Georg Lybecker was a Swedish

friherre (; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , literally "free lord" or "free lady") and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire ...

and

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) 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 ...

of the

Swedish Army The Swedish Army ( sv, svenska armén) is the land force of the Swedish Armed Forces. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1521, when the men of Dalarna chose 16 young able men as body guards for the insurgent nobleman Gusta ...

, he was son to Georg Henrik Lybecker and Catharina Grissbach. He died on 4 June 1718 at Värsta,

Närke Närke () is a Swedish traditional province, or ''landskap'', situated in Svealand in south central Sweden. It is bordered by Västmanland to the north, Södermanland to the east, Östergötland to the southeast, Västergötland to the southwe ...

(his birth date is unknown).

Military career

After joining the

Scania Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skå ...

n cavalry regiment he rose to the rank of Major in 1703 and Lieutenant Colonel in 1704. Lybecker participated in

Charles XII of Sweden Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII ( sv, Karl XII) or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 O.S.), was King of Sweden (including current Finland) from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line o ...

's campaign against Poland during the

Great Northern War The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swed ...

, notably at the battle of Kliszów in 1702. He and was appointed Governor of Viborg and Nyslott County and

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

of cavalry in 1706. He became

in 1707. When the commander of the army in

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bo ...

General Georg Johan Maidel was dismissed in 1707, Lybecker was appointed as his successor. His task was to protect Finland against

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

n attack. This task was difficult since the available defensive forces in Finland were so weak. In 1708 Lybecker led his forces on an expedition into

Ingria Ingria is a historical region in what is now northwestern European Russia. It lies along the southeastern shore of the Gulf of Finland, bordered by Lake Ladoga on the Karelian Isthmus in the north and by the River Narva on the border with E ...

with the intent to divide Russian forces. The expedition was a failure: Lybecker was forced to evacuate his force by ship at Kolkanpää, abandoning all his cavalry. In 1710, Viborg fell to the Russians without him making any attempt to relieve the city. Lybecker was promoted to Lieutenant General that same year, but the government in Stockholm, dissatisfied with his inactivity, removed him from general command and entrusted the army of Finland to count Carl Gustaf von Nieroth. After von Nieroth's sudden death in 1712, Lybecker was appointed commander in Finland a second time, but this time proved himself even less worthy of the position. He made no attempt at preventing Russian troops from landing on the southern coast of Finland, nor did he support

Carl Gustaf Armfeldt Carl Gustaf Armfeldt (9 November 1666 – 24 October 1736) was a Swedish officer, general and friherre (baron) who took part in the Great Northern War. Early life Carl Gustaf Armfeldt was born in Swedish Ingria to lieutenant colonel Gustaf Armfel ...

's beleaguered force in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

, nor did he attempt to recover Helsinki after it fell in Russian hands in May 1713. He assembled his main force in

Borgå Porvoo (; sv, Borgå ; la, Borgoa) is a city and a municipality in the Uusimaa region of Finland, situated on the southern coast about east of the city border of Helsinki and about from the city centre. Porvoo was one of the six medieval to ...

, but when the enemy prepared for a landing there he withdrew further north without firing a shot and afterwards marched aimlessly around while southern Finland was taken. Lybecker blamed the instructions Charles XII had given him, which forbade him from committing to a major battle. However, the displeasure over his indecision was widespread, both in the army ranks and elsewhere. Lybecker was recalled in autumn of 1713 and was

court-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of mem ...

led in Stockholm. After a drawn-out trial, where the

bishop of Åbo The Archdiocese of Turku ( fi, Turun arkkihiippakunta, sv, Åbo ärkestift), historically known as ''Roman Catholic Diocese of Åbo, Archdiocese of Åbo'', is the seat of the Archbishop of Turku. It is a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church o ...

Johannes Gezelius the younger testified against him, he was sentenced to "loss of life, honor, and property". He was pardoned by the king on New Year's Day 1718, but confined to his estate Värsta, where he died on 4 June the same year.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lybecker, Georg Henrik Swedish military personnel of the Great Northern War Caroleans Recipients of Swedish royal pardons Governors of Gothenburg and Bohus County 17th-century births 1718 deaths