Samuel von Schmettau

Samuel Graf von Schmettau (24 March 1684 – 18 August 1751) was a Prussian field marshal, artilleryman and cartographer.

Samuel Graf von Schmettau

Life
Schmettau's map of Berlin (1748)

Von Schmettau was born in Berlin. His mother, Marie de la Fontaine, belonged to a Huguenot family. His father died in 1707, as Royal Prussian secretary to the ambassador in London. In 1699, he joined the military, and served under numerous flags during his career. He started as a Danish Cuirassier, under command of his uncle William. In 1703, he joined the Margrave of Anspach Dragoons, as a lieutenant, where another uncle, Gottlieb Schmettau, was chief. Schmettau experienced his baptism of fire at the Battle of Blenheim. A little later he became captain and company commander, and was promoted to Major in 1707, and lieutenant colonel in 1708. He was Adjutant General of the Prince of Hesse, at the Battle of Malplaquet.

In 1714, Schmettau went with his regiment in the Electorate of Saxony. On 22 October 1716, he was promoted to colonel in the artillery. He went into the service of the Habsburgs on 7 April 1717. There Schmettau took part in the conquest of Belgrade. On 22 March 1719, he was Field General, and came to Sicily as Quartermaster General. His achievements as an artilleryman and fortress builder impressed the Emperor and Prince Eugene of Savoy. In 1720, during the War of the Quadruple Alliance, he led the Capture of Messina (1719), and in 1732 with Corsica, he led the campaign against Sardinia and France.

On 27 October 1733, he was promoted to Lieutenant Field Marshal. He commanded the O'Gilvy Infantry Regiment (No. 46); with his regiment, he then took part in the War of the Polish Succession. In the years 1737–1739, during Russo-Austrian-Turkish War, he was governor of Timișoara. On 18 January 1742, Schmettau was awarded the Order of the Black Eagle. He left the service in 1742.

Diplomacy

In the following years, he represented Prussia under the Emperor Charles VII. As ambassador to Paris, he prepared for the second Silesian war. Schmettau was a curator of the Academy of Sciences. He continued his education as a cartographer, and created the first good map of Berlin in 1748, and in 1751 of East Friesland. In his "Memoires Secrets", he described his experiences.[1]

Family

He married Marie Charlotte von Boyen (died 1739); they had two children. He married Marie Johanna von Ruffer, who bore him three children:

References
  1. Erik A. Lund (1999). War for the every day: generals, knowledge, and warfare in early modern Europe, 1680–1740. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-31041-6.
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