Johann Justus Georg Gustav von Rauch (1 April 1774, in

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the ...

– 2 April 1841, 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 ...

) was a Prussian general of the infantry and

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 1837 to 1841.

Life

Gustav von Rauch was born as the eldest son of the later Prussian major general Bonaventura von Rauch (1740–1814) and his wife Johanna, née Bandel (1752–1828). As a close collaborator of General

Gerhard von Scharnhorst Gerhard Johann David von Scharnhorst (12 November 1755 – 28 June 1813) was a Hanoverian-born general in Prussian service from 1801. As the first Chief of the Prussian General Staff, he was noted for his military theories, his reforms of the Pr ...

, Rauch belonged to the circle of Prussian army reformers. He was associated with the reform of the military education system, the further development of the Prussian fortifications and the reorganization of the engineering and pioneering systems. Rauch furthered the development of the

Prussian Navy The Prussian Navy ( German: ''Preußische Marine''), officially the Royal Prussian Navy ( German: ''Königlich Preußische Marine''), was the naval force of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1701 to 1867. The Prussian Navy was created in 1701 from the ...

and had the first medical companies set up in the Prussian army. He was chief of staff from 1812–1813 and Inspector General of all fortresses and Chief of the Corps of Engineers from 1814–1837. He became the 16th honorary citizen of Berlin. The memorial grave of Gustav von Rauch can be found in Berlin's Invalids' Cemetery (fully reconstructed after the German reunification).

Marriage and issue

From 1802 Rauch was initially married to Caroline von Geusau (1780–1867). After their divorce Rosalie von Holtzendorff (1790–1862) became his second wife in 1816. His first marriage produced one son: * Adolf von Rauch (1805–1877), Prussian

Chamberlain Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...

Princess Louise of Prussia Princess Louise Marie Elisabeth of Prussia (; 3 December 1838 – 23 April 1923) was Grand Duchess of Baden from 1856 to 1907 as the wife of Grand Duke Frederick I. Princess Louise was the second child and only daughter of Wilhelm I, German ...

, major in the

Gardes du Corps A ''Garde du Corps'' (French for lifeguard) is a military unit, formed of guards. A ''Garde du Corps'' was first established in France in 1445. From the 17th century onwards, the term was used in several German states and also, for example, in ...

regiment and chairman of the Berlin Numismatic Society, married in 1836 to Therese von Ziegler (1817–1857) Children of the second marriage are: * Gustav Waldemar (1819–1890), Prussian

general of the cavalry General of the Cavalry (german: General der Kavallerie) was a General officer rank in the cavalry in various states of which the modern states of German and Austria are successors or in other armies which used the German model. Artillery officers ...

and head of the Royal Prussian State Gendarmerie, married in 1848 to Polyxena von Stéritsch (1823–1859) (from Russian nobility) * Rosalie (1820–1879), lady-in-waiting to Princess Marianne of Prussia, in 1853 married to

Prince Albrecht of Prussia A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

, the youngest brother of King Frederick William IV of Prussia and

William I, German Emperor William I or Wilhelm I (german: Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig; 22 March 1797 – 9 March 1888) was King of Prussia from 2 January 1861 and German Emperor from 18 January 1871 until his death in 1888. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he was th ...

(as his second,

morganatic Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...

wife, named Countess of Hohenau) * Fedor (1822–1892), Chief Equerry to the

German Emperors The German Emperor (german: Deutscher Kaiser, ) was the official title of the head of state and hereditary ruler of the German Empire. A specifically chosen term, it was introduced with the 1 January 1871 constitution and lasted until the offi ...

, vice-president of the Union-Klub in Berlin, married in 1856 to Countess Elisabeth von Waldersee (1837–1914), lady-in-waiting to Grand Duchess consort Marie von Mecklenburg-Strelitz *

Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Alber ...

(1829–1901), Prussian general of the infantry and head of the Royal Prussian State Gendarmerie, married in 1866 to Elisabeth von Bismarck-Briest (1845–1923)

Bibliography

* Leopold von Zedlitz-Neukirch: ''Neues Preussisches Adels-Lexicon (New Lexicon of the Prussian Nobility)'', volume 4, 1837, p. 88. * Ernst Heinrich Kneschke: ''Neues allgemeines deutsches Adels-Lexicon (New General Lexicon of the German Nobility)'', volume 7, 1867, p. 358 * ''Brünner Genealogisches Taschenbuch der Ritter- und Adels-Geschlechter (Brünn Genealogical Handbook of Knightly and Noble Families)'', 1870–1894. * ''Adelslexikon in der Reihe Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels (Lexicon of the Nobility from the Genealogical Handbook of the Nobility Series)'', volumes XI and XII, 2000/2001, p. 192 and p. 367, respectively. * ''Gothaisches Adliges Taschenbuch (Gotha Almanac Peerage Paperback)'', volumes B 1928 (older genealogy), p. 468 et seqq., and 1939, p. 480 et seqq. * ''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels (

Almanach de Gotha The ''Almanach de Gotha'' (german: Gothaischer Hofkalender) is a directory of Europe's royalty and higher nobility, also including the major governmental, military and diplomatic corps, as well as statistical data by country. First publish ...

)'', volumes B VII (1965), p. 335 etseqq., and B XXI (1995), p. 434 et seqq. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rauch, Gustav von 1774 births 1841 deaths Military personnel from Braunschweig Generals of Infantry (Prussia) Knights of the Military Order of Max Joseph Prussian commanders of the Napoleonic Wars

Gustav Gustav, Gustaf or Gustave may refer to: *Gustav (name), a male given name of Old Swedish origin Art, entertainment, and media * ''Primeval'' (film), a 2007 American horror film * ''Gustav'' (film series), a Hungarian series of animated short cart ...

Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class)