Helmuth von Moltke the Elder

Helmuth von Moltke the Elder was a Prussian field marshal who served as the chief of staff of the Prussian Army for 30 years. He is regarded as the creator of a new, more modern method of directing armies in the field and one of the finest military minds of his generation. He commanded troops in Europe and the Middle East, in the Second Schleswig War, Austro-Prussian War and Franco-Prussian War. He is described as embodying "Prussian military organization and tactical genius". Moltke was born in Parchim, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, son of a German general in Danish service. He moved to Holstein with his family when he was five years old. He was educated at a cadet school in Copenhagen and joined the Danish army as a second lieutenant. However, he decided to enter the Prussian service in 1822, despite losing his seniority. He graduated from the Prussian Military Academy in 1826 and became a staff officer. ¹ In 1835, he was sent to Turkey as a military adviser to modernize the Ottoman army. He participated in the Battle of Nezib in 1839, where the Ottoman army defeated the Egyptian forces. He returned to Berlin in 1839, broken in health. He married Mary von Burt, an Englishwoman, in 1842. She died in 1868. They had no children. ¹ Moltke rose to prominence under King Frederick William IV and his successor William I. He reformed the Prussian army by introducing new tactics, training methods, weapons, and communication systems. He also made use of railways and telegraphs to mobilize and coordinate troops. He was appointed as the chief of staff of the Prussian Army in 1857. ¹ Moltke led the Prussian army to victory in several wars that shaped the unification of Germany. In 1864, he defeated Denmark in the Second Schleswig War and secured the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein for Prussia. In 1866, he crushed Austria in the Austro-Prussian War and established Prussia's dominance over the German states. In 1870-1871, he defeated France in the Franco-Prussian War and paved the way for the creation of the German Empire under William I as emperor and Otto von Bismarck as chancellor. ¹ Moltke was widely respected and admired for his strategic genius and military achievements. He was also known as "the Great Taciturn" for his silent and reserved demeanor. He wrote several books on military history and theory, such as On Strategy (1871) and The Franco-German War of 1870-71 (1891). He died in Berlin on April 24, 1891, at the age of 90. He was buried in his estate at Kreisau (now Krzyżowa) in Silesia (now Poland). ¹