Friedrich Rabod Freiherr von Schele (15 September 1847 – 20 July 1904) was a German military officer and colonial administrator who served as governor of

German East Africa German East Africa (GEA; ) was a German colonial empire, German colony in the African Great Lakes region, which included present-day Burundi, Rwanda, the Tanzania mainland, and the Kionga Triangle, a small region later incorporated into Portugu ...

from 1893 to 1895.

Early life and career

Friedrich was born 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 ...

to Werner Von Schele (1814-1869) and Marie Eichhorn (1822-1861). He joined the officer corps of the Prussian Army in 1865 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. Von Schele first saw combat during the

Austro-Prussian War The Austro-Prussian War (German: ''Preußisch-Österreichischer Krieg''), also known by many other names,Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Second War of Unification, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), ''Deutsc ...

as an officer in the cavalry. During the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

, von Schele was appointed Deputy

Adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

of the 2nd Guards Cavalry Brigade, and served as an orderly officer to Prince Albert of Prussia. In 1877, von Schele was promoted to

Rittmeister Rittmaster () is usually a commissioned officer military rank used in a few armies, usually equivalent to Captain. Historically it has been used in Germany, Austria-Hungary, Scandinavia, and some other countries. A is typically in charge of a s ...

of the 2nd Hanoverian Dragoons. By 1891, von Schele had attained the rank of

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 ...

and was appointed head of the cavalry department in the

Ministry of War Ministry of War may refer to: * Ministry of War (imperial China) ( 600–1912) * Chinese Republic Ministry of War (1912–1946) * Ministry of War (Kingdom of Bavaria) (1808–1919) * Ministry of War (Brazil) (1815–1999) * Ministry of War (Esto ...

Colonial service

In 1892, von Schele was promoted to

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 ...

, and was assigned commander of the ''

Schutztruppe (, Protection Force) was the official name of the colonial troops in the African territories of the German colonial empire from the late 19th century to 1918. Similar to other colonial armies, the consisted of volunteer European commissioned a ...

'' in

, beginning a gradual conquest of the East African interior. He crushed a revolt by the

Nyamwezi Nyamwezi may refer to: * Nyamwezi people, of Tanzania * Nyamwezi language Nyamwezi is a major Bantu language of central Tanzania. It forms a dialect continuum A dialect continuum or dialect chain is a series of Variety (linguistics), langu ...

under chief Isike, before leading a campaign against

Chaga The Chaga or Chagga () are a Bantu ethnic group from Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania and Arusha Region of Tanzania. They are the third-largest ethnic group in Tanzania. They founded the now former sovereign Chagga states on the slopes of M ...

king

Mangi Meli Meli or Mangi Meli Kiusa bin Rindi Makindara (1866 – 2 March 1900), also known as (Mangi Meli of Moshi), (''Mangi Meli'' in Chaga languages, Kichagga), (''Mfalme Meli'', in Swahili language, Swahili) was a king of the Chaga in Moshi, Tanzania, ...

, capturing the king's base at Moshi in

Kilimanjaro Mount Kilimanjaro () is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world, at above sea level and above its plateau base. It is also the highest volcano i ...

. In September 1893, Schele was appointed

Reichskommissar (, rendered as "Commissioner of the Empire", "Reich Commissioner" or "Imperial Commissioner"), in German history, was an official governatorial title used for various public offices during the period of the German Empire and Nazi Germany. Ger ...

of the colony. Upon his appointment as governor, Schele quickly began a pacification campaign against the

Mbunga The Mbunga are an ethnic and linguistic Bantu group from Kilolo District of Iringa Region and Morogoro Region in Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region ...

tribe, which had been fighting a rebellion against German rule since 1889. Von Schele led the ''Schutztruppe'' in an expedition along the

Rufiji River The Rufiji River lies entirely within Tanzania. It is also the largest and longest river in the country. The river is formed by the confluence of the Kilombero and Luwegu rivers. It is approximately long, with its source in southwestern Tanzani ...

in search of Mbunga chieftain Lubiki-w-mtu, during which German troops torched and looted villages and killed around 250 Mbunga. Lubiki-w-mtu was eventually captured and was hanged in front of his own subjects on 20 December 1893, after which von Schele declared that all the Mbunga were now subjects of

Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as th ...

, and any further "marauding, plundering or slaving" by the Mbunga would be prohibited. In March 1894, Schele's troops suppressed an uprising led by slave trader Bwana Heri, who had previously rebelled against the Germans during the Abushiri revolt three years earlier. In October of that year, von Schele initiated a new military campaign against the Hehe tribe and their leader,

Chief Mkwawa Chief Mkwavinyika Munyigumba Mwamuyinga (c. 1855 – 19 July 1898), more commonly known as Chief Mkwawa or Sultan Mkwawa, was a Hehe tribal leader in German East Africa, based in Kalenga, Iringa region, who opposed the German colonization. The ...

. The ''Schutztruppe'' attacked and took Mkwawa's stone fortress at

Kalenga Kalenga is an administrative ward in the Iringa Rural district of the Iringa Region of Tanzania. In 2016 the Tanzania National Bureau of Statistics reported its population to be 7,286, up from 6,963 in 2012. Kalenga, which is situated along ...

on 28 October, though were unable to capture the chief, who had escaped during the attack. Nonetheless, von Schele was awarded 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 ...

, the highest order of merit in the Imperial German army, on 20 November 1894 for his successful suppression of the Hehe.

Later life and death

Despite his successes, Schele's brutal methods in quelling revolts were met with harsh criticism from the German government. Furthermore, Schele's policies and campaigns were often at odds with the

Imperial Colonial Office The Imperial Colonial Office or Reich Colonial Office () was a governmental agency of the German Empire tasked with managing German colonial empire, Germany's overseas territories. Dissolved after World War I, on 20 February 1919 the Reich Colon ...

, and as a result he often clashed with civilian administrators. Eventually, in April 1895, von Schele resigned from his post in protest. Following his resignation, Schele returned to Berlin, where he became an aide-de-camp to Wilhelm II. He then served as the military governor of

Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...

before being discharged from the army for medical reasons in May 1904. Schele was married to Emma Clothilde Wilhelmine von Hammerstein (1855-1918). They had one daughter, Marie Agnes. Schele died in Berlin on 20 July 1904, aged 56.

Honours and awards

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

: ** Knight of the Royal Order of the Crown, 4th Class with Swords, ''20 September 1866''; 2nd Class with Star, ''10 June 1899'' **

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

(1870), 2nd Class ** Service Award Cross ** Knight of the

Order of the Red Eagle The Order of the Red Eagle () was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful service to the kingdom, o ...

, 4th Class, ''7 September 1881''; 3rd Class with Bow and Swords, ''1893''; 2nd Class with Oak leaves and Swords on Ring, ''15 September 1898''; with Crown, ''1899''; with Star and Swords on Ring, ''18 January 1902''; 1st Class, ''1904'' ** Knight of the

(military), ''20 November 1894'' * : Grand Cross of the

Order of the Zähringer Lion The Order of the Zähringer Lion was instituted on 26 December 1812 by Karl, Grand Duke of Baden, in memory of the Dukes of Zähringen from whom he was descended. Classes It had five classes: *Grand Cross *Commander, First Class *Commander, ...

* : Commander of the

Friedrich Order The Friedrich Order ( or ''Friedrichsorden'') was an order of merit of the German Kingdom of Württemberg. It was instituted on 1 January 1830 by the second king of Württemberg, Wilhelm I in remembrance of his father, King Friedrich I. In 1918, ...

, 1st Class * : Commander of the Imperial Austrian Order of Franz Joseph, with Star * : Knight of the Imperial Order of Saint Prince Vladimir, 4th Class

Bibliography

* Heinrich Schnee (Hrsg.): ''Deutsches Kolonial-Lexikon.'' Band 3, Leipzig 1920, S. 262. * ''Gothaisches Genealogisches Taschenbuch der Freiherrlichen Häuser. 1939.'' 89. Jg. Justus Perthes, Gotha 1938. Zugleich Adelsmatrikel der Deutschen Adelsgenossenschaft. * Kurt von Priesdorff: ''Soldatisches Führertum.'' Band 10, Hanseatische Verlagsanstalt Hamburg, o. O. amburg o. J.

942 Year 942 (Roman numerals, CMXLII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – The Hungarian raid in Spain (942), Hungarians invade Al-Andalus (modern Spain) and besiege the f ...

DNB 986919810, S. 267–269, Nr. 3208. * Karl-Friedrich Hildebrand, Christian Zweng: ''Die Ritter des Ordens Pour le Mérite des I. Weltkriegs.'' Band 3: ''P–Z.'' Biblio Verlag, Bissendorf 2011, , S. 195–197.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schele, Friedrich von 1847 births 1904 deaths Commanders of the Order of Franz Joseph German mass murderers German military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War German war criminals Governors of German East Africa Lieutenant generals of Prussia People from Berlin Prussian people of the Austro-Prussian War Recipients of the Iron Cross (1870), 2nd class Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class) Schutztruppe personnel