Albrecht von Roon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Albrecht Graf von Roon
Albrecht von Roon in the 1870s
Born	(1803-04-30)30 April 1803 Pleushagen, Prussia, Holy Roman Empire (present-day Pleśna, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland)
Died	23 February 1879(1879-02-23) (aged 75) Berlin, Province of Brandenburg, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Buried	Reichenbach
Allegiance	Kingdom of Prussia  North German Confederation  German Empire
Service/branch	Prussian Army
Years of service	1821–1873
Rank	Generalfeldmarschall
Battles/wars	Second Schleswig War Austro-Prussian War Franco-Prussian War
Awards	Pour le Mérite Order of the Black Eagle Order of the Red Eagle House Order of Hohenzollern Order of the Prussian Crown Johanniter Order Iron Cross

Albrecht Theodor Emil Graf von Roon (born April 30, 1803 – died February 23, 1879) was an important soldier and politician from Prussia. He served as the Minister of War from 1859 to 1873. During the 1860s, Roon, along with Otto von Bismarck and Helmuth von Moltke, was one of the most powerful figures in Prussia's government.

This was a key time when Prussia won several wars against Denmark, Austria, and France. These victories led to the different German states joining together to form one country, Germany, under Prussia's leadership. Roon believed in a strong government led by a king. He worked hard to make the Prussian army better and more effective.

Early Life and Military School

Roon was born in Pleushagen, which is now Pleśna in Poland. His family originally came from Flanders (part of modern-day Belgium and the Netherlands) before settling in Pomerania. His father was an officer in the Prussian army. Sadly, his father died poor during the Napoleonic Wars, when French armies occupied Prussia. Young Roon was then raised by his grandmother.

In 1816, Roon joined a military school for young students in Kulm (now Chełmno, Poland). He then moved to the military school in Berlin in 1818. In January 1821, he became an officer in the 14th regiment. In 1824, he took an advanced three-year course at the General War School in Berlin. This helped him improve his general knowledge and military skills. Two years later, he was moved to the 15th regiment.

Starting His Military Career

In 1832, Roon returned to his regiment. He was then assigned to the headquarters of General von Müffling's observation corps. Here, he noticed that the Prussian Army was not very efficient. In 1833, he was appointed to the Topographical Bureau in Berlin, which dealt with maps and land surveys.

By 1835, he joined the Prussian General Staff, which was the army's main planning group. He was promoted to captain and became a teacher and examiner at the military academy in Berlin. In 1842, after being sick for two years from overwork, he was promoted to major. He was assigned to the staff of the VII Corps. Again, he saw how disorganized the army was. He started thinking about ways to make it better.

In 1844, Roon became a tutor to Prince Friedrich Karl. He traveled with the prince to Bonn University and during his trips around Europe. In 1848, he became the chief of staff for the VIII Corps. During the unrest that year, he helped Prince William (who later became king and emperor) stop an uprising in Baden. Roon showed great energy and bravery. He received an award for his service. While working with Prince William, he talked to him about his ideas for army reform. In 1850, after problems with army organization became clear, Roon was made a lieutenant-colonel. In 1851, he became a full colonel.

Reforming the Army

Roon was promoted to major-general in 1856 and to lieutenant-general in 1859. He had held several important positions since 1850. In 1858, Prince Wilhelm became the regent (a ruler who governs for a king who is too young or ill). In 1859, Prince Wilhelm asked Roon to join a group that would suggest ways to reorganize the army. During the Austro-Sardinian War, Roon was in charge of getting a division of soldiers ready. At the end of 1859, he became the War Minister, even though he was a junior general. In 1861, he was also put in charge of the navy.

Roon, with help from Edwin von Manteuffel and the new Prussian Chief of Staff, Helmuth von Moltke, created plans to update the army. The old system, designed by Gerhard von Scharnhorst, called for three years of military service for everyone. It also suggested raising new regiments and reducing the role of the reserve army, called the Landwehr. The Landwehr was famous for its role in the War of Liberation in 1813.

However, Roon believed the Landwehr was not effective enough for modern warfare. He also thought it caused political problems. Roon's ideas for reorganizing the army faced strong opposition from the Prussian Landtag (the Prussian parliament). The parliament was controlled by the liberal German Progress Party, which wanted to control the army's budget. It took years of political struggle and strong support from the new prime minister, Otto von Bismarck, and Moltke, before Roon's plans were finally accepted.

Roon, in the center, with Otto von Bismarck (left) and Helmuth Graf von Moltke (right). These three leaders were very important in Prussia during the 1860s.

A National Hero

After Prussia won the Second Schleswig War in 1864, Roon became a national hero in Germany. Before this, many people in Prussia disliked him.

When the Austro-Prussian War began, Roon was promoted to General der Infanterie. He was present at the important victory at Königgrätz, where Moltke was in command. Roon received the Order of the Black Eagle award. After 1866, his army system was adopted by the entire North German Confederation. In later years, other countries in Europe copied his army system.

During the Franco-Prussian War in 1870–71, Roon was with Prussian King Wilhelm I. This war was a huge victory for Prussia, and Roon's work greatly helped this success. He was given the title of Graf (count) on January 19, 1871, shortly after Moltke. In January 1873, he took over from Bismarck as Minister President of Prussia. However, he had to resign later that year due to poor health, giving the job back to Bismarck. Roon was promoted to field marshal on January 1, 1873.

Albrecht von Roon died in Berlin on February 23, 1879. He was buried in his family's crypt at Schloss Krobnitz.

Memorials

The armored cruiser SMS Roon, a type of warship completed in 1906, was named after Albrecht von Roon.

Honours

He received many awards and decorations, including:

See also

In Spanish: Albrecht von Roon para niños