August William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Born(1715-10-10)10 October 1715
Brunswick
Died2 August 1781(1781-08-02) (aged 65)
Stettin
Noble familyHouse of Guelph
FatherErnest Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
MotherEleanor Charlotte of Courland

August Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick-Bevern (10 October 1715 in Braunschweig – 2 August 1781 in Stettin), Prussian soldier, son of Ernest Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, was born in Braunschweig in 1715, and entered the Prussian army in 1731, becoming colonel of an infantry regiment in 1739. He won great distinction at the battle of Hohenfriedberg as a major-general, and was promoted lieutenant-general in 1750.[1]

Biography

Bevern was one of the most experienced and exact soldiers in the army of Frederick the Great. He commanded a wing in the battle of Lobositz in 1756, and defeated the Austrians under Marshal Königsegg in a well-fought battle at Reichenberg on 21 April 1757. He took part in the battles of Prague and Kolin and the retreat to Görlitz, and subsequently commanded the Prussians left behind by Frederick in the autumn of 1757 when he marched against the French.[1]

Bevern conducted a defensive campaign against overwhelming numbers with great skill, but he soon lost the valuable assistance of General Winterfeldt, who was killed in a skirmish at Moys; and he was eventually brought to battle and suffered a heavy defeat at the battle of Breslau on 22 November. He fell into the hands of the Austrians on the following morning, and remained prisoner for a year. He was made general of infantry in 1759, and on 11 August 1762 inflicted a severe defeat at Reichenbach on an Austrian army endeavouring to relieve Schweidnitz. Bevern retired, after the peace of Hubertusburg, to his government of Stettin, where he died in peace in 1781.[1]

Ancestors

References

  1. 1 2 3 One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Brunswick-Bevern, August Wilhelm". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 691.
  2. ↑ Genealogie ascendante jusqu'au quatrieme degre inclusivement de tous les Rois et Princes de maisons souveraines de l'Europe actuellement vivans [Genealogy up to the fourth degree inclusive of all the Kings and Princes of sovereign houses of Europe currently living] (in French). Bourdeaux: Frederic Guillaume Birnstiel. 1768. p. 54.
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