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Georg Wilhelm "William" Eduard Schmidt von[2] der Launitz (Born Launitz; Russian: Васи́лий Фёдорович Лауниц, tr. Vasíliy Fyodorovich Launits; 1802 – 26 October [O.S. 14] 1864) was a Baltic German general in the service of the Imperial Russian Army. Launitz was noted for being a strict and disciplined commander, and thanks to his effort, many of his troops’ living conditions were improved. Launitz also served as the first commander of the Kharkov Military District from August 1864 before dying from falling of his horse in October of the same year.
Wilhelm Schmidt von der Launitz | |
|---|---|
 General of the Cavalry Wilhelm Schmidt von der Launitz | |
 Commander of the Kharkov Military District | |
| In office 10 August [O.S. 29 July] 1864 – 26 October [O.S. 14] 1864 | |
| Monarch | Alexander II |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Sigizmund Merkhilevich |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Georg Wilhelm Eduard Launitz 9 August [O.S. 28 July] 1802 Grobin, Grobin County, Courland Governorate, Russian Empire (present-day Grobiņa, Grobiņa Municipality, Latvia) |
| Died | 26 October [O.S. 14] 1864 (aged 62) Kharkov, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire (present-day Kharkiv, Ukraine) |
| Spouse | Mathilde Luise Henriette von Budberg |
| Children | 5 children |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Russian Empire |
| Branch/service | Imperial Russian Army |
| Years of service | 1819–1864 |
| Rank |  General of the Cavalry |
| Commands | 10th Odessa Lancers Regiment Separate Corps of the Internal Guards Kharkov Military District (August–October 1864) |
| Battles/wars | November Uprising Hungarian Revolution of 1848 |
Biography
editOrigin
editGeorg Wilhelm Eduard von der Launitz was born on 9 August [O.S. 28 July] 1802 into the family of Christian Friedrich Launitz, a pastor in Grobin, and Dorothea Elizabeth Kolb, he was the brother of the sculptor Robert and nephew to another famous sculptor Eduard Schmidt von der Launitz. Little was known about the Launitz family’s (ru) history, the only known history was that first ever known ancestor was Jürgen Launitz, all what was known about him was that he was a landowner in Courland in the 16th Century.[3] The commoner family was recognized with Holy Roman nobility in 1802, but it was not until 1817 then the family adopted the title Schmidt von der Launitz.[4]
Family
editIn 1842, Launitz married Baroness Mathilde Luise Henriette von Budberg, they had 5 children including Michael, who was a hussar[5] like his father. All of his children were baptized in Lutheran churches, although Michael soon came under the influence of his Russian Orthodox wife and converted to Orthodoxy.[6][7]
Honours and awards
edit
Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class (1829)
Order of St. George, 4th class (11.12.1840)- Golden Weapon with the inscription "For Bravery" (1831)
Order of St. Stanislaus, 1st class
Order of St. Anna, 1st class- Order of St. Vladimir, 2nd class
Order of the White Eagle
Notes
editCitations
edit- ^ [1] Klingspor, Carl Arvid. Baltic coat of arms book, pp. 61
- ^ In German personal names, von is a preposition which approximately means 'of' or 'from' and usually denotes some sort of nobility. While von (always lower case) is part of the family name or territorial designation, not a first or middle name, if the noble is referred to by their last name, use Schiller, Clausewitz or Goethe, not von Schiller, etc.
- ^ [2] Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary. pp.396
- ^ [3] Welding, Olaf. Baltic German Biographical Dictionary 1710-1960. (1970), pp.690
- ^ [4] Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary. pp.523
- ^ [5] /ria1914.info
- ^ [6] Welding, Olaf. Baltic German Biographical Dictionary 1710-1960. (1970), pp. 691
Sources
edit- Welding, Olaf. Baltic German Biographical Dictionary 1710-1960. (1970), from the Baltic Biographical Dictionary Digital [7]