Albrecht von Stosch (20 April 1818 – 29 February 1896) was a German General of the Infantry and admiral who served as first chief of the newly created Imperial German Navy from 1872 to 1883.[1]
Albrecht von Stosch | |
|---|---|
 Albrecht von Stosch, imperial German general and admiral | |
| Born | 20 April 1818 Koblenz, Germany |
| Died | 29 February 1896 (aged 77) Oestrich, Germany |
| Allegiance |  Prussia German Confederation North German Confederation German Empire |
| Service |  Prussian Army Imperial German Navy |
| Years of service | 1829–1889 |
| Rank | General of Infantry Admiral |
| Commands | German Imperial Admiralty |
| Battles / wars | Austro-Prussian War Franco-Prussian War |
Life
editBorn in Koblenz, he was a cousin of Hans Stosch-Sarrasani, the founder of the Circus Sarrasani. He was the third son of Prussian general Hermann Ferdinand Stosch, who was a traditional military man who had a nationalistic feelings. Just like his father, Stosch was conscious of the tradition of duty and service, and Prussian military heritage was a strong political opinion of his.[2]
After being educated in state schools and a Gymnasium, in 1829 Stosch was admitted to the Cadet corps. In 1835 Stosch, aged seventeen, was appointed as second-lieutenant in the Prussian Army. He eventually became a General Staff officer.[2]
Stosch participated in the Austro-Prussian War as Oberquartiermeister of the Second Army.
After the Franco-Prussian War, Stosch was also appointed as an admiral and first chief of the Admiralty and thus of the fledgling Imperial German Navy. Acknowledged by William I for his loyal service to the country; he considered himself as a reformer.[2]
Stosch died in Rheingau. There is an island in Chile named after him, Isla Stosch.
Honours
edit- Kingdom of Prussia:[3]
- Knight of the Royal Order of the Crown, 2nd Class, 23 September 1865
- Pour le Mérite (military), 20 September 1866
- Commander's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, with Swords, 16 June 1871
- Grand Cross of the Order of the Red Eagle, with Oak Leaves, 18 January 1878
- Knight of the Order of the Black Eagle, 17 September 1881; with Collar, 1882
Grand Duchy of Hesse: Commander of the Ludwig Order, 1st Class, 15 March 1868[4]
Kingdom of Saxony:[5]
- Grand Cross of the Albert Order, 1867
- Grand Cross of the Order of Merit, with War Decoration, 1871
Württemberg: Grand Cross of the Military Merit Order, 2 January 1871[6]
Sweden-Norway: Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav, 1 June 1875[7]
References
edit- ^ "GHDI - Document".
- ^ a b c Hollyday, Frederic B. M. (2017-02-07). Bismarck's Rival: A Political Biography of General and Admiral Albrecht von Stosch. Pickle Partners Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78720-383-9.
- ^ "Königlich Preussische Ordensliste", Preussische Ordens-Liste (in German), 1, Berlin: 8, 12, 25, 584, 936, 1886 – via hathitrust.org
- ^ "Großherzogliche Orden und Ehrenzeichen", Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Grossherzogtums Hessen (in German), Darmstadt, 1881, p. 27 – via hathitrust.org
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "Königliche Ritter-orden", Staatshandbuch für den Freistaat Sachsen (1873) (in German), Dresden, 1873, pp. 74, 131
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "Königliche Ritter", Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Württemberg, Stuttgart, 1894, p. 64
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Norges Statskalender (in Norwegian), 1890, pp. 595–596, retrieved 2018-01-06 – via runeberg.org
- Hildebrand, Hans; Henriot, Ernest (1990). P — Z (in German). Vol. 3. Osnabrück: Biblio-Verl. pp. 400–401. ISBN 3764814993.
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