Alfred Graf Eckbrecht von Dürckheim-Montmartin

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Alfred Eckbrecht von Dürckheim-Montmartin
Alfred Graf Eckbrecht von Dürckheim-Montmartin.jpg
Birth name Alfred Karl Nicolaus Alexander Reichsgraf Eckbrecht von Dürckheim-Montmartin
Birth date 21 July 1850(1850-07-21)
Place of birth Steingaden, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Confederation
Death date 10 April 1912 (aged 61)
Place of death Locarno, Switzerland
Allegiance Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Bavaria.jpg Kingdom of Bavaria
 German Empire
Service/branch Fahne der Bayerischen Armee.png Royal Bavarian Army
Years of service 1870–1912
Rank General der Infanterie
Battles/wars Franco-German War
Awards Iron Cross
Bavarian Military Merit Order
Relations ∞ 1881 Helene Pawlowna Gräfin Bobrinsky

Alfred Karl Nicolaus Alexander Reichsgraf Eckbrecht von Dürckheim-Montmartin (21 July 1850 – 10 April 1912) was a German officer of the Bavarian Army, finally General of the Infantry. As a wing adjutant (Flügeladjutant), he was the closest and last confidant of King Ludwig II.

Life

Prinzregent Luitpold (top), Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria (I. Armee-Korps, left), Karl Freiherr von Horn (Minister of War, right), Alfred Graf Eckbrecht von Dürckheim-Montmartin (II. Armee-Korps, center) and Luitpold Freiher von der Tann-Rathsamhausen (III. Armee-Korps, bottom)
Graf Dürckheim-Montmartin

Graf Eckbrecht von Dürckheim-Montmartin attended the Jesuit Institute Stella Matutina in Feldkirch in Tyrol and, after his Abitur, began studying philology at the University of Würzburg, which he left in the second semester to join the military on 11 March 1870 as an officer candidate of the Infanterie-Leib-Regiment in Munich. He was commissioned on 12 August 1870 and took part in the Franco-German War.

He studied at the Royal War Academy (Königlich Bayerische Kriegsakademie) from autum 1875 to autumn 1878. He graduated the 8th course in September 1874 with the qualification to become a General Staff officer and a adjutant (Adjutantur). This was followed up with service at General Staff headquarters.

He then functioned as military adjutant to Prince Otto and in 1878 served as Prince Arnulf's Hofmarschall (Lord Steward of the Household). In 1882, he was named Kämmerer (chamberlain). Discovering that the Prince has written a love letter to his wife young wife Helene, Graf Eckbrecht von Dürckheim-Montmartin decided to challenge Arnulf to a pistol duel. This was prevented by the interventions Prince Leopold of Bavaria and of King Ludwig II, after Helene asked the king to do so.

As a captain, Graf Eckbrecht von Dürckheim-Montmartin was selected in 1883 to be the king's Flügeladjutant. He remained at the king's side, even after Ludwig was declared mentally incompetent on 9 June 1886 and ordered to a type of house arrest at Schloß Neuschwanstein. Although Prince-Regent Luitpold ordered Graf Eckbrecht von Dürckheim-Montmartin to Munich, he remained with Ludwig II until finally the king forced Eckbrecht to leave in order to avoid having his military career in shambles. As he arrived at the Munich train station, however, Bavarian War Minister Franz Xaver Adolf von Heinleth had him placed under arrest (through his adjutant) under suspicion of high treason. Ludwig's death, under controversial circumstances, resulted in Graf Eckbrecht von Dürckheim-Montmartin's release on 15 June 1886 and he was able to continue serving as a Royal Bavarian officer.

Graf Eckbrecht von Dürckheim-Montmartin thereafter was commander of the 8th Company/Königlich Bayerisches 8. Infanterie-Regiment „Pranckh“ in Metz (Reichsland Elsaß-Lothringen), in 1889, he was named commander of the 4th Company/Königlich Bayerisches 5. Infanterie-Regiment „Großherzog von Hessen“ in Bamberg. From 1895 (à la suite of the Königlich Bayerisches 3. Infanterie-Regiment), he was director of the Munich War School (Kriegsschule München) and from 17 March 1897 to 14 August 1901, he was commander of the Infanterie-Leib-Regiment.

From 25 August 1901 to 22 October 1903, he was commander of the 12th Infantry Brigade as a major general and from 23 October 1903 to 17 November 1908 commander of the 4th Division with the rank of lieutenant general. On 18 November 1908, Graf Eckbrecht von Dürckheim-Montmartin replaced General Theophil Freiherr von Reichlin-Meldegg as commanding general (Kommandierender General) of Bavaria's II. Army Corps in Würzburg.

Death

During a spa stay in Locarno (Switzerland), General of the Infantry Alfred Reichsgraf Eckbrecht von Dürckheim-Montmartin died on 10 April 1912 due to a heart attack. His body was returned to Munich by train along with all of the military honors. The vacant II. Königlich Bayerisches Armee-Korps was taken over on 22 April 1912 by General of the Infantry Karl Ritter von Martini (1855–1935).

Family

The family of Eckbrecht von Dürckheim are of Palatinate old nobility (Uradel) and were elevated to Imperial Counts of the Holy Roman Empire on 8 September 1764. The name and coat of arms association with Dumas von Montmartin took place in c. 1778, now known as Reichsgrafen Eckbrecht von Dürckheim-Montmartin. This family of counts had lived in Steingaden since 12 April 1845. At that time, it had acquired the former Steingaden monastery brewery for 152,000 guilders. This brewery property included additional floor space of around 102 hectare (ha).

In 1885, Countess Alexandrine von Dürckheim-Montmartin built a new house for her family on property number 1153 in Steingaden. This residential building, always referred to as a “villa” by the owners, but called a “castle” by the Steingaden population, was surrounded by an 8 ½ Tagwerk (c. 3 hectare) well-tended garden and park.

On 18 October 1897, the younger son, Captain (later Major) Friedrich Graf Eckbrecht von Dürckheim-Montmartin (1858–1939), took over this property, which also included the aforementioned “castle”. As a replacement, he had to pay his mother the enormous sum of 400,000 gold marks. A year before this purchase, he had already acquired the so-called “Fohlenhof” in Steingaden, an agricultural property with a size of around 164 hectare (ha). These huge acquisitions, as well as a large number of smaller real estate purchases, were only possible because in 1896 the count's wife, Countess Charlotte, née von Kusserow, from an old Baltic German noble family, brought 5 million gold marks in her marriage property with her had brought.

On 26 January 1932, the entire estate of the Count family of Dürckheim-Montmartin was forcibly auctioned off. Bodenkreditbank Berlin won the contract with the highest bid of 300,000 Reichsmarks. On 26 June 1935, these goods came into the possession of the Bayerische Bauernsiedlung GmbH Munich through purchase. In the following years, large parts of this entire property were sold, leaving a remaining property measuring around 107 hectares, including the empty “castle”. The Count family of Dürckheim-Montmartin moved away from Steingaden in 1932.

Descent

Alfred was the son of Royal Bavarian Chamberlain Karl Anselm Friedrich Wilhelm Alfred Franz Reichsgraf von Dürckheim-Montmartin (1822–1896) and his Baltic German wife (∞ 1849 in Kopenhagen) Alexandrine, née Gräfin von Toll (1832–1899),[1] Lady of Honor (Ehrendame) of the Bavarian Order of Theresia, daughter Karl Wilhelm Graf von Toll (1777–1842), General of the Infantry of the Imperial Russian Army (Kaiserlich-Russische Armee). Alfred had four siblings:[2]

  • Olga Caroline Sophie (1854–1891)
  • Friedrich Georg Michael Maria (1858–1939)
  • Sophie Marie Therese Elisabeth (1859–1940)
  • Elisabeth Alexandrine Olga Helene (1864–1887)

Marriage

On 22 November 1881 in St. Petersburg, Premier-Lieutenant Graf Eckbrecht von Dürckheim-Montmartin married his finacée Helene Pawlowna (Paula) Bobrinski/Bobrinsky (b. 14 April 1857 in Florence; d. 1911 or 1943, depending on source), daughter of Baltic German officer Paul Alexander Graf Bobrinsky (b. 1829 in Leipzig, Kingdom of Saxony; d. 31 May 1860 in Interlaken, Switzerland), Imperial Russian chamberlain and court marshal as well as great-grandson of Empress Catherine II, and his wife (∞ 1858) Ludmilla von Kolpaschnikoff (b. 10 February 1836), who in 1862 married Heinrich Karl Andreas Graf Belzig von Kreutz[3] (1817–1891; son Andreas was born 1870), cavalry general of the Imperial Russian Army and senator. Alfred and Helene had one daughter:[4]

  • Maria "Maja" Olga (1882–1976), like her grandmother, Lady of Honor (Ehrendame) of the Bavarian Order of Theresia; ∞ Würzburg 1 August 1910 Konrad Lambert Franz Ludwig Pius Freiherr von Malsen-Waldkirch (1869–1913), officer, chamberlain, lord of the manor and member of the Reichstag
    • Ludwig-Alfred Lambert Barnabas (1911–1956); ∞ 1934 Lola-Maria Perlinger
    • Bernhard Arthur Lambert (b. 2 March 1913 in München); ∞ 1937 Liselotte Jerusalem

Alfred and Helene seperated in 1884, their divorce was final in autumn 1885. Daughter Maja stayed with the father. Helene married in 1891 Baltic Baron Michael von Meyendorff (1861–1941) and allegedly in 1900 Artur Woldemar Witold von Staden (b. 15 Januar 1874) from Riga.

Promotions

  • 11.3.1870 Officiers-Aspirant 1. Classe/Junker (Officer Candidate)
  • 12.8.1870 Unterlieutenant (2nd Lieutenant)
    • renamed Second-Lieutenant in 1872
  • 3.10.1874 Premier-Lieutenant (1st Lieutenant)
  • 9.4.1883 Hauptmann (Captain)
  • 29.10.1890 Major
  • 15.11.1895 Oberstlieutenant (Lieutenant Colonel)
  • 17.3.1897 Oberst (Colonel)
  • 4.8.1901 Generalmajor (Major General)
  • 23.10.1903 Generalleutnant (Lieutenant General)
  • 18.11.1908 General der Infanterie (General of the Infantry)[5]

Awards and decorations

Militär-Handbuch des Königsreich Bayern, 1911, p. 22
  • Iron Cross (1870), 2nd Class
  • Military Merit Order (Bavaria), Knight's Cross II. Class[6]
    • received the swords, after they were introduced on 12 March 1891[7]
  • War Commemorative Medal of 1870–1871 (Kaiserliche Kriegsdenkmünze 1870/71; KD70/71) in Bronze
  • Red Eagle Order (Roter Adlerorden), 4th Class (PRAO4/PrA4)
  • Order of Saint Vladimir, 4th Class (RW4)
  • Prussian Order of the Crown (Preußischer Kronenorden), 3rd Class (PK3)
  • Austrian Order of the Iron Crown, Knight III. Class (ÖEK3)
  • Russian Order of Saint Anna (Sankt-Annen-Orden), 3rd Class (RA3)
  • Military Merit Order (Bavaria), Knight's Cross I. Class
  • Order of Philip the Magnanimous (Verdienstorden Philipps des Großmüthigen), Knight's Cross I. Class (HP4/HP4a)
  • Bavarian Long Service Cross (Königlich Bayerisches Dienstauszeichnungskreuz), II. Class for 24 years (BD2) in 1894
  • Red Eagle Order, 3rd Class (PrA3)
  • Anniversary Oak Leaves (Jubiläums-Eichenlaub „25“ 1870/1895) to his Iron Cross (1870), 2nd Class
  • Prussian Centenary Medal 1897 (Zentenarmedaille)[8]
  • Military Merit Order (Bavaria), Officer's Cross
  • Prussian Order of the Crown, 2nd Class
  • Order of Leopold (Belgium), Commander's Cross (BIL3/BelgL3/BelgL2b)
  • Order of the Sacred Treasure (Japan), Commander's Cross (JpHS3)
  • Prinz-Regent-Luitpold Jubiläums-Medaille für die Armee 1905
  • Military Merit Order (Bavaria), Grand Commander's Cross[9]
    • later renamed 2nd Class with Star
  • Order of Saint Michael (Bavaria), I. Class in 1906[10]
  • Prussian Order of the Crown, 1st Class
  • Military Merit Order (Bavaria), 1st Class[11]
  • Red Eagle Order, 1st Class (PrA1)
  • Spanish Cross of Military Merit, 4th Class or Grand Cross (SpMV4)
  • Bavarian Long Service Cross, I. Class for 40 years (BD1) in 1910
  • Military Merit Order (Bavaria), Grand Cross
  • Red Eagle Order, Grand Cross (PrAGrKz)

References

  1. ↑ Grave epitaphs
  2. ↑ Gothaisches Genealogisches Taschenbuch der Gräflichen Häuser, 1871, pp. 245–246
  3. ↑ Heinrich Karl Andreas Graf Belzig von Kreutz, Gothaisches Genealogisches Taschenbuch der Gräflichen Häuser, 1874
  4. ↑ Gothaisches Genealogisches Taschenbuch der Gräflichen Häuser, 1922, p. 281
  5. ↑ Militär-Handbuch des Königsreich Bayern, 1911, p. 195
  6. ↑ Militär-Handbuch des Königreiches Bayern, 1871, p. 59
  7. ↑ Militär-Handbuch des Königsreich Bayern, 1895, p. 62
  8. ↑ Militär-Handbuch des Königreiches Bayern, 1901, p. 32
  9. ↑ Militär-Handbuch des Königreiches Bayern, 1905, p. 25
  10. ↑ Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Königreichs Bayern, 1908, p. 38
  11. ↑ Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Königreichs Bayern, 1910, p. 301
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