Christian of the Palatinate-Zweibrücken (1752–1817)
Encyclopedia
Christian Graf von Forbach, then Christian Marquis de Deux-Ponts and later Christian Freiherr von Zweibrücken ( 1752 – 1817) was an officer of the French army
and later a general of the Royal Prussian
and then of the Bavarian Army
, at last in the rank of General der Infanterie
. He may not be confused with his nephew Christian Freiherr von Zweibrücken (aka Christian Graf von Forbach, 1782–1859), who was a Bavarian General of the Kavallerie.
and Maria Johanna Camasse Gräfin von Forbach. He was born in Zweibrücken
. The children, were unable to succeed to their father's Duchy due to the morganatic
nature of their parents' marriage at first, but were allowed to wear the name Freiherr von Zweibrücken in 1792.
Due to a former business agreement of Louis XV of France
and his father from March 1751, who promised to the French king to raise a battalion of infantry for France when and if needed, the Infantry Regiment "Royal Deux-Ponts"
(raised on 19, 1757) of two battalions to the French crown after the outbreak of the Seven Years' War
, when it was at first deployed in the Battle of Rossbach
. The commander of the regiment at this time was Christian von Forbach, and his brother Philippe Guillaume (later renamed to Wilhelm) was deputy commander. As part of De Rochambeau's expedition corps he led the "Royal Deux-Ponts" during the American Revolutionary War
, where the regiment proved in the Battle of Yorktown
, also called the "German Battle", on October 4, 1781. In 1783 he married Adélaïde-Françoise de Béthune-Pologne (1761–1823). The couple had three daughters. The first of them Maria Amalia Charlotte Auguste died in her year of birth 1784. The others were Maria Amalia Charlotte Franziska Auguste Eleonore (1786–1839) and Kasimira Maria Louise Antoinette (1787–1846).
Because of the French Revolution
, he left the French forces in the rank of a Colonel
, meanwhile titled Freiherr von Zweibrücken, and was taken over by the Prussian Army in the rank of a Major General
, where he took part in the campaigns against France during 1794 and 1797.
In the end of the century he was taken over on his request by the Bavarian Army, where he became Lieutenant General
and provincial commander of the Palatinate region. In spring of 1800 he became commander of a division, merged from the brigades of Von Deroy
and Von Wrede
, and fought under the Austrian Feldzeugmeister Kray and under Archduke John of Austria against France for the British crown.
In 1808 he became Geheimer Rat, and in January 1811 he was promoted to the rank of General der Infanterie. Obviously Von Zweibrücken had also plans to replace Von Montgelas
by his son-in-law Graf Karl Ernst von Gravenreuth
(1771–1826), who was married to his daughter Kasimira. He died in Munich, where he and is brother Wilhelm are buried in the Old Southern Cemetery
.
In the European Rosegarden in Zweibrücken a memiorial remembers him and his brother.
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
and later a general of the Royal Prussian
Prussian Army
The Royal Prussian Army was the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power.The Prussian Army had its roots in the meager mercenary forces of Brandenburg during the Thirty Years' War...
and then of the Bavarian Army
Bavarian army
The Bavarian Army was the army of the Electorate and then Kingdom of Bavaria. It existed from 1682 as the standing army of Bavaria until the merger of the military sovereignty of Bavaria into that of the German State in 1919...
, at last in the rank of General der Infanterie
General of the Infantry (Germany)
General of the Infantry is a rank of general in the Imperial Army, Reichswehr or Wehrmacht - the second-highest regular rank. The same rank spread to the Imperial Russian Army and the Defence forces of Finland between the world wars...
. He may not be confused with his nephew Christian Freiherr von Zweibrücken (aka Christian Graf von Forbach, 1782–1859), who was a Bavarian General of the Kavallerie.
Biography
Christian von Zweibrücken, was the first of six children of Christian IV Herzog von Pfalz-ZweibrückenChristian IV, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken
Christian IV, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld was Duke of Zweibrücken from 1735 to 1775. He was the son of Christian III, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken and Caroline of Nassau-Saarbrücken.In 1751 he married, morganatically, Maria Johanna Camasse...
and Maria Johanna Camasse Gräfin von Forbach. He was born in Zweibrücken
Zweibrücken
Zweibrücken is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Schwarzbach river.- Name :Zweibrücken appears in Latin texts as Geminus Pons and Bipontum, in French texts as Deux-Ponts. The name derives from Middle High German Zweinbrücken...
. The children, were unable to succeed to their father's Duchy due to the morganatic
Morganatic marriage
In the context of European royalty, a morganatic marriage is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which prevents the passage of the husband's titles and privileges to the wife and any children born of the marriage...
nature of their parents' marriage at first, but were allowed to wear the name Freiherr von Zweibrücken in 1792.
Due to a former business agreement of Louis XV of France
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
and his father from March 1751, who promised to the French king to raise a battalion of infantry for France when and if needed, the Infantry Regiment "Royal Deux-Ponts"
Royal Deux-Ponts Regiment
The Régiment Royal Deux-Ponts, was a German-French infantry regiment created under the Ancien Regime in 1757.The regiment was raised on April 1 1757 by the duc de Deux-Ponts in his estates as well as in Alsatian bailiwicks. This family owned the Petite-Pierre county, the bailiwicks of Bischwiller,...
(raised on 19, 1757) of two battalions to the French crown after the outbreak of the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
, when it was at first deployed in the Battle of Rossbach
Battle of Rossbach
The Battle of Rossbach took place during the Seven Years' War near the village of Roßbach, in the Electorate of Saxony. Frederick the Great defeated the allied armies of France and the Holy Roman/Austrian Empire...
. The commander of the regiment at this time was Christian von Forbach, and his brother Philippe Guillaume (later renamed to Wilhelm) was deputy commander. As part of De Rochambeau's expedition corps he led the "Royal Deux-Ponts" during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, where the regiment proved in the Battle of Yorktown
Siege of Yorktown
The Siege of Yorktown, Battle of Yorktown, or Surrender of Yorktown in 1781 was a decisive victory by a combined assault of American forces led by General George Washington and French forces led by the Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded by Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis...
, also called the "German Battle", on October 4, 1781. In 1783 he married Adélaïde-Françoise de Béthune-Pologne (1761–1823). The couple had three daughters. The first of them Maria Amalia Charlotte Auguste died in her year of birth 1784. The others were Maria Amalia Charlotte Franziska Auguste Eleonore (1786–1839) and Kasimira Maria Louise Antoinette (1787–1846).
Because of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, he left the French forces in the rank of a Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
, meanwhile titled Freiherr von Zweibrücken, and was taken over by the Prussian Army in the rank of a Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
, where he took part in the campaigns against France during 1794 and 1797.
In the end of the century he was taken over on his request by the Bavarian Army, where he became Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
and provincial commander of the Palatinate region. In spring of 1800 he became commander of a division, merged from the brigades of Von Deroy
Bernhard Erasmus von Deroy
Bernhard Erasmus von Deroy became a noted general officer in the army of Bavaria. His military career began shortly after the start of the Seven Years War...
and Von Wrede
Karl Philipp von Wrede
Karl Philipp Josef Wrede, Freiherr von Wrede, 1st Fürst von Wrede , Bavarian field-marshal, was born at Heidelberg, the youngest of three children of Ferdinand Josef Wrede , created in 1791 1st Freiherr von Wrede, and wife, married on 21 March 1746, Anna Katharina Jünger , by whom he had two more...
, and fought under the Austrian Feldzeugmeister Kray and under Archduke John of Austria against France for the British crown.
In 1808 he became Geheimer Rat, and in January 1811 he was promoted to the rank of General der Infanterie. Obviously Von Zweibrücken had also plans to replace Von Montgelas
Maximilian von Montgelas
Maximilian Josef Garnerin, Count von Montgelas was a Bavarian statesman, from a noble family in Savoy. His father John Sigmund Garnerin, Baron Montgelas, entered the military service of Maximilian III, Elector of Bavaria, and married the Countess Ursula von Trauner...
by his son-in-law Graf Karl Ernst von Gravenreuth
Gravenreuth
Gravenreuth was a German local noble family.The familys origin seat was located in Grafenreuth, now part of Thiersheim in the District of Wunsiedel in Upper Franconia, first mentioned in 1180. Up to the 18th century, the family, supplied with the title Freiherren, was the owner of nearby land and...
(1771–1826), who was married to his daughter Kasimira. He died in Munich, where he and is brother Wilhelm are buried in the Old Southern Cemetery
Alter Südfriedhof
The Alter Südfriedhof is a cemetery in Munich, Germany. It was founded by Duke Albrecht V as a plague cemetery in 1563 about half a kilometer south of the Sendlinger Gate between Thalkirchner and Pestalozzistraße.-History:...
.
In the European Rosegarden in Zweibrücken a memiorial remembers him and his brother.
Awards
- Cincinnati OrderSociety of the CincinnatiThe Society of the Cincinnati is a historical organization with branches in the United States and France founded in 1783 to preserve the ideals and fellowship of the American Revolutionary War officers and to pressure the government to honor pledges it had made to officers who fought for American...
- Kurpfalz-bayerisches Militär-Ehrenzeichen, March 1801 (predecessor of the Military Order of Max JosephMilitary Order of Max JosephThe Military Order of Max Joseph was the highest purely military order of the Kingdom of Bavaria. It was founded on 1 January 1806 by Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, the first king of Bavaria...
) - Grand CrossGrand CrossThe phrase Grand Cross is used to denote the highest grade in many orders of knighthood. Sometimes the holders of the highest grade are referred to "knights grand cross" or just "grand crosses"; in other cases the actual insignia itself is called "the grand cross".Alternatively, in some other...
of the Military Order of Max Joseph, March 1806