the blo ...

and reaching the rank of '' Generalmajor''. King Frederick William I of Prussia trusted Grumbkow and named him a member of the Privy Council and the head of the ''Generalkriegskommissariat'', or

General War Commissariat Following the defeats Prussia suffered in the 30 Years' War, Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg, set up the General War Commissariat (General-Kriegs-Kommissariat) to oversee the army, as well as to levy taxes necessary to support the army. It ...

. He was known as "Biberius" to his friends, on account of his proclivity to alcohol consumption. He owned the

Petit Palais The Petit Palais (; en, Small Palace) is an art museum in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Built for the 1900 Exposition Universelle ("universal exhibition"), it now houses the City of Paris Museum of Fine Arts (''Musée des beaux-arts ...

in Niederschönhausen and a house on Königstraße in Berlin. Grumbkow rose to the top of the Prussian military and taxation branches, allowing him to aid Frederick William in his efforts to modernize the administration of Prussia. His improvements to the taxation system were vital to the colonization of unsettled lands and to municipal governance. After the creation of the General Directory in 1723, Grumbkow became head of the first department. He was promoted to ''Generalfeldmarschall'' in 1737. Influenced by the Imperial envoy in Berlin,

Friedrich Heinrich von Seckendorff 200px, Friedrich Heinrich von Seckendorff Friedrich Heinrich Reichsgraf von Seckendorff (5 July 1673 – 23 November 1763, aged 90) was a Franconian field marshal and diplomat, in the service of the imperial Habsburg monarchy of Austria. Later ...

, Grumbkow advised Frederick William I against a marriage of Crown Prince

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode *Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederick ...

with a princess from the

House of Hanover The House of Hanover (german: Haus Hannover), whose members are known as Hanoverians, is a European royal house of German origin that ruled Hanover, Great Britain, and Ireland at various times during the 17th to 20th centuries. The house or ...

. In serving the interests of Habsburg Austria over the

House of Hohenzollern The House of Hohenzollern (, also , german: Haus Hohenzollern, , ro, Casa de Hohenzollern) is a German royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) dynasty whose members were variously princes, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern, Brandenbu ...

, Grumbkow deepened the divide between Frederick William and his son, Frederick. Frederick William tolerated Grumbkow's being on the payroll of Austria. In a letter to

Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (3 July 1676 – 7 April 1747) was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Dessau from 1693 to 1747. He was also a ''Generalfeldmarschall'' in the Prussian army. Nickname ...

, the king wrote of Grumbkow's corruption, "I know he is like that, but you need such people to do the business honourable people wouldn't want to soil their hands with. I get more out of him in an hour than I acquit with others in three." Frederick eventually reached a reconciliation with both Frederick William and Grumbkow. He referred to Grumbkow as "the Cassubian", because of his

Pomerania Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...

n ancestry.MacDonogh, p. 104 Grumbkow died in Berlin in 1739, barely over a year before Frederick William.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grumbkow, Friedrich Wilhelm von 1678 births 1739 deaths Field marshals of Prussia German untitled nobility Politicians from Berlin People from the Margraviate of Brandenburg German military personnel of the War of the Spanish Succession Prussian politicians Military personnel from Berlin