Rutger von Ascheberg

Count Rutger von Ascheberg (2 June 1621 – 17 April 1693), also known as Roger von Ascheberg was a

Ascheberg was born on the estate Berbonen (Perbohnen) in Courland (today part of Latvia) on 2 June 1621. He was of an old Westphalian family that had emigrated to Courland in the 16th century. His parents were Wilhelm von Ascheberg and Margaretha von der Osten.^[1]

Thirty Years' War

At the age of 13, he served as a page for Colonel Brink of the Swedish army, who was fighting in the Thirty Years' War in Germany. He was present at a number of major battles, including the Battle of Nördlingen in 1634.^[2]

In 1639, he left the army for studies in

After the peace was settled in 1648, Ascheberg remained in Germany. He held a position as bailiff from 1651–1655. In 1655, he was offered a position as lieutenant colonel and command of a regiment within the Swedish army, which was preparing for war against the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.^[2]

Second Northern War (1655–1660)

The war, known as the Second Northern War, initially took place in Poland-Lithuania. Ascheberg proved to be successful during the campaign. In March 1656. after capturing the city of Jarosław, Ascheberg was promoted to colonel. In July of the same year, he fought at the Battle of Warsaw. He commanded the Swedish forces in the Battle of Chojnice (Konitz), in which he was highly successful according to some sources. As a token of his appreciation, Swedish king Charles X Gustav gave Ascheberg a rapier he had used in battle. He also received valuable jewellery and an estate in Prussia.^[2]

Denmark attacked Sweden's German possessions in 1657; this led to the Swedish army, including the forces under Ascheberg, leaving Poland to instead engage the Danish forces, who were seen as the more immediate threat.

In the Scanian War, Ascheberg was first responsible for the defence of Bohuslän against attacks from Norway.^[2] His force won a battle close to Kviström.^[3] He left Bohuslän for Scania and acted as commander in a number of battles, often alongside king Charles XI.^[2] He distinguished himself at the Battle of Halmstad in August 1676, where he was wounded in the arm. After recovering in Gothenburg, he joined the army in Scania in time to play a significant part in the largest battle of the war, the Battle of Lund in December.^[3] He contributed actively to the Swedish victory in the Battle of Landskrona in 1677, after which he was appointed Lieutenant Field Marshal.^[2] Before the war ended, he had received highest command of the Swedish army in Scania.^[3] In November 1678, after the hostilities had practically ended but before a peace treaty had been negotiated, Ascheberg was handed the highest position within the Swedish army: Field Marshal.^[2]

Governor-General and Count

After the Scanian war had ended in December 1679, Ascheberg was appointed

King Charles XI, who rose to the throne as a four-year-old when his father king Charles X Gustav died in 1660, saw Ascheberg as his military master.[5] In a letter to Ascheberg, written 1680, Charles XI acknowledged that "...the little that I have learnt in this war, I have got Herr Field Marshal to thank for, and for as long as I live, I will acknowledge that".^[2]

Death

Ascheberg died in Gothenburg on 17 April 1693. He was buried in German Church (Tyska kyrkan), also known as Kristine Church, Gothenburg, on 26 August 1694. King Charles XI attended the funeral.^[2]

Among the manors and estates that Ascheberg owned at the time of his death were Kastellegården, Gullmarsberg, Holma, Torreby, Stenungsön and Ström, in Bohuslän, as well as Sövdeborg, Agerup and Tosterup in Scania.^[1]

Marriage and children

In 1650, Ascheberg married Maria Eleonora von Bussech (1632–1690), a member of a noble family from

• George Fredrik von Ascheberg (1651 - 1677)
• Margareta Sabina von Ascheberg (1652 - 1738)
• Ludvig Volrath von Ascheberg (1654 - 1677)
• Anna Elisabeth von Ascheberg (1656 - 1686)
• Karl Gustaf von Ascheberg (1659 - 1660), died in infancy
• Rutger von Ascheberg (1660 - 1660), died in infancy
• Gustaf Adolf von Ascheberg (1661 - 1692)
• Kristian Ludvig von Ascheberg (1662 - 1722)
• Eleonora Elisabet von Ascheberg (1663–1737). She was born on 13 September 1663. On 14 September 1679, she married David Makeléer, and she died on 13 November 1737.
• Sofia Lovisa von Ascheberg (1664–1720), who married Hans Wachtmeister
• Otto Vilhelm von Ascheberg (1665–1687)
• Margareta von Ascheberg (1671–1753), who married Kjell Kristoffer Barnekow (1663–1700) on 26 January 1691
• 13 other children who were stillborn or died shortly after birth

Legacy

A major street (Aschebergsgatan) is named in his honor in the city of Gothenburg.^[7]

Notes

References

Citations