Karl Gottlieb Guichard
Encyclopedia
Karl Gottlieb Guichard soldier and military writer, known as Quintus Icilius, was born at Magdeburg
, Duchy of Magdeburg
, to a family of French refugees
.
He was educated for the Church, and at Leiden actually preached a sermon as a candidate for the pastorate. But he abandoned theology
for more secular studies, especially that of ancient history, in which his learning attracted the notice of the Prince of Orange, who promised him a vacant professorship at Utrecht. On his arrival, however, he found that another scholar had been elected by the local authorities, and he thereupon sought and obtained a commission in the Dutch army.
He made the campaigns of 1747-48 in the Low Countries
. In the peace which followed, his combined military and classical training turned his thoughts in the direction of ancient military history
. His notes on this subject grew into a treatise, and in 1754 he went over to England in order to consult various libraries.
In 1757 his Mémoires militaires sur les Grecs et les Romains appeared at the Hague, and when Carlyle
wrote his Frederick the Great it had reached its fifth edition. Coming back, with English introductions, to the Continent, he sought service with Ferdinand of Brunswick, who sent him on to Frederick the Great, whom he joined in January 1758 at Breslau. The king was very favourably impressed with Guichard and his works, and he remained for nearly 18 months in the royal suite.
His Prussian official name of Quintus Icilius was the outcome of a friendly dispute with the king (see Nikolai, Anekdoten, vi. 129-145; Carlyle, Frederick the Great, viii. 113-114). Frederick in discussing the battle of Pharsalia spoke of a centurion Quintus Caecilius as Q. Icilius. Guichard ventured to correct him, whereupon the king said, "You shall be Quintus Icilius," and as Major Quintus Icilius he was forthwith gazetted to the command of a free battalion.
This corps he commanded throughout the later stages of the Seven Years' War
, his battalion, as time went on, becoming a regiment of three battalions, and Quintus himself recruited seven more battalions of the same kind of troops. His command was almost always with the king's own army in these campaigns, but for a short time it fought in the western theatre under Prince Henry
. When not on the march he was always at the royal headquarters, and it was he who brought about the famous interview between the king and Gellert
(see Carlyle, Frederick the Great, ix. log; Gellert, Briefwechsel mit Demoiselle Lucius, ed. Ebert
, Leipzig, 1823, pp. 629-631) on the subject of national German literature.
On January 22, 1761 Quintus was ordered to sack the castle of Hubertusburg (a task which Major-General Saldern had point-blank refused to undertake, from motives of conscience), and carried out his task, it is said, to his own very considerable profit. The place cannot have been seriously injured, as it was soon afterwards the meeting-place of the diplomats whose work ended in the Treaty of Hubertusburg
, but the king never ceased to banter Quintus on his supposed depredations.
The very day of Frederick's triumphant return from the war saw the disbanding of most of the free battalions, including that of Quintus, but the major to the end of his life remained with the king. He was made lieutenant-colonel in 1765, and in 1773, in recognition of his work Mémoires critiques et historiques sur plusieurs points d'antiquités militaires, dealing mainly with Julius Caesar
's campaigns in Spain
(Berlin, 1773), was promoted colonel. He died at Potsdam in 1775.
----
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
, Duchy of Magdeburg
Duchy of Magdeburg
The Duchy of Magdeburg was a province of Brandenburg-Prussia from 1680 to 1701 and a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1701 to 1807. It replaced the Archbishopric of Magdeburg after its secularization by Brandenburg. The duchy's capitals were Magdeburg and Halle, while Burg was another...
, to a family of French refugees
Edict of Potsdam
The Edict of Potsdam was a proclamation issued by Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia, in Potsdam on October 29, 1685, as a response to the revocation of the Edict of Nantes by the Edict of Fontainebleau.- Background :...
.
He was educated for the Church, and at Leiden actually preached a sermon as a candidate for the pastorate. But he abandoned theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
for more secular studies, especially that of ancient history, in which his learning attracted the notice of the Prince of Orange, who promised him a vacant professorship at Utrecht. On his arrival, however, he found that another scholar had been elected by the local authorities, and he thereupon sought and obtained a commission in the Dutch army.
He made the campaigns of 1747-48 in the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
. In the peace which followed, his combined military and classical training turned his thoughts in the direction of ancient military history
Military history
Military history is a humanities discipline within the scope of general historical recording of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, their cultures, economies and changing intra and international relationships....
. His notes on this subject grew into a treatise, and in 1754 he went over to England in order to consult various libraries.
In 1757 his Mémoires militaires sur les Grecs et les Romains appeared at the Hague, and when Carlyle
Thomas Carlyle
Thomas Carlyle was a Scottish satirical writer, essayist, historian and teacher during the Victorian era.He called economics "the dismal science", wrote articles for the Edinburgh Encyclopedia, and became a controversial social commentator.Coming from a strict Calvinist family, Carlyle was...
wrote his Frederick the Great it had reached its fifth edition. Coming back, with English introductions, to the Continent, he sought service with Ferdinand of Brunswick, who sent him on to Frederick the Great, whom he joined in January 1758 at Breslau. The king was very favourably impressed with Guichard and his works, and he remained for nearly 18 months in the royal suite.
His Prussian official name of Quintus Icilius was the outcome of a friendly dispute with the king (see Nikolai, Anekdoten, vi. 129-145; Carlyle, Frederick the Great, viii. 113-114). Frederick in discussing the battle of Pharsalia spoke of a centurion Quintus Caecilius as Q. Icilius. Guichard ventured to correct him, whereupon the king said, "You shall be Quintus Icilius," and as Major Quintus Icilius he was forthwith gazetted to the command of a free battalion.
This corps he commanded throughout the later stages of the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
, his battalion, as time went on, becoming a regiment of three battalions, and Quintus himself recruited seven more battalions of the same kind of troops. His command was almost always with the king's own army in these campaigns, but for a short time it fought in the western theatre under Prince Henry
Prince Henry of Prussia
Frederick Henry Louis , commonly known as Henry , was a Prince of Prussia. He also served as a general and statesman, and, in 1786, was suggested as a candidate for a monarch for the United States....
. When not on the march he was always at the royal headquarters, and it was he who brought about the famous interview between the king and Gellert
Christian Fürchtegott Gellert
Christian Fürchtegott Gellert was a German poet, one of the forerunners of the golden age of German literature that was ushered in by Lessing.-Biography:...
(see Carlyle, Frederick the Great, ix. log; Gellert, Briefwechsel mit Demoiselle Lucius, ed. Ebert
Friedrich Adolf Ebert
Friedrich Adolf Ebert was a German bibliographer and librarian.-Biography:Ebert was born at Taucha, near Leipzig, the son of a Lutheran pastor....
, Leipzig, 1823, pp. 629-631) on the subject of national German literature.
On January 22, 1761 Quintus was ordered to sack the castle of Hubertusburg (a task which Major-General Saldern had point-blank refused to undertake, from motives of conscience), and carried out his task, it is said, to his own very considerable profit. The place cannot have been seriously injured, as it was soon afterwards the meeting-place of the diplomats whose work ended in the Treaty of Hubertusburg
Treaty of Hubertusburg
thumb|right|300px|Hubertusburg, WermsdorfThe Treaty of Hubertusburg was signed on 15 February 1763 at Hubertusburg by Prussia, Austria, and Saxony. Together with the Treaty of Paris, it marked the end of the French and Indian War and of the Seven Years' War. The treaty ended the continental...
, but the king never ceased to banter Quintus on his supposed depredations.
The very day of Frederick's triumphant return from the war saw the disbanding of most of the free battalions, including that of Quintus, but the major to the end of his life remained with the king. He was made lieutenant-colonel in 1765, and in 1773, in recognition of his work Mémoires critiques et historiques sur plusieurs points d'antiquités militaires, dealing mainly with Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
's campaigns in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
(Berlin, 1773), was promoted colonel. He died at Potsdam in 1775.
----