Carl Heinrich von Wedel (also spelled Wedell; 12 July 1712 – 2 April 1782) was a

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank 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 battlefield, who was norma ...

in the

War of Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King George's War in Nort ...

(1740–1748), the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

(1756–1763), and the War of Bavarian Succession (1778–1779). He fought most notably in the Battle of Tornow in 1758, and the Battle of Kay in 1759. He was instrumental in

Frederick the Great Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself ''King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prussia ...

's victory at Leuthen in December 1757. In 1760, Wedel was appointed as Frederick's first Minister of War. He came out of retirement to serve in the War of Bavarian Succession in 1778. Wedel received the

Pour le Mérite The (; , ), also informally known as the ''Blue Max'' () after German WWI flying ace Max Immelmann, is an order of merit established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia. Separated into two classes, each with their own designs, the was ...

and his name was

inscribed An inscribed triangle of a circle In geometry, an inscribed planar shape or solid is one that is enclosed by and "fits snugly" inside another geometric shape or solid. To say that "figure F is inscribed in figure G" means precisely the same th ...

on the Equestrian statue of Frederick the Great in 1851.

Biography

The family Wedel belongs to the Pomeranian nobility. Carl Heinrich Von Wedel was born on 12 July 1712 in the

Uckermark The Uckermark () is a historical region in northeastern Germany, which straddles the Uckermark (district), Uckermark District of Brandenburg and the Vorpommern-Greifswald District of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Its traditional capital is Prenzlau. ...

, Brandenburg. His father, Georg Wilhelm, was the Uckermark's Superior Court, and owner of the Goritz manor—his mother was Marie Salome of Eichstedt. At fifteen years of age Wedel joined the Prussian military, enlisting as a

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The rank is usually the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer. In some militaries, the rank of corporal nominally corr ...

in the King's Leibregiment (Nr. 6). In 1730 he was promoted to

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

, on 1 March 1735 to second lieutenant. On 23 June 1740, Frederick II appointed him

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

and company commander of the Grenadier Guards Battalion (Nr. 6).

Wars of Austrian Succession

Wedel took part in the

Silesian Wars The Silesian Wars () were three wars fought in the mid-18th century between Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia (under King Frederick the Great) and Habsburg monarchy, Habsburg Austria (under Empress Maria Theresa) for control of the Central European ...

, though his regiment did not see battle. Nevertheless, Wedel received on 14 August 1743 a promotion to

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in the Infantry Regiment von Kleist (Nr. 26), to which be belonged for the following 14 years. He was wounded in the

Battle of Soor The Battle of Soor (30 September 1745) was a battle between Frederick the Great's Prussian army and an Austro-Saxon army led by Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine during the Second Silesian War (part of the War of the Austrian Succession). ...

in 1745. Wedel was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 8 September 1751, and awarded the

on 31 May 1752. He was promoted on 17 June 1755 to the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

Seven Years' War

The first battle experience Wedel's regiment had in the

occurred at the Battle of Prague on 6 May 1757. Six days later, he was appointed regimental commander. He was present at the

Battle of Rossbach The Battle of Rossbach took place on 5November 1757 during the Third Silesian War (1756–1763, part of the Seven Years' War) near the village of Rossbach (Roßbach), in the Electorate of Saxony. It is sometimes called the Battle of, or at, ...

. At Leuthen, he led his regiment on the difficult march to flank the Austrian left; by 1 p.m. his regiment was in place, and launched its attack. This regiment fulfilled their role with such success that 14 members were awarded the

. On 5 January 1758 Wedel took over the Infantry Regiment Schultze (Nr. 29), though he moved to the head office of his prior regiment only three weeks later. In the spring he joined the siege corps before

Olomouc Olomouc (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 103,000 inhabitants, making it the Statutory city (Czech Republic), sixth largest city in the country. It is the administrative centre of the Olomouc Region. Located on the Morava (rive ...

. Wedel repulsed Laudon's attacks in Littau on 20 June, and in Gundersdorf on 28 June. In September, he was transferred to a corps in the

to free it from Swedish control. Frederick II promoted Wedel to

on 22 February 1759. In July, he was transferred command of the Dohna Corps, Frederick deciding the Christoph von Dohna was too ill to continue. Frederick sent Wedel to thwart the Russian advance into Brandenburg with 28,000 men; these were not enough. Due to Wedel's poor management and aggressiveness—he was ordered to attack a Russian army one-and-a-half times his size—they were crushed at the Battle of Kay. This loss left the road to

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

open, and Frederick was forced to hurry north to

Frankfurt an der Oder Frankfurt (Oder), also known as Frankfurt an der Oder (, ; Marchian dialects, Central Marchian: ''Frankfort an de Oder,'' ) is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Brandenburg after Potsdam, Cottbus and Brandenburg an der Havel. With a ...

to repel the Russian and Austrian allied armies. At the subsequent Kunersdorf, Wedel was severely wounded. Health problems forced him to retire from active service in 1760.

Last years

Wedel subsequently served as Frederick's minister of war. Wedel was recalled to service for Frederick's last war with Austria over the Bavarian succession. He died 2 April 1782 in Göritz. Frederick's heirs considered Wedel one of the key generals in the establishment of the Prussian state and included his name on the Equestrian statue of Frederick the Great in 1851.

Family

In 1747, Wedel married Friederike Auguste von Bröcker. Their marriage produced four daughters and a son. Two daughters survived to adulthood and married the sons of Wilhelm Gustav von Anhalt-Dessau. * Caroline Friederike (19 February 1748 – 5 June 1780) ∞ 10 February 1768 to Heinrich Wilhelm von Anhalt (1735–1801) * Friederike Albertine (17 September 1751 – 8 October 1825) ∞ Karl Philipp von Anhalt (1732–1806)

References

Citations

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wedel, Carl Heinrich von 1782 deaths Lieutenant generals of Prussia 1712 births German military personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession Prussian military personnel of the Seven Years' War People from Uckermark (district) People of the Silesian Wars Wedel family