Helmuth von Moltke the Elder
| Helmuth Karl Bernhard Graf von Moltke | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Nickname(s) | Moltke the Elder (Moltke der Ältere) The Great Silent One (Der große Schweiger) |
| Born |
26 October 1800 Parchim, Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Holy Roman Empire |
| Died | 24 April 1891 (aged 90) Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire |
| Allegiance |
 Denmark–Norway Kingdom of Prussia German Empire
|
| Service/branch |
Prussian Army Imperial German Army |
| Years of service | 1819–88 |
| Rank | Field Marshal |
| Battles/wars |
Second Schleswig War Austro-Prussian War Franco-Prussian War Battle of Nezib |
| Awards | see below |
Helmuth Karl Bernhard Graf von Moltke (26 October 1800, Parchim, Mecklenburg-Schwerin – 24 April 1891, Berlin) was a German Field Marshal. The chief of staff of the Prussian Army for thirty years, he is regarded as the creator of a new, more modern method of directing armies in the field. He is often referred to as Moltke the Elder to distinguish him from his nephew Helmuth Johann Ludwig von Moltke, who commanded the German Army at the outbreak of World War I.
Moltke was born in Parchim, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, son of the Danish Generalleutnant Friedrich Philipp Victor von Moltke (1768–1845). In 1805, his father settled in Holstein, but about the same time was left impoverished when the French burned his country house and plundered his town house in Lübeck, where his wife and children were during the Fourth Coalition. Young Moltke therefore grew up under difficult circumstances. At nine he was sent as a boarder to Hohenfelde in Holstein, and at age twelve went to the cadet school at Copenhagen, being destined for the Danish army and court. In 1818 he became a page to the king of Denmark and a second lieutenant in a Danish infantry regiment.
At twenty-one Moltke resolved to enter the Swedish service, in spite of the loss of seniority. In 1822 he became a second lieutenant in the 8th Infantry Regiment stationed at Frankfurt (Oder). At twenty-three, he was allowed to enter the general war school (later called the Prussian Military Academy), where he studied the full three years and passed in 1826.
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