Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz
| Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz | |
|---|---|
Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz
|
|
| Born |
3 February 1721 Kalkar, Duchy of Clèves |
| Died | 8 November 1773 (aged 52) Ohlau, Silesia Province |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of Prussia
|
| Service/branch | Prussian Army |
| Years of service | 1739–1773 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General of the Cavalry |
| Battles/wars |
First Silesian War Seven Years' War |
| Awards | Order of the Black Eagle |
Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Seydlitz (3 February 1721 – 8 November 1773) was a Prussian officer, lieutenant general, and one of the greatest German cavalry generals.
Seydlitz was born in Kalkar in the Duchy of Cleves, where his father Daniel Florian von Seydlitz, a major of Prussian cavalry, was stationed. After his father's death in 1728 his mother brought him up in straitened circumstances, but at the age of fourteen he went as a page to the court of the Margrave Frederick William of Brandenburg-Schwedt, who had been his father's colonel. During this time under the "Mad" Margrave, Seydlitz conceived his passion for tobacco, women, and feats of daredevil horsemanship. He acquired a superb mastery of horsemanship, and many stories tell of his feats, the best known of which involved riding between the sails of a windmill in full swing.
In 1740 Seydlitz received a commission as a cornet in the margrave's regiment of Prussian cuirassiers. Serving as a subaltern in the First Silesian War, he was taken prisoner in May 1742 after so gallant a defence that King Frederick II of Prussia offered to exchange an Austrian captain for him. In 1743 the king made him a captain in the 4th Hussars, and he brought his squadron to a state of conspicuous efficiency. He served through the Second Silesian War, and after Hohenfriedberg won promotion to major at the age of twenty-four. Seydlitz, nine years younger than Frederick the Great, was tall, thin, and a superb horseman. In addition, he was a notorious pursuer of women. He would become legendary throughout the Prussian Army both for his leadership skills and for his courage.
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