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Friedrich Graf von Wrangel
Friedrich Graf von Wrangel
	Photo of Friedrich von Wrangel, 1877
Nickname(s)	Papa Wrangel
Born	13 April 1784; Stettin, Kingdom of Prussia (now Szczecin, Poland)
Died	2 November 1877 (aged 93); Berlin, German Empire
Allegiance	Kingdom of Prussia; German Confederation
Service / branch	Prussian Army
Years of service	1796–1864
Rank	Field Marshal
Battles / wars	Napoleonic Wars; First Schleswig War; Second Schleswig War
Awards	Pour le Mérite; Iron Cross
Signature

Friedrich Heinrich Ernst Graf^[1] von Wrangel (13 April 1784 – 2 November 1877) was a Generalfeldmarschall of the Prussian Army.

A Baltic German, he was nicknamed "Papa Wrangel" and was a member of the Baltic noble family of Wrangel.

Early life and career

Wrangel was born in Stettin (now Szczecin, Poland) in Pomerania into the Wrangel family. He was actually a relative uncle to the world-famous explorer Ferdinand von Wrangel. He entered a dragoon regiment in 1796 and became second lieutenant in 1798. He fought as a subaltern during the Napoleonic Wars, distinguishing himself especially at Heilsberg in 1807 and receiving the order Pour le Mérite. In the reorganization of the army, Wrangel became first lieutenant and then captain; won distinction and promotion to lieutenant-colonel in the War of Liberation in 1813; won the Iron Cross at Wachau, near Leipzig; and became colonel in 1815.^[2]

Wrangel commanded a cavalry brigade in 1821, and two years later, he was promoted to major-general. He commanded the 13th Division, with headquarters at Münster, in Westphalia, in 1834 during riots caused by differences between the Archbishop of Cologne and the Crown, and the determination and the resolution with which he treated the clerical party prevented serious trouble. He was promoted to lieutenant-general, received many honours from the court, enjoyed the confidence of the Junkers and commanded at Königsberg and then Stettin.^[2]

First Schleswig War

In 1848, Wrangel commanded the II Corps of the army of the German Confederation during the First Schleswig War, was promoted to General of Cavalry and won several battles. However, the other European powers pressured Prussia to withdraw its forces, and King Frederick William IV accordingly ordered Wrangel to withdraw his troops from the duchies. Wrangel refused by asserting that he was under the command of not the king of Prussia but the regent of Germany. He proposed that at the very least, any treaty concluded should be presented for ratification to the Frankfurt Parliament, which was dominated by the liberals, which gave Liberals the rather mistaken idea that Wrangel was on their side. However, the Danes rejected that proposal, and negotiations were broken off, and after painful hesitation, Prussia signed a convention at Malmö that yielded to practically all of the Danish demands on 26 August 1848.^{[citation needed]}

German Revolutions

Wrangel's insubordination was not counted against him when, in the autumn, he was summoned to Berlin to suppress its riots during the German revolutions of 1848–49. As governor of Berlin and commander-in-chief of Brandenburg (appointments that he held until his death), he proclaimed a state of siege and ejected the Liberal president and the members of the Chamber. Thus, on two occasions in the troubled history of Prussia's revival, Wrangel's uncompromising sternness achieved its object without bloodshed.^[2]

Second Schleswig War

From then on, Wrangel was most prominent in connection with the revival of the Prussian cavalry from the neglect and inefficiency into which it had fallen during the years of peace and poverty since 1815. In 1856, after 60 years of service, he was made a field marshal. At the age of 80, he commanded the Austro-Prussian army in the Second Schleswig War with Denmark in 1864. Wrangel was too old for active work and often issued vague or impracticable orders; he had always desired the young "Red Prince", Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia, to have the command.^[2] However, the prestige of Wrangel's name and the leadership of Frederick Charles, Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, Eduard Vogel von Falckenstein and Ludwig von Gablenz made the campaign an overwhelming success.

Later life

After the Battle of Dybbøl, Wrangel resigned his command, was created a Graf (count), and received other honours. In 1866, "Papa" Wrangel assisted in the Austro-Prussian War but without a command on account of his great age. He took a keen interest in the second reorganisation of the cavalry army in 1866 to 1870, and in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 to 1871.^[2] He died in Berlin in 1877.

Legacy

On the 70th anniversary of his joining the army, Wrangel's regiment, the 3rd Cuirassiers, was given the title Graf Wrangel.^[2] A noteworthy Commander of this regiment was the Swedish Count Gilbert Hamilton who led the regiment during World War I.

Honours

He received the following orders and decorations:^[3]

Prussia:
- Pour le Mérite, 18 July 1807; with Oak Leaves, 13 September 1848; with Crown, 13 January 1857^[4]
- Iron Cross (1813), 1st Class, 8 December 1813^[5]
- Knight of the Red Eagle, 1st Class with Oak Leaves in Diamonds, 1846; with Swords, 1848; Grand Cross, 13 April 1865^[5]
- Knight of the Black Eagle, with Collar, 18 October 1849; Chancellor, 1859; in Diamonds, 1861^[5]
- Grand Commander's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, 1851; with Star, 17 March 1863; with Swords, 1864; in Diamonds, 1871^[5]
- Captain of the Johanniter Order, 1854^[5]
- Knight of the Royal Crown Order, 1st Class with Swords, Oak Leaves and Enamel Band of the Red Eagle, 15 August 1866^[5]
- Military Service Award, 1st Class
Ascanian duchies: Grand Cross of the Order of Albert the Bear, 31 January 1855; with Swords, 5 December 1864^[6]
Austria:^[7]
- Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of Leopold, 1851
- Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, 1852
- Commander of the Military Order of Maria Theresa, 1864
Baden: Grand Cross of the Military Karl-Friedrich Merit Order, 1850^[8]
Bavaria: Grand Cross of Merit of the Bavarian Crown, 1853^[9]
Belgium: Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold, 10 May 1853^[10]
Brunswick: Grand Cross of the Order of Henry the Lion
Denmark: Grand Cross of the Dannebrog, 6 November 1843^[11]
Ernestine duchies: Grand Cross of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order, 1853^[12]
Hanover: Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order, 1843^[13]
Mecklenburg:
- Grand Cross of the Wendish Crown, with Crown in Diamonds
- Military Merit Cross, 1st Class (Schwerin)
Oldenburg: Grand Cross of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig, with Golden Crown, 30 September 1848^[14]
Parma: Grand Cross of St. Louis for Civil Merit, 1850^[15]
Russia:
- Knight of St. Vladimir, 4th Class with Swords, 25 October 1808^[16]
- Knight of St. Andrew, 30 September 1856; in Diamonds, 12 January 1860
Sweden-Norway: Knight of the Seraphim, 11 August 1859^[17]

References

^ Regarding personal names: Graf was a title before 1919, but now is regarded as part of the surname. It is translated as Count. Before the August 1919 abolition of nobility as a legal class, titles preceded the full name when given (Graf Helmuth James von Moltke). Since 1919, these titles, along with any nobiliary prefix (von, zu, etc.), can be used, but are regarded as a dependent part of the surname, and thus come after any given names (Helmuth James Graf von Moltke). Titles and all dependent parts of surnames are ignored in alphabetical sorting. The feminine form is Gräfin.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Wrangel, Friedrich Heinrich Ernst, Count von". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 838.
^ Handbuch über den Königlich Preussischen Hof und Staat. 1876. p. 65.
^ Lehmann, Gustaf (1913). Die Ritter des Ordens pour le mérite 1740–1811 [The Knights of the Order of the Pour le Mérite] (in German). Vol. 1. Berlin: Ernst Siegfried Mittler & Sohn. p. 520.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Königlich Preussische Ordensliste", Preussische Ordens-Liste (in German), 1, Berlin: 10, 15, 32, 576, 911, 921, 964, 1877 – via hathitrust.org
^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Herzogtum Anhalt (1867) "Herzoglicher Haus-orden Albrecht des Bären" p. 20
^ "Ritter-Orden", Hof- und Staatshandbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie, 1877, pp. 59, 62, 68, 71, retrieved 14 January 2021
^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden (1862), "Großherzogliche Orden" p. 37
^ Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Königreichs Bayern: 1864. Landesamt. 1864. p. 29.
^ "Liste des Membres de l'Ordre de Léopold", Almanach Royal Officiel (in French), 1854, p. 79 – via Archives de Bruxelles
^ Bille-Hansen, A. C.; Holck, Harald, eds. (1876) [1st pub.:1801]. Statshaandbog for Kongeriget Danmark for Aaret 1876 [State Manual of the Kingdom of Denmark for the Year 1876] (PDF). Kongelig Dansk Hof- og Statskalender (in Danish). Copenhagen: J.H. Schultz A.-S. Universitetsbogtrykkeri. p. 6. Retrieved 14 January 2021 – via da:DIS Danmark.
^ Staatshandbücher für das Herzogtums Sachsen-Coburg and Gotha (1865), "Herzogliche Sachsen-Ernestinischer Hausorden" p. 23
^ Staat Hannover (1865). Hof- und Staatshandbuch für das Königreich Hannover: 1865. Berenberg. p. 76.
^ Staat Oldenburg (1876). Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Großherzogtums Oldenburg: für ... 1876. Schulze. p. 33.
^ Almanacco di corte. 1858. p. 318.
^ Almanach de la cour: pour l'année ... 1817. l'Académie Imp. des Sciences. 1817. p. 243.
^ Sveriges och Norges Statskalender (in Swedish), 1864, p. 422, retrieved 2019-02-20 – via runeberg.org