Duke of Brunswick

duke of brunswickThe Duke of Brunswick (1735-1806) was the commander of the powerful Prussian army, famous for his menacing warning to the people of revolutionary France. Born Charles William Ferdinand, he became a career soldier and saw service in the Seven Years War. In 1773 he succeeded his father as Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel but remained in the military, becoming a Prussian general and later a field marshal. In 1792 Brunswick was placed in command of the Austro-Prussian forces battling France in the Revolutionary War. On July 25th of that year he issued the notorious Brunswick Manifesto, which warned his armies would destroy Paris if the royal family was harmed. The manifesto was aimed at frightening the revolutionaries into submission. Instead, it had the opposite effect, triggering the mob attack on the Tuileries (August 1792) and the September Massacres (September 1792). Brunswick resigned his command in 1794 following disputes with the Prussian king. He returned to command the Prussians against the armies of Napoleon. He was shot in the face and mortally wounded in October 1806.


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