Karl von Helmschwerdt
| Karl von Helmschwerdt | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Family coat of arms | |
| Birth name | Carl Wilhelm Friedrich Hugo Rüppel von Helmschwerd(t) |
| Birth date | 8 April 1823 |
| Place of birth | Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, German Confederation |
| Death date | 19 January 1901 (aged 77) |
| Place of death | Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire |
| Allegiance | _of_Hesse-Kassel.png){kind=small} Electorate of Hesse German Confederation Kingdom of Prussia German Empire
|
| Service/branch | .jpg){kind=small} Hesse-Kassel Army.png){kind=small} Prussian Army
|
| Years of service | 1843–1875 |
| Rank | Rittmeister (Hesse-Kassel) Colonel (Prussia) |
| Battles/wars | Brothers War 1866 German-Franco War |
| Awards | Iron Cross Red Eagle Order |
Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Hugo (Rüppel) von Helmschwerdt (also Carl and Helmschwerd; 8 April 1823 – 19 January 1901) was a German officer, finally Oberst (Colonel) of the Prussian Army.
Contents
Life
Hesse
Young Karl attended school and was accepted to the Cadet School in Kassel in 1839. He joined the elite Garde du Corps on 27 June 1843 as an officer cadet. He was commissioned in 1843 in the 2. Dragoner-Regiment. In 1845/46, the dragoons were converted into two hussar regiments. Helmschwerdt became a 1st Lieutenant in 1851 serving with the 1. Husaren Regiment. In 1855, after his promotion to Rittmeister, he was appointed commander of the 2nd Squadron (Eskadron)/1. Husaren Regiment. As such, he took part in the Brothers War of 1866 within the German Federal Army against Prussia.
Prussia
After the Electorate of Hesse was annexed by Prussia with the law of 20 September 1866 (known as Province of Hesse-Nassau since 1868) and also became a member of the North German Confederation, Rittmeister von Helmschwerdt was taken over by the Prussian Army. He was now commander of the 2nd Squadron (Eskadron)/Husaren-Regiment „König Humbert von Italien“ (1. Kurhessisches) Nr. 13.
Since 1867 Major, he was transferred to the staff of the Dragoner-Regiment „König Albert von Sachsen“ (Ostpreußisches) Nr. 10. As such, he took part in the German-Franco War, where he earned the Iron Cross.
On 26 September 1871, Major von Helmschwerdt was named leader of Magdeburgisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 6 in Schmiedeberg and then commander only months later after his promotion to Lieutenant Colonel in January 1872. In 1875, he retired with the statutory pension and the right to wear the uniform of the dragoon regiment. On 15 June 1875, Lieutenant Colonel (later Major General) Ernst Friedrich Benno von Studnitz (1830–1916), grandfather of Rear Admiral Ernst Benno von Studnitz, took over the regiment.
Family
Carl/Karl was the son of officer Wilhelm Burghard(t) Rüppel (1791–1860; another source states he died in 1867), who had, although having to fight for Napoleon, stayed true to Elector Wilhelm I (1743–1821) during the Wars of Liberation (fought in Spain in 1810, was wounded during the Battle of Borodino in 1812) and was therefore ennobled as "(Rüppel) von Helmschwerd(t)" on 26 May 1818 receiving the estates (Rittergüter) Holzheim and Schrecksbach. His mother was Wilhelmine Caroline Friederike Rüppel.
Karl's grandfather was Burghard Wilhelm Rüppel(l), Real Privy Council in Kassel. Karls father served with the Garde-Husaren-Regiment and Garde du Corps,[1] was appointed Flügeladjutant in 1824 and Generaladjutant in 1839. Major General since 1845, Chief of the General Staff from 1848 to 1853, commander of the Cavalry Brigade[2] and Lieutenant General in 1858. He was also a freemason, member of the St. Johannis-Freimaurer-Loge "Zur Eintracht und Standhaftigkeit" im Orient von Cassel.
He had several siblings, his older sister Wilhelmina Bertha Elise Therese Emma (1817–1842) married officer Ferdinand Alexander Ludwig von Meyerfeld (1808–1882; last Minister of War of the Electorate of Hesse). She died shortly after giving birth to son and later Rittmeister Wilhelm August Burghard (1842–1875).
Promotions
Hessian Army
- 27 June 1843 Portepee-Fähnrich (Officer Cadet)
- 14 August 1843 Second-Lieutenant (2nd Lieutenant)
- 20 August 1851 Premier-Lieutenent (1st Lieutenant)
- 30 December 1855 Rittmeister[3]
Prussian Army
- 17 January 1867 Major[4]
- 18 January 1872 Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel)
- 19 September 1874 Oberst (Colonel)
Awards and decorations
- Prussian Long Service Cross for 25 years (Königlich Preußisches Dienstauszeichnungskreuz)
- Iron Cross (1870), 2nd Class[5]
- War Commemorative Medal of 1870–1871 (Kaiserliche Kriegsdenkmünze 1870/71; KD70/71) in Bronze
- Red Eagle Order (Roter Adlerorden), 4th Class (PRAO4/PrA4)
- Anniversary Oak Leaves (Jubiläums-Eichenlaub „25“ 1870/1895) to his Iron Cross (1870), 2nd Class
References
- ↑ Kurhessisches Staats und Addreß-Handbuch, 1824, p. 51
- ↑ Gothaisches genealogisches Taschenbuch nebst diplomatisch-statistischem Jahrbuch, 1854, p. 436
- ↑ Stamm- und Rang-Liste des Kurfürstlich Hessischen Armee-Corps vom 16ten Jahrhundert bis 1866, 1866, p. 178
- ↑ Königlich Preußischer Staats-Anzeiger, 1867, p. 346
- ↑ Königlich Preußische Ordens-Liste, 1877, part 3, p. 392
