Johann Georg Adolf Ritter von Deines

Adolf von Deines
General Ritter von Deines in dress uniform as commanding general of the VIII Army Corps (1906)
Birth name	Johann Georg Adolf Deines
Birth date	30 May 1845(1845-05-30)
Place of birth	Hanau, Electorate of Hesse, German Confederation
Death date	17 November 1911 (aged 66)
Place of death	Frankfurt am Main, Province of Hesse-Nassau, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Allegiance	Kingdom of Prussia North German Confederation German Empire
Service/branch	Prussian Army
Years of service	1867–1906
Rank	General of the Cavalry
Commands held	21st Division VIII Army Corps
Conflict	Franco-Prussian War
Awards	Iron Cross (1870) Black Eagle Order
Relations	∞ 1898 Elsa Freiin von Falkenhausen

Johann Georg Adolf Deines, since 1849 Ritter von Deines (30 May 1845 – 17 November 1911), was a German officer of the Prussian Army, finally General der Kavallerie and Flügeladjutant, later Generaladjutant of Kaiser Wilhelm II as well as Governor-in-Chief of the Imperial and Royal Princes (Ober-Gouverneur der Prinzen-Söhne).

Life

Ritter von Deines's early education took place in Hanau, after which he transferred to the gymnasium established by the Bender brothers in Weinheim. He also attended the Institut Garnier in Friedrichsdorf to perfect his French. A stipulation in his father's will required that von Deines pursue a career in farming in order to be eligible to inherit his family estates, so he was sent for a time to the estate of a relative near Gelnhausen for a practical education in land management, prior to a short apprenticeship in Wöltingerode. Eventually, von Deines was sent to study agricultural science at the Universities of Göttingen, Halle, and Bonn. While at Bonn, he became a member of the Corps Palatia. On 1 March 1867, he joined the Husaren-Regiment "König Wilhelm I." (1. Rheinisches) Nr. 7 of the Prussian army as a one-year volunteer, and on 6 July 1869, he was promoted to second lieutenant of the reserves. Von Deines acquitted himself well as both a soldier and a horseman, but his father refused his request to pursue a military career, so upon graduation from university, he took up a position managing a large noble estate in Schmograu, Lower Silesia.

At the outbreak of the Franco-German War in 1870, von Deines was called into duty with his regiment, with whom he saw combat at the Battle of Gravelotte. Following the siege of Metz, von Deines was assigned as an orderly officer (Ordonnanzoffizier) to General der Kavallerie von Manteuffel of the VIII Army Inspectorate, and later as part of the Prussian South Army. In this capacity, he was present at the Battle of Amiens, and Battle of the Hallue. During his time in the 7th Hussars, Deines made the acquaintance of (then lance-corporal) Bernhard von Bülow, who would remain a lifelong friend. On 18 December 1870, he was awarded the Iron Cross. After the end of the conflict, his father wanted him to return and help him manage the family's estates, but Deines sought the intervention of Generalfeldmarschall Walter von Loë, whose enthusiastic support helped Deines convince his father to allow him to pursue a career in the military.

Deines remained an officer of the 7th Hussars (active as of 15 July 1871), rising to the rank of adjutant before being appointed to the Prussian General Staff in March 1872. Here, he worked closely with such military luminaries as Colmar von der Goltz, Friedrich von Bernhardi, Hans von Beseler, Erich von Falkenhayn (de), Paul von Hindenburg, and, most importantly, Helmuth von Moltke the Elder (de), whose support von Deines would enjoy as he embarked upon this new facet of his career. In 1881, after the signing of the Convention of Constantinople, von Deines was sent to the newly established Ottoman/Greek border as a foreign observer. During his sojourn in the Eastern Mediterranean, von Deines was able to visit many important historical sites, including the Parthenon and Troy, which was being excavated by Heinrich Schliemann at the time.

In 1883/84, von Deines was Rittmeister and commander (Escadron-Chef) of the 3rd Squadron/Brandenburgisches Husaren-Regiment (Zietensche Husaren) Nr. 3 in Rathenow. From 1885 to 1887, von Deines served as the military attaché to the Prussian embassy in Madrid, Spain, where he was responsible for maintaining cordial military relations between the two kingdoms. In 1887, he was transferred to the Prussian embassy in Vienna, and when Wilhelm II became German Emperor and King of Prussia, von Deines was raised to the rank of aide-de-camp (Flügeladjutant). This position gave him the curious German right of Immediatstellung, or "immediate access" to the Kaiser, a privilege restricted to the highest ranking nobility and members of the military. During his tenure in Vienna, von Deines also made the acquaintance of the British Brigadier-General Sir Douglas Dawson, who would reminisce fondly of their friendship in his own memoirs, despite the estrangement of their nations following two great wars.

In 1890, Deines was promoted to the rank of Oberstleutnant, and in 1892, to Oberst. In October 1894, while retaining his position as aide-de-camp, Deines was recalled from Vienna to Berlin to act as Obergouverneur, or the individual in charge of the education of the emperor's sons. Deines was one of few university-educated commoners in the upper echelons of the military, which distinction made him perfect to instruct the young princes. He was also known to be disdainful of the sycophantic and overweening nature of most courtiers, whom he once described as "larvae." Life at court in Berlin was seen as detrimental to the 'proper formation' of the princes, and it was believed that if they undertook their education away from the influences of court, they would grow to be better princes and better politicians. To achieve this end, a former summer residence at Plön was converted to a boarding school, the Prinzenhaus, or Princes' House. The town of Plön in Schleswig-Holstein was chosen, in part, to soften the blow to the Empress Auguste Viktoria, because it was located in her ancestral homeland, and so while the children were apart from her, they were at least in a place she knew and loved. Here, Deines undertook the education of the Emperor's oldest sons, Crown Prince Wilhelm, Prince Eitel Friederich, and Prince Adalbert (with their younger brothers following them in the decade to come). At Plön, the princes were given all of the instruction typical of boys at the time, including history, geography, elocution, religion, mathematics, and the sciences; Deines even had a chemistry laboratory built into the basement of the Prinzenhaus. In addition to their education, the students, which included not only the princes, but also students from the nearby cadet training academy hand-chosen by Deines himself, were expected to excel at horsemanship, gymnastics, swimming, rowing, and overall physical fitness. The grounds were also furnished with a working farm, so that the students could gain some small insight into the lives of their still largely rural subjects. Ernst von Dryander, the instructor in religion at the school, described their training thusly: "A Prussian prince should and must learn more than others. Not only that ours had to pass a regular final exam in a Realschule of the first order; they had to speak English and French fluently, control their horse like a cavalry soldier and ride through the countryside map in hand." Deines is generally seen as successful in the acquittal of this duty, particularly in exposing the boys to military cadets their own age from different social backgrounds. [...] In one particular memorandum, von Deines wrote "a crown prince is not a higher form of human being, but simply one placed in a higher position. In order to form a capable, whole man, one will have to take the same road as that for other sons of the educated classes," a sentiment which did little to endear him to the Kaiserin. In gratitude for overseeing the education of his sons, Wilhelm II made Deines a Commander of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern in 1898, as well as raising him to the rank of adjutant general. At the same time, he was made commander of the 21st Division.

20th century

• 16 June 1900 Commander of the 21st Division in Frankfurt am Main
• 18 October 1902 Commanding General of the VIII. Armee-Korps in Koblenz as successor to Friedrich II, Grand Duke of Baden
• 2 October 1906 Due to increasing hearing loss, von Deines gave up command of the corps and was placed at disposal (z. D.) with the statutory pension, still adjutant general and à la suite of the Husaren-Regiment "König Wilhelm I." (1. Rheinisches) Nr. 7.

Death

Adolf Ritter von Deines died in hospital at Frankfurt am Main on 17 November 1911 from complications following a surgery to relieve an intestinal blockage. On 10 December 1911, he was buried at the Hanau Hauptfriedhof (main cemetery) with full military honors; Prince Eitel Friedrich was in attendance as a representative of the royal family. His monumental tombstone in the Hanau Hauptfriedhof has been designated a cultural heritage monument by the Hessian Department of Cultural Heritage Management.

Family

Adolf was the grandson of Johann Michael Ritter von Deines (elevation to the Austrian non-hereditary nobility and knighthood on 1 September 1847) as well as son of lord of the manor and politician (member of the Hessian municipal state parliament for the Kassel administrative district) Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Heinrich Deines, as of 1 September 1849 (elevation to the Austrian hereditary nobility and knighthood) Ritter von Deines (1818–1901), and his wife (∞ 20 November 1841) Emilie, née Pfeiffer (1816–1866). He had two sisters:

• Wilhelmine (1842–1911)
• Anna Sophie Marie (1852–1901)

Through his maternal grandfather, von Deines was a member of the Pfeiffer family of Kassel and Marburg, which included his great-grandfather Johann Jakob Pfeiffer, his great-uncles Burkhard Wilhelm Pfeiffer, Carl Jonas Pfeiffer, and Franz Georg Pfeiffer, and his cousin Dr. Louis Pfeiffer. Through his mother's sisters, von Deines was the nephew by marriage of three prominent men: the chemist Friedrich Wöhler, the legal scholar Otto Bähr, and the Hessian finance minister Karl Ledderhose. The surgeon Georg Ledderhose, who first discovered glucosamine, was his first cousin.

Marriage

On 12 July 1898 in Königswalde, Ritter von Deines married his fiancée Katharina Helene Margarete Elsa Freiin von Falkenhausen (1872–1949), a daughter of Generaloberst Ludwig Freiherr von Falkenhausen and his first wife Helene Julie Auguste Ferdinande, née von Waldow und Reitzenstein (1847–1886).

Promotions

• 1 October 1867 Einjährig-Freiwilliger (one-year volunteer)
• 6 July 1869 Seconde-Lieutenant der Reserve (2nd Lieutenant of the Reserves)
• 15 July 1871 Seconde-Lieutenant (active)
• 4 April 1876 Premier-Lieutenant (1st Lieutenant)
• 1878 Hauptmann/Rittmeister (Captain)
• 12 November 1885 Major
• 27 January 1890 Oberst-Lieutenant (Lieutenant Colonel)
• 29 March 1892 Oberst (Colonel)
• 18 April 1896 Generalmajor (Major General)
• 18 April 1899 Generallieutenant (Lieutenant General)
• 29 May 1903 General der Kavallerie (General of the Cavalry)

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1870), 2nd Class on 18 December 1870
• War Commemorative Medal of 1870–1871 (Kaiserliche Kriegsdenkmünze 1870/71; KD70/71) with 4 Battle Clasps on 20 May 1871
• Imperial Persian Order of the Lion and the Sun, Knight's Cross (PSuL4/PL4; later PSuL5/PL5)
• Order of the Redeemer (Greece), Officer's Cross (GE3)
• Red Eagle Order (Roter Adlerorden), 4th Class (RAO4) on 18 January 1883
• Order of Charles III (Spain), Commander 2nd Class (SC2b/SpCIII2b) on 14 August 1886
• Cross of Military Merit (Spain), White Decoration, 2nd Class (SMV2/SpMV2) on 12 April 1887
• Order of the Iron Crown (Austria), 2nd Class (ÖEK2) in 1887
• Austrian-Hungarian Imperial Order of Leopold, Commander (ÖL2)
• Prussian Order of the Crown (Preußischer Kronenorden), 3rd Class on 18 January 1891
• House Order of Hohenzollern, Knight's Cross (HOH3) on 6 September 1891
• Albrechts-Orden of Saxony, Commander 2nd Class (SA2b) in 1891
• Prussian Long Service Cross for 25 years (Königlich Preußisches Dienstauszeichnungskreuz; DA/PDK)
• Order of the White Falcon (Hausorden vom Weißen Falken), Commander's Cross (GSF2) in 1892
• Red Eagle Order, 3rd Class with the Bow and the Crown on 27 January 1893
• Württemberg Order of the Crown, Commander (WK2/WK2b) in 1893
• Order of the Crown of Italy, Grand Officer (JK2)
• Franz-Joseph-Orden, Commander with Star (ÖFJ2mSt/ÖFJ2a) in 1893
• Prussian Order of the Crown, 2nd Class on 19 September 1893
• Anniversary Oak Leaves (Jubiläums-Eichenlaub „25“ 1870/1895) to the Iron Cross 2nd Class
• Chinese Order of the Double Dragon, 2nd Class, 1st Grade (ChDDII.1/CDII.1)
• Red Eagle Order, 2nd Class with Oak Leaves and the Crown on 27 January 1897
• Prussian Centenary Medal 1897 (Zentenarmedaille) on 22 March 1897
• Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Commander (Kreuz der Komture) on 22 May 1898
• Star to his Prussian Order of the Crown 2nd Class on 27 January 1899
• Star of the Commander (Stern der Komture) of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern on 6 May 1900
• Baden Order of the Zähringer Lion, Grand Cross (BZ1) in 1900
• Order of Isabella the Catholic, Grand Cross (SJ1) on 25 June 1900
• Order of the Iron Crown (Austria), 1st Class (ÖEK1) in 1900
• Star to his Red Eagle Order 2nd Class with Oak Leaves and the Crown
• Prussian Order of the Crown, 1st Class on 19 September 1901
• Austrian Imperial Order of Leopold, 1st Class (ÖL1a)
• Order of the Crown of Italy, Grand Cross (JK1/ItKr1)
• Red Eagle Order, 1st Class with Oak Leaves and the Crown
• Belgian Order of Leopold, Grand Cordon (BelgL1/BL1) on 11 May 1905
• House Order of the Wendish Crown, Grand Cross with the Crown in Gold (MWK1b/MK1b) in 1905
• Commemorative Badge for the Silver Wedding Anniversary in 1906 (Erinnerungszeichen zur Silbernen Hochzeit 1906)
• Red Eagle Order, Grand Cross with Oak Leaves and the Crown
• Austrian Imperial Order of Leopold, Grand Cross (ÖL1) in 1908
• Knight of the Order of the Black Eagle on 27 January 1910

Writings

• Das Königs-Husaren-Regiment (1. Rheinisches) Nr. 7 von der Formation des Stammregiments bis zur Gegenwart
  • 1st Edition, Verlag Mittler, Berlin 1876
  • 2nd Edition, supplemented and continued by Hermann Karl Leopold Freiherr von Türcke, Verlag Mittler, Berlin 1904