Christoph Wilhelm von Kalckstein (17 October 1682 – 2 June 1759) 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, ...

count 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: ...

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

, teacher and educator of King

Frederick II of Prussia 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 Prus ...

Military career

Kalckstein was born in Ottlau (now Gmina Gardeja) near

Marienwerder Kwidzyn (; ; Latin: ''Quedin''; Old Prussian: ''Kwēdina'') is a town in northern Poland on the Liwa River. With a population of 36,731, it is the capital of Kwidzyn County in the Pomeranian Voivodeship. Geography Kwidzyn is located on the L ...

Ducal Prussia The Duchy of Prussia (, , ) or Ducal Prussia (; ) was a duchy in the region of Prussia established as a result of secularization of the Monastic Prussia, the territory that remained under the control of the State of the Teutonic Order until t ...

, to Christoph Albrecht von Kalckstein, laird of Knauten, Wogau and Schloditten near Pr. Eylau, and Marie Agnes von Lehwaldt. He was the grandson of Albrecht von Kalckstein and nephew of Christian Ludwig von Kalckstein, former opponents of

Frederick William The name Frederick William usually refers to several monarchs and princes of the Hohenzollern dynasty: * Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg (1620–1688) * Frederick William, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1675–1713) * Frederick William I of ...

, Elector and Duke of Brandenburg-Prussia. Kalckstein joined the

Hesse-Kassel The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel (), spelled Hesse-Cassel during its entire existence, also known as the Hessian Palatinate (), was a state of the Holy Roman Empire. The state was created in 1567 when the Landgraviate of Hesse was divided upon t ...

Grenadier Regiment in 1702, taking part in the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...

in 1704 and becoming adjutant of Prince Frederick of Hesse-Kassel, the later King

Frederick I of Sweden Frederick I (; 28 April 1676 – 5 April 1751) was List of Swedish monarchs, King of Sweden from 1720 until his death, having been prince consort of Sweden from 1718 to 1720, and was also Landgrave of Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, Hesse-Kassel fr ...

. In 1709 Kalckstein entered the Prussian Army and became a Major in the King’s own Regiment (Leibregiment zu Fuss). In 1712 he conquered the citadel of

Moers Moers (; older form: ''Mörs''; Dutch language, Dutch: ''Murse'', ''Murs'' or ''Meurs'') is a German List of cities and towns in Germany, city on the western bank of the Rhine, close to Duisburg. Moers belongs to the district of Wesel (distric ...

with only 300 men and fought against

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

in the

Great Northern War In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the ant ...

Pomerania Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...

in 1715. He was promoted to a lieutenant colonel on 15 November 1715.

Educator of Frederick II of Prussia

After his promotion to a Colonel on 17 August 1718, Kalckstein was assigned as the educator of the Prussian crown prince,

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

. In this position he became a conciliator in the conflict between King Frederick William I and his son. However, he was ordered to keep a strict watch on the crown prince. After his wife, Christophera Erna Lukretia Brandt von Lindau, died on 25 January 1729, he was released from this position.

Later career

Kalckstein became the Commander in Chief of an Infantry Regiment, Major General on 2 May 1733, and Lieutenant General on 3 February 1741. After 5 November 1736 he was the supervisor of the

Charité The Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Charité – Berlin University of Medicine; ) is Europe's List of hospitals by capacity, largest university hospital, affiliated with Humboldt University of Berlin, Humboldt University and the Free ...

hospital in

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 ...

. 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 ...

he fought at Mollwitz,

Chotusitz Chotusice is a municipality and village in Kutná Hora District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 800 inhabitants. Administrative division Chotusice consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population accordin ...

and Hohenfriedberg, became the Governor of the Fortress Glogau, and received the

Order of the Black Eagle The Order of the Black Eagle () was the highest order of chivalry in the Kingdom of Prussia. The order was founded on 17 January 1701 by Elector Friedrich III of Brandenburg (who became Friedrich I of Prussia, Friedrich I, King in Prussia, the ...

. On 24 May 1747 he was appointed the rank of a

Generalfeldmarschall ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (; from Old High German ''marahscalc'', "marshal, stable master, groom"; ; often abbreviated to ''Feldmarschall'') was a rank in the armies of several German states and the Holy Roman Empire, (''Reichsgeneralfeldmarsch ...

. After Crown Prince August William died in 1758, Frederick II appointed Kalckstein as a custodian and educator of the later King Fredrick William II and his brothers. Kalckstein died in Berlin and was buried at the Berlin Garnisonkirche (Garrison Church).

References

* Horst Schulz, "Der Kreis Pr. Eylau", Verden/Aller 1983, p. 765 * Joachim Engelmann: ''Friedrich der Große und seine Generale.'' Friedberg 1988.
Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie Bd.15, S.17-18
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalckstein, Christoph Wilhelm von 1682 births 1759 deaths People from Kwidzyn County People from the Duchy of Prussia German untitled nobility Field marshals of Prussia Prussian Army personnel Prussian military personnel of the War of the Spanish Succession