Albrecht Graf von Roon
Prussian Minister of War

Albrecht Theodor Graf Emil von Roon (30 April 1803 – 23 February 1879) was a Prussian soldier and politician. Image File history File links Albrecht Graf von Roon. ... Image File history File links Albrecht Graf von Roon. ... April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (121st in leap years), with 245 days remaining, as the last day in April. ... 1803 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... February 23 is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1918 The word Prussia (Old Prussian: PrÅ«sa, German: Preußen, Polish: Prusy, Lithuanian: PrÅ«sai, Latin: Borussia) has had various (often contradictory) meanings: The land of the Baltic Prussians (in what is now parts of southern Lithuania, the Kaliningrad... A soldier is a person who has enlisted with, or has been conscripted into, the armed forces of a sovereign country and has undergone training and received equipment (such as a uniform and weapon) to defend that country or its interests. ... A politician is an individual involved in politics to the extent of holding or running for public office. ...

He was born at Pleushagen, near Colberg (Kołobrzeg), in Pomerania. His family was of Flemish origin, and was settled in Pomerania. His father, an officer of the Prussian army, died in poverty during the French occupation, and young von Roon was brought up, in a country ravaged in the War of Liberation and in straitened circumstances, by his maternal grandmother. KoÅ‚obrzeg (pronounce: [kÉ”wÉ”bʒεg] â–¶(?), Kashubian/Pomeranian: Kòłobrzeg, German: Kolberg) is a city in Middle Pomerania in north-western Poland with some 50,000 inhabitants (2000). ... Historic Pomerania (outlined in yellow) on the background of modern country borders. ...

Education and publications

He entered the corps of cadets at Culm (Chełmno) in 1816, from where in 1818 he proceeded to the military school at Berlin, and in January 1821 received a commission in the 14th (3rd Pomeranian) regiment quartered at Stargard in Pomerania. In 1824 he went through the three years higher course of study at the General War School in Berlin, where he improved his general education. In 1826 he was transferred to the 15th regiment at Minden, but in the same year was appointed an instructor in the military cadet school at Berlin, where he devoted himself especially to the subject of military geography. He published in 1832 the well-known Principles of Physical, National and Political Geography, in three volumes (Grundlage der Erd-, Volker- und Staaten-Kunde), which gained him a great reputation, and of which over 40,000 copies were sold in a few years. This work was followed in 1834 by Elements of Geography (Anfangsgrunde der Erdkunde), in 1837 by Military Geography of Europe (Militärische Landerbeschreibung von Europa), and in 1839 by The Iberian Peninsula (Die Iberische Halbinsel). A culm was originally a stem of any type of plant. ... CheÅ‚mno (-Polish, German: Kulm) is a town in northern Poland with 22,000 inhabitants (1995) and the historical capital of CheÅ‚mno Land. ... 1816 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1818 (MDCCCXVIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar. ... Berlin is the capital city and a single state of the Federal Republic of Germany. ... 1821 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1824 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The oldest surviving photograph, Nicéphore Niépce, circa 1826 1826 (MDCCCXXVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Minden is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... 1832 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1834 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... | Queen Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom (1837 - 1901) 1837 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1839 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

Wilhelm I
German Emperor

Download high resolution version (782x1090, 124 KB)public domain from http://www. ... Download high resolution version (782x1090, 124 KB)public domain from http://www. ...

Early military career

Meantime, in 1832, he rejoined his regiment, and was afterwards attached to the headquarters of General von Müffling's corps of observation at Krefeld, when he first became alive to the very inefficient state of the Prussian army. In 1833 he was appointed to the Topographical Bureau at Berlin, in 1835 he entered the General staff, and in the following year was promoted captain and became instructor and examiner in the military academy at Berlin. In 1842, after an illness of two years brought on by overwork, he was promoted to major and attached to the staff of the VII Corps, in which post he was again impressed with the inefficiency of the organization of the army, and occupied himself with schemes for its reform. Two years later, as tutor to Prince Frederick Charles, he attended him at Bonn University and in his European travels. In 1848 he was appointed chief of the staff of the VIII Corps at Koblenz. During the disturbances of that year he served under the Prince Wilhelm (afterwards German emperor) in the suppression of the insurrection at Baden, and distinguished himself by his energy and bravery, receiving the 3rd class of the order of the Red Eagle in recognition of his services. While attached to the Prince's staff at that time he broached to him the subject of his schemes of army reform. In 1850 came the revelation of defective organization and efficiency which led to the humiliating treaty of Olmütz. In the same year Roon was made a lieutenant-colonel, and in 1851 full colonel. Friedrich Karl Ferdinand Freiherr von Müffling, called Weiss (June 12, 1775 - January 10, 1851), Prussian generalfeldmarschall, entered the Prussian army in 1790. ... Krefeld is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... 1833 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... | Come and take it, slogan of the Texas Revolution 1835 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The German General Staff or Großer Generalstab was the most important German weapon for nearly two centuries. ... 1842 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Prince Friedrich Karl Nicholas of Prussia (20 March 1828-15 June 1885) was the son of Karl of Prussia (1801-1883) and his wife Marie Louise of Saxe-Weimar (1808-1877). ... The main building, viewed from the Hofgarten. ... 1848 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Koblenz (also Coblenz in pre-1926 German spellings; French Coblence; from ) is situated on the left bank of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck (German Corner) and its monument are situated. ... Wilhelm I of Germany (March 22, 1797 – March 9, 1888), German Emperor (Kaiser), ruled January 18, 1871 – 9 March 1888 and King of Prussia, ruled 2 January 1861 – 9 March 1888. ... For other uses, see Baden (disambiguation). ... 1850 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Punctation of Olmütz is a treaty between Prussia and Austria, dated November 29, 1850. ... 1851 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

His army reform: the “System”

Promoted to be major-general in 1856 and lieutenant-general in 1859, Roon had held since 1850 several commands and had been employed on important missions. Prince Wilhelm became regent in 1857, and in 1859 he appointed Roon a member of a commission to report on the reorganization of the army. Supported by Otto von Manteuffel and Helmuth von Moltke, Roon was able to get his plans seriously considered and generally adopted. His aim was to create an armed nation, to extend Scharnhorst's system and to adapt it to Prussia's altered circumstances. To attain this he proposed a universal three years' service, and a reserve (Landwehr) for the defence of the country when the army was actively engaged. During the Austro-Sardinian War he was charged with the mobilization of a division. At the end of 1859, though the junior lieutenant-general in the army, he succeeded Eduard von Bonin as war minister, and two years later the ministry of marine was also entrusted to him. His proposals of army reorganization met with strong opposition, and it was not until after long fighting against a hostile majority in the chambers that, with Otto von Bismarck's aid, he carried the day. Even the Danish campaign of 1864 did not wholly convince the country of the necessity of his measures, and it required the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 to convert obstinate opposition into enthusiastic support. 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1859 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Graf Moltke Helmuth Karl Bernhard von Moltke (October 26, 1800 - April 24, 1891), who became Helmuth, Graf von Moltke in 1870, was a famous Prussian Field Marshal. ... Gerhard Johann David von Scharnhorst (November 12, 1755 - June 28, 1813) was a general in Prussian service, Chief of the Prussian General Staff, noted for both his writings and his leadership during the Napoleonic Wars. ... The Landwehr was a type of militia found in 19th- and early 20th-century Europe. ... Major places of the Austro-Sardinian war 1859 Austro-Sardinian War was fought by Napoleon III of France and Kingdom of Sardinia against Austria in 1859. ... The Prussian War Ministry was gradually established between 1808 and 1809 as part of a series of reforms initiated by the Military Reorganization Commission created after the disastrous Treaty of Paris. ... For alternative meanings: See Bismarck (disambiguation). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... 1864 (MDCCCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... The Austro-Prussian War (also called the Seven Weeks War or the German Civil War) was a war fought between the Austrian Empire and Prussia in 1866 that resulted in Prussian dominance in Germany. ... 1866 (MDCCCLXVI) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ...

Roon, center, with Bismarck and Moltke.

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (720x794, 121 KB) Description: Otto von Bismarck, Roon and Moltke Source: Bismarck. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (720x794, 121 KB) Description: Otto von Bismarck, Roon and Moltke Source: Bismarck. ... For alternative meanings: See Bismarck (disambiguation). ... Graf Moltke Helmuth Karl Bernhard von Moltke (October 26, 1800 - April 24, 1891), who became Helmuth, Graf von Moltke in 1870, was a famous Prussian Field Marshal. ...

National hero

After that, Roon, from being the most-hated man in Prussia, became the most popular, and his reforms were ultimately copied throughout continental Europe. He was promoted general of infantry at the outbreak of the Austrian, was present at the decisive victory at Königgrätz, and received the Black Eagle at Nikolsburg on the road to Vienna. His system, adopted after 1866 by the whole North German Confederation, produced its result in the victorious Franco-Prussian War in 1870-71, throughout which Roon was in attendance on the German emperor. The fiftieth anniversary of his entrance into the army was celebrated at Versailles on January 19, 1871, when the emperor expressed his gratitude for the great services he had rendered. He was created a graf (count), and in December 1871, having resigned the ministries of war and marine, he succeeded Bismarck as president of the Prussian ministry. Ill-health compelled him to resign in the following year. He was promoted to be field marshal on January 1, 1873. He died at Berlin on the 23rd of February 1879. Combatants Prussia Austria Commanders Wilhelm I Helmuth von Moltke Ludwig von Benedek Strength 140,000troops in 3 Prussian Armies 90,000 Austrians and 25,000 Saxons Casualties 10,000 45,000 including 20,000 prisoners {{{notes}}} In the Battle of Königgrätz or Battle of Sadowa of July 3... Mikulov (German Nikolsburg) is a town in the Czech Republic, in South Moravian Region. ... Vienna (German: Wien [viːn]; Slovenian: Dunaj, Croatian and Serbian: Beč Romanian: Viena, Hungarian: Bécs, Czech: Vídeň, Slovak: Viedeň, Romany Vidnya, Russian: Вена) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... Flag of North German Confederation, 1867-1871 The North German Confederation (in German, Norddeutscher Bund), came into existence in 1867, following the dissolution of the German Confederation. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Versailles in 1789. ... January 19 is the 19th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1871 (MDCCCLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Note: This article is about the military usage of the word marshal. For other usages, see the end of this article. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1873 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calaber). ...

Notes

Note regarding personal names: Graf is a title (translated as Count), not a first or middle name. The female form is Gräfin. Graf is a German noble title equal in rank to a count (derived from the Latin Comes, with a history of its own) or a British earl (an Anglo-Saxon title derived from the Viking title Jarl). ... Look up Count in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Countess redirects here. ... Graf (from the Latin Grafio scribe from the Greek) is a German noble title equal in rank to a count (derived from the Latin Comes, with a history of its own) or a British earl (an original Anglo-Saxon title). ...

The Prussian War Ministry was gradually established between 1808 and 1809 as part of a series of reforms initiated by the Military Reorganization Commission created after the disastrous Treaty of Paris. ... For alternative meanings: See Bismarck (disambiguation). ... The Prime Minister (Ministerpräsident) of Prussia existed in one form or another from 1792 until the dissolution of Prussia in 1947. ... For alternative meanings: See Bismarck (disambiguation). ...

References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.