Walter von Loë
Imperial German Army | |
---|---|
Years of service | 1845–1897 |
Rank | Generalfeldmarshall |
Battles/wars | First Schleswig War Austro-Prussian War Franco-Prussian War |
Awards | Order of the Black Eagle Iron Cross |
Friedrich Karl Walter Degenhard Freiherr
Biography
Walter was born on 9 September 1828 in
Military career
In his youth, Loë was educated at the Ritterakademie in
In 1851, the war with Denmark concluded with an agreement, the 1852
Returning to Prussia, Loë was transferred to the army's Grand Headquarters, seeing action in the Battle of Königgrätz. He was promoted firstly to lieutenant colonel (1867) and then to full colonel (1868), and commanded the Seventh Hussars during the Franco-Prussian War, after which Germany was unified under William, now Emperor of the entire German nation. Loë's forces performed satisfactorily during the war, and he advanced to the level of brigade commander. Serving in both command and staff roles, Loë—having succeeded to his father's title of baron—rose to major general and then to lieutenant general. He became the commander of the 5th Division in 1879, and served from 1880 to 1884 as Prussian adjutant general, after which he was given command of the VIII Army Corps.
In February 1893, Loë was sent to
Later life
In 1897, the field marshal retired from military service due to ill health, although he retained his positions as adjutant general and emissary. He was further appointed a member of the
Marriage and issue
On 24 May 1859, Loë married his distant cousin Countess Franziska von Nimptsch, née Hatzfeldt zu Trachenberg (1833–1922), who had three children of her own from a previous marriage. The couple had three children: Helene (1860–1902), and twins Margarethe (1866–1943) and Hubert (1866–1897).[1][3]
Catholic faith
Loë's promotion to field marshal was exceptional in that this honour was rarely given to Catholics. Traditionally a Protestant state, Prussia allowed few Catholics to rise that high in rank. Despite his beliefs, Loë supported practices such as dueling, often embracing the traditions of Prussian Protestant officers.[4]
Loë's faith, as well as his connection to the House of Hatzfeldt, would also bring him into conflict with Imperial Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, who spearheaded the anti-Catholic Kulturkampf during the 1870s. Bismarck was among those involved in the affair between his son Herbert and Princess Elisabeth von Carolath-Beuthen, the latter of whom was Loë's sister-in-law.[5]
Honours and awards
- The Loestraße in Südstadt, Bonn, is named in his honour.
Orders and decorations
- Prussia:[6]
- Knight of the Red Eagle, 4th Class with Swords, 1862; 3rd Class with Bow, 1864; 2nd Class with Oak Leaves and Swords on Ring, 18 January 1875;[7] 1st Class with Enamel Band of the Royal Crown Order, 23 September 1884;[8] Grand Cross, 17 March 1888
- Knight's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, with Swords, 20 September 1866;[8] Grand Commander's Cross (50 years) with Star and Swords on Ring, 7 April 1897
- Service Award Cross
- Iron Cross (1870), 1st Class with 2nd Class on Black Band[9]
- Knight of the Royal Crown Order, 2nd Class with Star, 20 September 1876;[7] 1st Class, 22 March 1883[8]
- Knight of the Black Eagle, 20 September 1890; with Collar, 17 January 1891[10]
- Knight of Merit of the Prussian Crown, 18 January 1901
- Hohenzollern: Cross of Honour of the Princely House Order of Hohenzollern, 1st Class[6]
- Hanover: Royal Guelphic Order, 4th Class, 1857[11]
- Russia:[6]
- Knight of St. Anna, 2nd Class in Diamonds, with Swords and Crown, 21 December 1862; 1st Class
- Knight of St. Vladimir, 4th Class
- France: Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour, 10 September 1864[6]
- Ottoman Empire: Order of Osmanieh, 3rd Class[6]
- Bavaria: Grand Cross of the Military Merit Order[6]
- Belgium: Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold, 14 March 1874;[12] Grand Cordon (military)[6]
- Sweden-Norway: Commander Grand Cross of the Sword, 7 July 1874[13]
- Austria-Hungary:[14]
- Grand Cross of the Order of Franz Joseph, 1877
- Knight of the Iron Crown, 1st Class, 1881
- Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, 1893; in Brilliants, 1899
- Ernestine duchies: Grand Cross of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order, 1881[15]
- Spain: Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III, 3 December 1883[16]
- Grand Duchy of Hesse: Grand Cross of the Ludwig Order, 15 November 1890[17]
- Luxembourg: Knight of the Gold Lion of Nassau[6]
- Netherlands: Grand Cross of the Netherlands Lion[6]
- Persia: Order of the Lion and the Sun, 1st Class[6]
- Italy: Grand Cross of the Crown of Italy[6]
- Holy See: Knight of the Supreme Order of Christ, February 1893 – during his diplomatic visit to the Vatican[6]
- Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach: Grand Cross of the White Falcon, 1893[18]
- Saxony: Knight of the Rue Crown, 1895[19]
- Württemberg: Grand Cross of the Württemberg Crown, 1895[20]
- Baden: Knight of the House Order of Fidelity, 14 April 1897[21]
Military appointments
- À la suite of the 7th (1st Rhenish) Hussars "King William I"[6]
Honorary citizenships and doctorates
- Honorary Citizen of the City of Bonn, 1897[22]
- Honorary Doctorate from the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms University, 8 July 1908
Notes
References
- ^ a b c Leo van de Pas. "Descendants of Freiherr Degenhart Bertram Adolph von Loë". worldroots.com. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
- ^ a b c "Friedrich Karl Walter Degenhard Freiherr von Loë". the Prussian Machine. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
- ^ Schlözer, Leopold von (1914), Generalfeldmarschall Freiherr von Loe. Ein militärisches Zeit- und Lebensbild (in German), Stuttgart, p. 293
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Frevert, Ute (1991), Ehrenmänner. Das Duell in der bürgerlichen Gesellschaft (in German), Munich, p. 111
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ von Bülow, Bernhard (1931). Denkwürdigkeiten (in German). Vol. 4. Berlin. p. 252.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Militärisches Gefolge Seiner Majestät des Kaisers und Königs", Handbuch über den Königlich Preußischen Hof und Staat für das Jahr 1908 (in German), Berlin: In Kommission bei R. v. Decker's Verlag, 1907, p. 40 – via archive.org
- ^ a b Königlich Preussische Ordensliste (in German), vol. 1, Berlin: Gedruckt in der Reichsdruckerei, 1877, pp. 110, 593 – via hathitrust.org
- ^ a b c Königlich Preussische Ordensliste (in German), vol. 1, Berlin: Gedruckt in der Reichsdruckerei, 1886, pp. 42, 559, 944 – via hathitrust.org
- ^ "Eisernes Kreuz von 1870", Königlich Preussische Ordensliste (in German), vol. 3, Berlin: Gedruckt in der Reichsdruckerei, 1877, p. 26 – via hathitrust.org
- ^ "Schwarzer Adler-orden", Königlich Preussische Ordensliste (supp.) (in German), vol. 1, Berlin: Gedruckt in der Reichsdruckerei, 1886, p. 5 – via hathitrust.org
- ^ Staat Hannover (1865). Hof- und Staatshandbuch für das Königreich Hannover: 1865. Berenberg. p. 109.
- ^ Belgien (1875). Almanach royal officiel: 1875. p. 55.
- ^ Sveriges statskalender (in Swedish), Stockholm, 1877, p. 372, retrieved 2018-01-06 – via runeberg.org
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "Ritter-Orden", Hof- und Staatshandbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie, 1908, pp. 58, 99, 163, retrieved 3 September 2021
- ^ "Herzogliche Sachsen-Ernestinischer Hausorden", Staatshandbücher für das Herzogtums Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha, 1884, p. 36 – via zs.thulb.uni-jena.de
- ^ "Real y distinguida orden de Carlos III", Guía Oficial de España (in Spanish), 1907, p. 153, retrieved 3 September 2021
- ^ "Ludewigs-orden", Großherzoglich Hessische Ordensliste (in German), Darmstadt: Staatsverlag, 1907, p. 12 – via hathitrust.org
- ^ "Großherzogliche Hausorden", Staatshandbuch ... Großherzogtum Sachsen / Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach (in German), Weimar: Böhlau, 1900, p. 43 – via zs.thulb.uni-jena.de
- ^ Sachsen (1901). "Königlich Orden". Staatshandbuch für den Königreich Sachsen: 1901. Dresden: Heinrich. p. 6 – via hathitrust.org.
- ^ "Königliche Orden", Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Württemberg, Stuttgart: Landesamt, 1907, p. 49
- ^ "Großherzogliche Orden", Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden (in German), Karlsruhe, 1902, p. 68
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "Ehrenbürger der Stadt Bonn". Archived from the original on 2010-12-03. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
Bibliography
- von Deines, Adolf (1876). Das Königs-Husaren-Regiment (1 Rheinisches) Nr. 7 von der Formation des Stammregiments bis zur Gegenwart (in German). Berlin: E. S. Mittler und Sohn.
- "Loë, Friedrich Karl Walter Degenhard, Freiherr von". Meyers Konversations-Lexikon (in German). 10 (4 ed.). Leipzig, Vienna: Verlag des Bibliographisches Institut: 866. 1885–1892.
- Stumpf, Reinhard (1987). Loë, Walter Freiherr. Vol. 15. Berlin: Duncker & Humblot. p. 14. )
- Schlözer, Leopold von (1914). Generalfeldmarschall Freiherr von Loe. Ein militärisches Zeit- und Lebensbild (in German). Stuttgart, Berlin: Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt.