Albert Freiherr von Seckendorff

Albert Freiherr von Seckendorff
Birth name	Albert Evan Edwin Reinhold Freiherr von Seckendorff
Birth date	11 March 1849(1849-03-11)
Place of birth	Ebersdorf, Principality of Reuss Junior Line, German Confederation
Death date	28 June 1921 (aged 72)
Place of death	Castle Brand near Marktredwitz, Bavaria, German Reich
Allegiance	Prussia North German Confederation German Empire
Service/branch	Royal Prussian Navy Norddeutsche Bundesmarine Kaiserliche Marine
Years of service	1864–1918
Rank	Vice Admiral
Battles/wars	Franco-German War World War I
Awards	Prussian Order of the Crown Order of the Red Eagle
Relations	∞ 1885 Julia, née Freiin von Liliencron
Other work	Diplomat Lord of the manor

Albert Evan Edwin Reinhold Freiherr von Seckendorff (also Evan Edwin Reinhold Albert; 11 March 1849 – 28 June 1921) was a German naval officer of the Royal Prussian Navy (German: Königlich Preußische Marine), the North German Federal Navy (German: Marine des Norddeutschen Bundes) and the Kaiserliche Marine, finally a highly decorated Vice Admiral.

As consul in Tianjin and later envoy in Peking (1913–1914), he represented German interests, promoted the AG Vulcan Stettin and recognized the Republic of China. In 1888, von Seckendorff had been appointed Court Marshal to Albert Wilhelm Heinrich, Prince of Prussia (1862–1929), Grand Admiral and Inspector General of the Imperial German Navy. He held this position until 5 November 1918 when Chamberlain Hermann von Rumohr-Drült took over the position..

Life

Harper's Weekly, 4 March 1902

Vice Admiral Freiherr von Seckendorff

Großadmiral Heinrich Prinz von Preußen visiting the German colony of Tsingtau in China, 1912; the Prince left in the foreground, right Kapitän zur See Alfred Meyer-Waldeck, German Governeur in Tsingtau (20 August 1911 to 7 November 1914), behind Meyer-Waldeck Hofmarschall Albert Freiherr von Seckendorff.

Freiherr und Freifrau von Seckendorff

History of Castle Brand

Albert Freiherr von Seckendorff joined the Prussian Navy on 6 September 1864 and received and received the typical training of a naval officer, including shipboard service, infantry training and studies at the Naval School. In 1869, he served aboard the the ironclad Kronprinz and then aboard covered corvette Hertha with the Federal Navy of the North German Confederation. En route to East Asia, the corvette participated in the opening of the Suez Canal, becoming one of the first ships to transit it. SMS Hertha, together with the German gunboat SMS Blitz, found an opportunity to actively assist a grounded French corvette. During the Franco-German War, SMS Hertha was stationed in Japan and, along with the SMS Medusa, was held captive in Yokohama harbor by superior French warships. She returned from Asia in 1872. In 1876, he served on the artillery training ship SMS Renown.

• Rank List 1873 Adjutant to the Chief Shipyard Director of the Imperial Shipyard in Wilhelmshaven
• Rank List 1874 Commanded to the Naval Academy
• 30 April 1877 to 22 September 1880 Military Governor of Heinrich Prinz von Preußen
  • 4 April 1877 to 25 September 1877 at the same time, Midshipmen Officer on the Sailing Frigate SMS "Niobe"
  • 1 October 1878 to 16 October 1880 at the same time, Midshipmen Officer on the Steam Corvette SMS "Prinz Adalbert"
    • The Prinz Adalbert sailed on 14 October 1878 on a two-year world voyage under the command of Captain at Sea Archibald MacLean (Mac lean / Mac-Lean) in Kiel. On board were Prince Heinrich of Prussia, who served as a sea cadet and was also supposed to perform representational duties on the voyage, as well as Lieutenant Captain von Seckendorff, Grand Admiral Hans von Koester, the marine painter Carl Saltzmann, but also von Seckendorff's friend and comrade Felix von Bendemann. During the journey along the German coast, Prince Heinrich was accompanied on board by his brother, who later became Kaiser Wilhelm II. The voyage led via South America through the Strait of Magellan and Hawaii to Japan in May 1879, where Prince Adalbert combined with the other naval ships Luise, Wolf and Cyclop to form a squadron, over which MacLean, as the senior local captain, also took command. In East Asia, the main cities and their governments were then visited in order to strengthen German interests. Young Prince Heinrich, as representative of the German Emperor, took on the representational tasks. In the spring of 1880, the squadron was moved to Shanghai, where the conflict between China and Japan over the Ryukyu Islands caused unrest among the population. However, due to its high draft, the Prinz Adalbert could not operate in the region and remained in Hong Kong from May to June 1880. After the arrival of another ship, the Vineta, Prince Adalbert started his journey home. The stops on the journey were Johor, Simon's Town and the island of St. Helena, where the crew visited Napoleon's place of exile after the Seventh Coalition War (Siebter Koalitionskrieg).
• 23 September 1880 to 21 March 1884 Military escort of Heinrich Prinz von Preußen
  • 1 October 1882 to 21 March 1884 at the same time, commandant of the Steam Corvette SMS "Olga"
• 22 March 1884 to 3 May 1888 Flügeladjutant) of Kaiser Wilhelm I under the position of à la suite of the Sea Officers Corps
  • he was the first naval officer to receive such an honour.
• 8 April 1888 Personal audience with Kaiser Friedrich III
• 3 May 1888 Relieved of his duties as military escort of Heinrich Prinz von Preußen
• 7 May 1888 to 12 November 1888 Acting Court Marshal (Hofmarschall) of Heinrich Prinz von Preußen
• 13 November 1888 Placed at disposal (z. D.) with the statutory pension and placed à la suite of the Imperial Navy for final transfer to Court Service with the former uniform
• 13 November 1888 to 5 November 1918 Court Marshal of Heinrich Prinz von Preußen
  • in early 1902, von Seckendorff accompanied Heinrich von Preußen on a state visit to the USA.
  • 31 July 1914 to 24 January 1918 during WWI, placed at the disposal of the Commander-in-Chief of the Baltic Sea Forces

Diplomatic service

From 11 July 1889 until 1896, he was consul in Tianjin (Tientsin), later in Sarajevo and Prague, and from 1904 he was envoy to Colombia, Venezuela, Sofia and Tangier. In 1890, Otto von Bismarck instructed the German Vice-Consul in Tianjin, von Seckendorff, to work with the envoy to exert "appropriate influence" on behalf of AG Vulcan Stettin. Seckendorff received a report from Li Hongzhang on the decision-making process at the Chinese court of the Qing Dynasty and advocated for AG Vulcan Stettin with Viceroy Liu Kungyi Nanyang. Between his stays in Shantou and Tientsin, von Seckendorff acquired Brand Castle from Johanna von Voß, née Baroness von Beust, in 1890 and subsequently had it remodeled. In 1912, he was Chargé d'Affaires of the Consulate of the German Empire in Tangier, Morocco. In 1913 and 1915, von Seckendorff was granted audiences with Sun Yat-sen during diplomatic missions.

• From 1913 to 1914, Albert von Seckendorff served as Deputy Envoy in Peking.
  • On 1 October 1913, von Seckendorff, through a note coordinated with the Eight-Nation Alliance, recognized the government of the Republic of China (1912–1949) under the government of Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg.
  • On 6 October 1913, Yuan Shikai was elected Provisional President of the Republic of China (1912–1949) in the third round of voting with 759 votes, representing the required three-quarters majority of the members present in the Provisional Senate of Nanjing.

Family

Albert was the son of Evan Theodorich Ulfilas August Freiherr von Seckendorff (b. 17 January 1821 in Braunschweig; d. 5 August 1882 in Debschwitz), Lieutenant Colonel in the Prussian Army and Chamberlain to the Prince of Reuß-Schleiz, and his wife Pauline Auguste Wilhelmine Franziska Juliane, née von Flemming (b. 4 February 1826 in Stettin, Western Pomerania; d. 25 October 1864 in Debschwitz). He had four siblings and five half-siblings from his father's second marriage (∞ 9 December 1869) to Hedwig Julie Eleonore, née Ribbentrop (b. 16 March 1841 in Aschersleben; d. 17 April 1912 in Dresden).

Siblings:

• Gustav Karl Wilhelm Ludwig (1848–1924), General of the Infantry
• Edwin Alfred Richard (b. 2 October 1854 in Debschwitz; d. 2 February 1933 in Hechingen), Imperial Privy Councillor, Royal Prussian Envoy to Stuttgart, and Honorary Knight of the Johanniter-Orden
  • ∞ Baden-Baden 8 March 1893 Margaretha Rosa Hermine Luise von Porbeck (1875–1958)
• Franz Adolf (1857–1941), General of the Infantry
• Luise Elisabeth Mathilde (b. 15 July 1858 in Debschwitz)

Half-siblings:

• Elisabeth Sidonie Marie Caroline (b. 28 February 1872 in Debschowitz)
• Harald Elias Henry Ferdinand (b. 5 September 1874 in Debschowitz)
• Wilhelm Carl Gustav Adolf (b. 9 September 1875 in Debschowitz)
• Carola Henriette Amalie (b. 14 August 1877 in Debschowitz)
• Frieda Sophie Caroline (b. 6 December 1881 in Debschowitz)

Marriage

On 14 January 1885 in Sproitz near Rothenburg (Upper Lusatia), Lieutenant Commander Freiherr von Seckendorff married Juliane "Julia" Karoline Adamine Luise Sophie (who was affectionately called "Juju" by the family), widowed von Plänckner, née Freiin von Liliencron (1838-1919), since 1888, chief lady-in-waiting (Oberhofmeisterin) to Irène Luise Maria Anna, Princess of Prussia, née Princess of Hesse and by Rhine (1866-1953), wife of Heinrich Prince of Prussia and sister of the last Russian Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, née Her Grand Ducal Highness Princess Alix Viktoria Helene Luise Beatrix of Hesse and by Rhine. Julia was the widow of Arwed von Plänckner (d. 1883), head of the court of Duke Ernst II of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Her daughter from her first marriage, Liane von Plänckner, was lady-in-waiting to Irène Princess of Prussia from 1892 to 1918.

Promotions

• 6 September 1864 Cadetten-Aspirant (Cadet Candidate)
• 21 October 1864 Cadett (Officer Candidate)
• 16 September 1865 Seekadett (Officer cadet)
• 23 November 1869 Unterlieutenant zur See (2nd Lieutenant at Sea) without Patent
  • later received Patent from 11 July 1968
• 20 August 1872 Lieutenant zur See (1st Lieutenant at Sea) without Patent
  • 21 June 1873 received Patent from 15 October 1870
• 16 January 1875 Capitain-Lieutenant (Lieutenant Captain)
• 23 September 1880 Korvettenkapitän (Lieutenant Commander)
• 22 October 1887 Kapitän zur See (Captain at Sea)
• 27 January 1895 Charakter als Kontre-Admiral (Brevet Rear Admiral)
• 27 January 1900 Charakter als Vize-Admiral (Brevet Vice Admiral)

Awards, decorations and honours

• War Commemorative Medal of 1870–1871 (Kaiserliche Kriegsdenkmünze 1870/71; KD70/71)
• Prussian Lifesaving Medal (Rettungsmedaille am Band) on 10 December 1872
• Japanese Order of the Rising Sun, III. Class / Commander's Cross (JVAS3/JV3)
• Royal Order of Kalākaua I (Hawaii), Commander's Cross (HK2b/HKA2b)
• House Order of Hohenzollern, Knight's Cross (HOH3) on 14 October 1880
• Order of Henry the Lion (Herzoglich Braunschweigischer Orden Heinrichs des Löwen), Knight's Cross 1st Class with Swords (BrHL3a⚔)
• Princely Reussian Cross of Honor (Fürstlich Reußisches Ehrenkreuz), 1st Class (REK1/REKj1)
• House and Merit Order of Peter Frederick Louis, Ehren-Komturkreuz or Honorary Commanders Cross (OV2b)
• Saxon Albert Order (Albrechts-Orden), Commander 2nd Class (SA2b)
• Order of the Crown of Italy, Commander (JK3)
• Imperial Order of the Rose (Brazil), Commander's Cross (BrsR3)
• Venezuelan Order of the Bust of Bolivar, 3rd Class (VBB3/VB3)
• Prussian Long Service Cross for 25 years (Königlich Preußisches Dienstauszeichnungskreuz) (time outside of the Reich counted double)
• Friedrichs-Orden, Commander's Cross (Kommenturkreuz) 2nd Class (WF2b)
• Red Eagle Order, 4th Class on 1 January 1885
• Baden Order of the Zähringer Lion (Orden vom Zähringer Löwen), Commander 2nd Class (BZL2b/BZ2b)
• Prussian Order of the Crown (Preußischer Kronenorden), 3rd Class in April 1887
• Hesse Order of Merit of Philip the Magnanimous (Verdienstorden Philipps des Großmütigen), Commander 2nd Class with Swords (GHVP2b⚔/HP2b⚔) in April 1887 (permission to accept)
• House Order of the Wendish Crown (Hausorden der Wendischen Krone), Commander (MWK2b/MK2b) in April 1887 (permission to accept)
• Queen Victoria Golden Jubilee Medal in Silver in September 1887 (permission to accept)
  • The Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria was officially celebrated on 20 and 21 June 1887 to mark the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession on 20 June 1837. Lieutenant Commander Freiherr von Seckendorff had accompanied Heinrich Prinz von Preußen to the celebrations.
• Commemorative plaque for the royal princes, general adjutants and wing adjutants of Kaiser Wilhelm I in January 1888
  • Freiherr von Seckendorff was the only naval recipient of this badge
• Order of the Red Eagle, 3rd Class with the Bow (mit der Schleife) in January 1888
• Russian Order of Saint Anna (St.-Annen-Orden), II. Class (RA2) in January 1888 (permission to accept)
• Prussian Order of the Crown, 2nd Class in May 1888
• Italian Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, Commander (JMuL3/JM3)
• Austrian Franz-Joseph-Orden, Commander with Star (ÖFJ2mSt/ÖFJ2a)
• Grand Ducal Hessian Ludwig (Ludewig) Order, Commander's Cross 2nd Class (GHL2b/HL2b) in July 1888 (permission to accept)
• Imperial Russian Order of Saint Stanislaus, 2nd Class with Star (RSt2mSt) in September 1888 (permission to accept)
• Swedish Order of the Sword, Commander 1st Class (SS2a) in September 1888 (permission to accept)
• Danish Order of Dannebrog, Commander 1st Class (DD2a) in September 1888 (permission to accept)
• Order of Saint Michael (Bavaria), 2nd Class with Star (BStMV2/BM2) in October 1888 (permission to accept)
• Knight of Honour (Ehrenritter) of the Johanniter-Orden on 11 February 1889
• House Order of Hohenzollern, Commander's Cross in May 1889
• Order of the Redeemer (Greece), Grand Commander (GE2a)
• Order of Leopold (Belgium), Grand Officer (BL2a)
• Austrian Franz-Joseph-Orden, Grand Cross (ÖFJ1)
• Grand Cross of the Mecklenburg Order of the Griffon (MGrO1/MG1)
• Saxe-Ernestine House Order, Commander 1st Class (HSEH2a/HSH2a)
• Schaumburg Lippe House Order, Cross of Honour 1st Class (LH.EK1/SLH.EK1/SLHK1/SLH1)
• Danish Order of Dannebrog, Grand Cross (DD1)
• Japanese Order of the Sacred Treasure, 1st Class (JZ1)
• Imperial Russian Order of Saint Stanislau, I. Class (RSt1)

• Russian Order of Saint Anna (St.-Annen-Orden), 1st Class (RA1)

• Red Eagle Order, 2nd Class with Oak Leaves and the Royal Crown on 30 January 1897
• Prussian Centenary Medal (Zentenarmedaille) on 22 March 1897

• Diamonds to his House Order of Hohenzollern Commander's Cross (Kreuz der Komthure mit Brillanten) on 15 June 1898

• Star to his House Order of Hohenzollern Commander's Cross on 27 January 1902

• Saxon Albert Order, Grand Cross (SA1)

• Brunswick Order of Henry the Lion, Grand Cross with Swords (BrH1⚔/BrH.G.Kr⚔)
• Order of Albert the Bear, Grand Cross (AAB1/AB1)
• Chinese Order of the Double Dragon, II. Class, 1st Grade (ChDDII.1/CDII.1)
• Order of the Iron Crown (Austria), Knight 1st Class (ÖEK1)

• Ottoman Osmanie-Orden (Osmanije), 2nd Class (TürkO2/TO2)
• Russian Order of the White Eagle with Diamonds (RWAmBr)
• Knight of the Russian Order of St. Alexander Nevsky (RAN)
• Princely Waldeck Cross of Merit (Fürstlich Waldeck’sches Verdienstkreuz), 1st Class (WVK1)
• Baden Order of the Zähringer Lion, Grand Cross (BZL1/BZ1)
• Hesse Order of Merit of Philip the Magnanimous (Verdienstorden Philipps des Großmütigen), Grand Cross (HP1)

• Royal Victorian Order, Honorary Grand Cross (GV1)
• Belgian Order of Leopold, Grand Cordon (BelgL1/BL1)
• Japanese Order of the Rising Sun, 1st Class (JVAS1/JV1)

• Order of the Crown of Italy, Grand Cross (JK1/ItKr1)
• Princely House Order of Hohenzollern, Cross of Honour 1st Class (HEK1)