Gustaf David Hamilton (29 January 1699 – 29 December 1788) was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

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: ...

and

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...

. He was born in 1699 in

Barsebäck Barsebäck () is a locality situated in Kävlinge Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 524 inhabitants in 2010. It lies about 4 km east of the harbour village Barsebäckshamn. It is known for the now closed Barsebäck Nuclear Power Pla ...

Malmöhus County Malmöhus County () was a county of Sweden from 1719 to 1996. On 1 January 1997 it was merged with Kristianstad County to form Skåne County. It had been named after Malmöhus, a castle in Malmö, which was also where the governor originally li ...

, Sweden. He left Sweden in 1718-1720 to educate himself in

warfare War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of State (polity), states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or betwe ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. In 1720 he became a

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 in 1740 he became a lieutenant colonel, both during French service. In 1741 he returned to Sweden and made a series of career progressions. In 1741 he became a

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 ...

, in 1747 a major general and in 1755

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 ...

. He was also named a

in 1751, and in 1765 he gained the right to the title

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 ...

. In 1778 he was made a

Lord of the Realm The Lord of the Realm (, ) was a title of honour introduced by Gustavus III, King of Sweden shortly after his coup and the newly passed constitution. The title was granted by the King and was first received by Frederick William, Prince von ...

. He was also politically active in the

Hats A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

. In 1758 he was made commander of Swedish forces in

Swedish Pomerania Swedish Pomerania (; ) was a dominions of Sweden, dominion under the Sweden, Swedish Crown from 1630 to 1815 on what is now the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of Germany and Poland. Following the Polish-Swedish War, Polish War and the Thirty Years' War ...

during 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 ...

. He led an advance on the

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

capital of

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 ...

, but retreated following the

Battle of Fehrbellin The Battle of Fehrbellin was fought on June 18, 1675 (Julian calendar date, June 28, Gregorian), between Swedish and Brandenburg-Prussian troops. The Swedes, under Count Waldemar von Wrangel (stepbrother of '' Riksamiral'' Carl Gustaf Wran ...

in September 1758. Dissatisfaction with his performance led to him being replaced by his superiors.Szabo, Franz A.J. ''The Seven Years' War in Europe, 1757-1763''. Pearson, 2008. He was the father of

Adolf Ludvig Hamilton Count Adolf Ludvig Hamilton (1747–1802) was a Swedish count and politician. His father was Count Gustaf David Hamilton. He was one of the leaders of the opposition of the nobility against King Gustav III of Sweden in 1789. He also authored a cr ...

References

1699 births 1788 deaths People from Kävlinge Municipality Swedish people of Scottish descent Swedish Army generals Age of Liberty people People from Swedish Pomerania Swedish counts {{Sweden-mil-bio-stub