Friedrich von der Groeben (1645–1712) was a Prussian aristocrat and Royal-Polish Lieutenant-General,
[ and commander of the Foreign Legion of King ]John III Sobieski
John III Sobieski ( (); (); () 17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696.
Born into Polish nobility, Sobieski was educated at the Jagiellonian University and toured Eur ...
in the Battle of Vienna
The Battle of Vienna took place at Kahlenberg Mountain near Vienna on 1683 after the city had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months. The battle was fought by the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarchy) and the Polish–Li ...
.
Career
Von der Groeben joined the ''Foreign Legion'' or ''German Infantry'' in Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
* Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...
military service about 1670 and became a lieutenant colonel in 1675 and by the end of the same year its commander and colonel.[Biography at dhm.de]
/ref> After John III Sobieski became King of Poland in 1674 he sent von der Groeben with diplomatic tasks to the Tatars
Tatars ( )[Tatar]
in the Collins English Dictionary are a group of Turkic peoples across Eas ...
and to the Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
to find out as much as possible about the enemy's political and military intentions.[
In the Battle of Vienna he captured a pompous Turkish tent, which is claimed to have been the official tent of ]Kara Mustafa Pasha
Kara Mustafa Pasha (; ; "Mustafa Pasha the Courageous"; 1634/1635 – 25 December 1683) was an Ottoman nobleman, military figure and Grand Vizier, who was a central character in the Ottoman Empire's last attempts at expansion into both Centr ...
. The tent was stored at the manor of Groß Schwansfeld (Łabędnik), an estate von der Groeben bought in 1686,Zeughaus
The Zeughaus (, ''Arsenal'') is a listed building and the oldest structure on Unter den Linden boulevard in the Mitte (locality), historic centre of Berlin. Erected from 1695 to 1706 according to plans by Johann Arnold Nering, Martin Grünberg, ...
. Today it is part of the display of the Deutsches Historisches Museum
The German Historical Museum (), known by the acronym DHM, is a museum in Berlin, Germany devoted to German history. It describes itself as a place of "enlightenment and understanding of the shared history of Germans and Europeans". It is often ...
.[
In 1687 he was promoted to General Major and Sobieski entrusted him with other military operations like the incident at ]Esztergom
Esztergom (; ; or ; , known by Names of European cities in different languages: E–H#E, alternative names) is a city with county rights in northern Hungary, northwest of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom County, on the righ ...
, several Moldavia
Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...
n campaigns in 1684-86 and the capture of the fortresses of Soroca
Soroca is a city and municipality in northern Moldova, situated on the Dniester River about north of Chișinău. It is the administrative center of the Soroca District.
History
It is known for its well-preserved stronghold, established by t ...
and Neamț in 1691.[
Von der Groeben became a General Lieutenant in 1693 and remained in Polish service after Sobieski's death in 1696, now representing the diplomatic interests of Brandenburg-Prussia at the Polish court.Biography]
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Groeben, Friedrich Von Der
1645 births
1712 deaths
Generals of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
People of the Great Turkish War