Otto Friedrich von der Groeben
Encyclopedia
Otto Friedrich von der Groeben (16 April 1657 – 30 June 1728) was a Prussian
explorer, officer and general in Polish
service.
, Poland) to the General Georg Heinrich von der Groeben. He started a journey through Italy
, Malta
, Egypt
, Palestine
and Cyprus
in the age of 17 and returned in 1680.
After Philipp Pietersen Blonck, a sailor in Prussian service, had landed at the Cape Three Points (modern Ghana
) and signed a treaty of friendship with the local Ahanta chiefs Pregate, Sophonie and Apany in 1680, the Brandenburgisch-Afrikanische Compagnie was founded in 1681 and a new expedition was organised. In 1682 Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg
assigned von der Groeben the command of a colonial expedition of Brandenburg, which was supposed to acquire a colony on the coast of Guinea
. The small fleet of the Brandenburg Navy
consisted of the Morian (32 guns, 60-man crew) and the Churprinz von Brandenburg (12 guns, 40-man crew) and set sail on 16 May 1682.
They arrived near the village of Accada on 27 December 1682, hoisted the flag of Brandenburg on 1 January 1683 near the modern Princes Town and began to build a fortification, which they called Fort Groß Friedrichsburg
. On 5 January 1683, the treaty with the Ahanta was renewed.
The garrison suffered from diseases and von der Groeben sickened of tropical fever. He passed the command of the fortress to Philipp Pietersen Blonck and returned to Prussia in the summer of 1683.
In honour of the foundation of the first colony of Brandenburg, he was awarded the prospective entitlement of the Amtshauptmann of Marienwerder und Riesenburg
in succession to that of his father.
In 1686 von der Groeben joined Venetian
service and fought against Turkish troops at Morea
. On 3 January 1688 he was promoted to oberst
in the Prussian Army
, then in 1704, made a Royal Prussian Kammerherr.
In 1719 von der Groeben joined the Polish army and was promoted to major general
, then lieutenant general
.
Von der Groeben was married three times and had 20 children. He died on 30 January 1728 at his estates near Marienwerder.
Brandenburg-Prussia
Brandenburg-Prussia is the historiographic denomination for the Early Modern realm of the Brandenburgian Hohenzollerns between 1618 and 1701. Based in the Electorate of Brandenburg, the main branch of the Hohenzollern intermarried with the branch ruling the Duchy of Prussia, and secured succession...
explorer, officer and general in Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
service.
Biography
Von der Groeben was born in Napratten (today NapratyNapraty
Napraty is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Kiwity, within Lidzbark County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland...
, Poland) to the General Georg Heinrich von der Groeben. He started a journey through Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
and Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
in the age of 17 and returned in 1680.
After Philipp Pietersen Blonck, a sailor in Prussian service, had landed at the Cape Three Points (modern Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
) and signed a treaty of friendship with the local Ahanta chiefs Pregate, Sophonie and Apany in 1680, the Brandenburgisch-Afrikanische Compagnie was founded in 1681 and a new expedition was organised. In 1682 Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg
Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg
|align=right|Frederick William was Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia – and thus ruler of Brandenburg-Prussia – from 1640 until his death. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he is popularly known as the "Great Elector" because of his military and political prowess...
assigned von der Groeben the command of a colonial expedition of Brandenburg, which was supposed to acquire a colony on the coast of Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
. The small fleet of the Brandenburg Navy
Brandenburg Navy
The Brandenburg Navy was the navy of the Margraviate of Brandenburg in Germany from the 16th century to 1701, when it became part of the Prussian Navy....
consisted of the Morian (32 guns, 60-man crew) and the Churprinz von Brandenburg (12 guns, 40-man crew) and set sail on 16 May 1682.
They arrived near the village of Accada on 27 December 1682, hoisted the flag of Brandenburg on 1 January 1683 near the modern Princes Town and began to build a fortification, which they called Fort Groß Friedrichsburg
Brandenburger Gold Coast
The Brandenburger Gold Coast, later Prussian Gold Coast, was a part of the Gold Coast. The Brandenburg colony existed from 1682 to 1717.- Brandenburger Gold Coast :...
. On 5 January 1683, the treaty with the Ahanta was renewed.
The garrison suffered from diseases and von der Groeben sickened of tropical fever. He passed the command of the fortress to Philipp Pietersen Blonck and returned to Prussia in the summer of 1683.
In honour of the foundation of the first colony of Brandenburg, he was awarded the prospective entitlement of the Amtshauptmann of Marienwerder und Riesenburg
Prabuty
Prabuty is a town in Kwidzyn County within the Pomeranian Voivodeship of northern Poland. In the period between 1975–98 Prabuty were part of the Elbląg Voivodeship.Prabuty is an important rail junction on the Warszawa–Gdynia railway.-Early history:...
in succession to that of his father.
In 1686 von der Groeben joined Venetian
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
service and fought against Turkish troops at Morea
Morea
The Morea was the name of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. It also referred to a Byzantine province in the region, known as the Despotate of Morea.-Origins of the name:...
. On 3 January 1688 he was promoted to oberst
Oberst
Oberst is a military rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway. The Swedish rank överste is a direct translation, as are the Finnish rank eversti...
in the Prussian Army
Prussian Army
The Royal Prussian Army was the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power.The Prussian Army had its roots in the meager mercenary forces of Brandenburg during the Thirty Years' War...
, then in 1704, made a Royal Prussian Kammerherr.
In 1719 von der Groeben joined the Polish army and was promoted to major general
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
, then lieutenant general
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
.
Von der Groeben was married three times and had 20 children. He died on 30 January 1728 at his estates near Marienwerder.
Publications
- Orientalische Reise-Beschreibung, des brandenburgischen Pilgers Otto Friedrich von der Gröben: Nebst d. Brandenburgischen Schifffahrt nach Guinea und der Verrichtung zu Morea, unter ihrem Titel, Marienwerder 1694
- Guineische Reise-Beschreibung, Marienwerder 1694
- Des edlen Bergone und seiner tugendhafften Areteen denckwürdige Lebens- und Liebesgeschichte : Zum Nutz u.Vergnügen edeler Gemüther ... welche daraus die Sitten und Gebräuche vieler Völcker u.d. ausführliche Beschreibung Italien, der Heiligen u. anderer Länder ersehen können., Datzig 1700
- Voorname Scheepsogt Van Jonkheer Otho Fridrich van der Greuben, Brandenburgs Edelman, Na Guinea, Met 2 Keur-Vorstelijke Fregatten, Gedaan in het Jaar 1682... : Verhandelende ... de gelegentheeden van verscheyde Zee-Kusten in Africa ... der Greyn-kust, Tand- of Quaqua-kust, Goud-kust ..., en des Reysigers Togt van daar na Terra Nova in America gelegen : Als mede den Aart, Zeeden, Gewoontens, ... ; Door den Reysiger selfs opgeteeknet en nu ... uyt het Hoogduyts vertald ; Met ... Register en Konst-Printen... enthalten in: Johan Lodewyk Gottfried, De Aanmerkens-waardige Voyagien Door Francoisen, Italiaanen, Deenen, Hoogduytsen en andere Vreemde Volkeren gedaan Na Oost- en West-Indien... Het 2.Stuk, Leiden 1706
Literature
- Otto Friedrich von der Gröben, Guineische Reisebeschreibung, Marienwerder 1694; reprint 1981
- Paul Friedrich Stuhr: Geschichte der See- und Kolonialmacht des Großen Kurfürsten, Berlin (1839)
- Hofmeister, Die maritimen und colonialen Bestrebungen des Grossen Kurfürsten 1640 bis 1688 - II., Archiv für Post und Telegraphie (Berlin), 13 (1885) 591-603
- Kurt Petsch, Seefahrt für Brandenburg-Preussen 1650-1850 - Geschichte der Seegefechte, überseeischen Niederlassungen und staatlichen Handelskompanien, in: H.Bleckwenn (Hrsg.), Das altpreussische Heer - Erscheinungsbild und Wesen 1713-1807, Teil IV, Band 11, Biblio Verlag Osnabrück, 1986
- Ulrich van der Heyden: Rote Adler an Afrikas Küste. Die brandenburgisch-preußische Kolonie Großfriedrichsburg in Westafrika, Selignow-Verlag, Berlin, 2001, ISBN 3-933889-04-9