Gustav Friedrich Beyer (von Beyer since 1859; born 26 February 1812 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 ...

; died 7 December 1889 in

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

) was a Prussian general and war minister of the

Grand Duchy of Baden The Grand Duchy of Baden () was a German polity on the east bank of the Rhine. It originally existed as a sovereign state from 1806 to 1871 and later as part of the German Empire until 1918. The duchy's 12th-century origins were as a Margravia ...

Biography

Beyer was the son of a Prussian government official (Privy Councilor). He was also the older brother of the future mayor of Potsdam, . He joined the Prussian Army in April 1829. From 1835 to 1838 he attended the General War School as a second lieutenant, and in 1846 was promoted to

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

; taking part in the suppression of the

Baden Revolution The Baden Revolution () of 1848/1849 was a regional uprising in the Grand Duchy of Baden which was part of the Revolutions of 1848, revolutionary unrest that gripped almost all of Central Europe at that time. As part of the popular liberal Revol ...

in 1849.Maximilian Gritzner : Chronological register of the Brandenburg-Prussian class elevations and acts of grace from 1600–1873. Berlin 1874, p. 127.

Orders and decorations

* : Knight of the

Royal Guelphic Order The Royal Guelphic Order (), sometimes referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Kingdom of Hanover, Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent (later King George IV). It takes its name from the House ...

, ''1858'' * : Commander of the Grand Ducal Hessian Order of Ludwig, 2nd Class, ''22 October 1861'' *

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

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 ...

, 2nd Class with Star, Oak Leaves and Swords, ''1866''; Grand Cross with Swords on Ring, ''9 July 1875'' **

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), 1st Class ** Grand Commander's Cross of the Royal

House Order of Hohenzollern The House Order of Hohenzollern ( or ') was a dynastic order of knighthood of the House of Hohenzollern awarded to military commissioned officers and civilians of comparable status. Associated with the various versions of the order were crosses an ...

, with Star, ''11 December 1880'' ** Service Award Cross * : ** 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, ...

, ''1868''; with Swords and Golden Collar, ''1879'' ** Commander of the

Military Karl-Friedrich Merit Order The Military Karl-Friedrich Merit Order () was a military order of merit of the Grand Duchy of Baden. Established 5 October 1805 by Charles Frederick, Elector and later Grand Duke of Baden, the order recognized outstanding military merit amongs ...

, ''1870'' ** Service Cross, 1st Class * : ** Knight of the Imperial

Order of Saint Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, on 14 February 1735, in hono ...

, 2nd Class ** Knight of the Imperial

Order of Saint Stanislaus The Order of Saint Stanislaus (, ), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Poniatowski of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It remained under the Congress Poland, Kingdom of Pola ...

, 2nd Class

Literature

* L. Löhlein: Gustav Friedrich v. Beyer. In: Friedrich von Weech (Ed.): Badische Biographien . First Part, Heidelberg 1875, pp. 82–83 (online in the Baden State Library) . * Gustav Friedrich von Beyer. (To Part I, p. 82 ff.) In: Friedrich von Weech (Ed.): Badische Biographien. Fourth Part, Karlsruhe 1891, p. 524 (online in the Baden State Library) . * Kurt von Priesdorff : Soldier leadership . Volume 7, Hanseatische Verlagsanstalt Hamburg, undated amburg undated

939 Year 939 ( CMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Hugh the Great, count of Paris, rebels against King Louis IV ("d'Outremer") and gains support from William I, duke of Normandy ...

DNB 367632829, pp. 330–332, no. 2320. * Wolfgang Schütz: Koblenz heads. People from the city's history - namesake for streets and squares. 2. revised and exp. Edition. Publishing house for advertising papers, Mülheim-Kärlich 2005.

References

Generals of Infantry (Prussia) 1812 births 1889 deaths Prussian people of the Austro-Prussian War Military personnel of the Grand Duchy of Baden German military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War Recipients of the Iron Cross (1870), 1st class Military personnel from Berlin {{Germany-mil-bio-stub