Georg Carl von Döbeln
| Georg Carl von Döbeln | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
29 April 1758 Stora Torpa, Västergötland, Sweden |
| Died | 16 February 1820 (aged 61) , Sweden |
| Buried at | , Stockholm |
| Allegiance |
 Sweden (1778–1781, 1788–1813) Kingdom of France (1781–1788)
|
| Service/branch |
Swedish Army French Army |
| Years of service | 1778–1813 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Battles/wars |
Gustav III's Russian War Finnish War Second War against Napoleon |
| Awards | Order of the Sword |
Georg Carl von Döbeln (29 April 1758 – 16 February 1820) was a Swedish friherre (baron), Lieutenant General and war hero.
Georg Carl was born at the Stora Torpa manor in Segerstads parish in Västergötland (now Falköping Municipality) to Johan Jakob von Döbeln and Anna Maria Lindgren. When von Döbeln was eight years old his father died and he was put in school by relatives with the aim of him becoming a priest. The boy however, showed affinity for a military life and he was enrolled at the Karlskrona naval academy in 1773. Upon graduating as an officer in 1775, he was directed by the family towards a career in law. Disliking this, he sought employment as a junior officer in 1778.
As a lieutenant, Döbeln took part in Gustav III's Russian War and was shot in the head at the Battle of Porrassalmi. The wound did not heal properly and he was forced to wear a black silken bandanna for the rest of his life. During the operation he stayed awake and wrote about it while looking at the whole process with the help of a mirror.
He then rapidly advanced to colonel and took part in the Finnish War. On 13 September 1808, he led the Swedish troops in the Battle of Jutas. For this, he would become legendary as the main hero of the war. His reputation was further enhanced when Johan Ludvig Runeberg wrote his epic Döbeln at Jutas in the Finnish National Poem Fänrik Ståls Sägner (in Swedish).
He successfully led the Swedish retreat from the Åland islands over the frozen Baltic sea. Having re-organized his troops, he engaged Russian forces which ultimately stopped a planned attack on the Swedish capital, .
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