Hans Sigismund von Lestwitz

Hans Sigismund von Lestwitz
Relief of Lestwitz from his tomb
Born	(1718-06-19)19 June 1718 Kontoppe, Duchy of Glogau
Died	26 January 1786(1786-01-26) (aged 86) Berlin
Allegiance	Prussia
Service/branch	Army
Years of service	1734–1779
Rank	General
Commands held	Life Grenadier Regiment of the Royal Prussian Guard
Battles/wars	First Silesian War Second Silesian War Hohenfriedberg Katholisch-Hennersdorf Kesselsdorf Seven Years' War Mollwitz Chotusitz Hohenfriedberg Soor Prague Battle of Lobositz Torgau Bavarian War of Succession
Awards	Pour le Mérite;
Relations	Johann Georg von Lestwitz, Lieutenant General (father) Helene Charlotte von Friedland (daughter)

Hans Sigismund von Lestwitz (19 June 1718 – 16 February 1788) was a Prussian major general of the infantry and was especially honored by Frederick II for his action in the Battle of Torgau. His father was Lieutenant-General Johann Georg von Lestwitz, who had failed to defend the fortress of Breslau in 1757, his mother was Helene Baroness von Kottwitz. The male line of Lestwitz, which belonged to the old Silesian families, died with Hans Sigismund. His daughter, Helene Charlotte, was a successful agriculturalist.

The Lestwitz family was an old Silesian family, dating to the 14th century with Hannes, a free man who served the Duke of Silesia. Hans Sigismund von Lestwitz was born on 19 June 1718 in Kontoppe, Duchy of Glogau, part of the Brandenburg Neumark. His father, Johann Georg von Lestwitz, was a lieutenant general in the Prussian Army and his mother, Helen, Baroness von Kottwitz. He studied at the University of Frankfurt. Lestwitz's military career modeled that of other Junker sons.military career modeled that of other Junker sons. Many of the Junkers owned immense estates, especially in the north-eastern half of Germany (i.e. the Prussian provinces of Brandenburg, Pomerania, Silesia, West Prussia, East Prussia and Posen). Their younger sons followed careers as soldiers (Fahnenjunker) (the Junkers controlled the Prussian Army.

Lestwitz married Catharina Charlotte von Tresckow (1734–1789), and they had a daughter, Helene Charlotte (1754–1803). Charlotte entered a poor marriage at the age of 16, which was later annulled. Based on his successful career in the army, Lestwitz was able to invest in property, acquiring substantial holdings near Kunersdorf, both via purchase and gift from a grateful king. The property, referred to as Old Friedland, included six farms, several shepherds, cowherds and a mill, plus assorted fishing communities. Fishing employed a third of the population until the end of the century. Eventually the daughter inherited the estates, and proceeded to drain much of the marshland, creating a much more profitable environment. Charlotte, known by decree of Frederick William II as the Lady of Friedland, was considered, widely, as a successful agriculturalist, albeit a "very strange woman."