Paul von Mezanelli (1757-1822)

Paul Graf von Mezanelli (1757 – 22/23 November 1822) was an Italian-born officer in Bavarian service who rose to the rank of Generalmajor and received the Ritterkreuz of the Militär-Max-Joseph-Orden for his conduct in the 1805 campaign.

Born in Verona in 1757, he was the son of Count Franz von Mezanelli and Maria Theresia (née Countess von Michaeli). He entered the Bavarian cadet corps at Munich in 1777 and, in the same year, obtained (by purchase) a Rittmeister appointment in the cuirassier regiment “Minucci.” He advanced to Major on 5 March 1786 and to Oberstleutnant on 18 April 1792.

In February 1795 Mezanelli transferred to the 2nd Chevaulegers-Regiment “Bretzenheim.” On 15 May 1798 he received the brevet (Charakter) rank of Oberst; on 11 October 1798 he became regimental commander; and on 14 May 1799 he was promoted to full Oberst. He commanded the regiment until his promotion to Generalmajor on 23 September 1804.

At the opening of the 1805 campaign against Austria he commanded the 3rd brigade. He was credited with distinguished service in the capture of the fortress of Kufstein (10 November 1805). For Kufstein he received the Bavarian Militär-Ehrenzeichen (11 January 1806) and, upon the establishment of the Militär-Max-Joseph-Orden, the Ritterkreuz by army order dated 1 March 1806.

In the 1806–1807 campaign against Prussia, Mezanelli commanded the 1st brigade of the 2nd Bavarian division under Generalleutnant Carl Philipp von Wrede. During Wrede’s sudden serious illness, Mezanelli received temporary command of the division and led it on the march via Dresden and onward through Cottbus and Guben to Breslau, which capitulated early January 1807. After the occupation of Breslau (3 January 1807) he commanded a cavalry brigade and took part in the siege of Brieg and the action at Grottkau (10 January 1807), for which he was named in commendation in an army order dated 18 January 1807.

After the campaign he was assigned (24 December 1807) to a cavalry brigade at the general command in Swabia, and on 25 January 1808 he was placed on the retired list as a Generalmajor. He died at Kaufbeuren on the night of 22–23 November 1822.

Sources

• Paul von Mezanelli (German Wikipedia)
• Baptist Schrettinger, Der Königlich Bayerische Militär-Max-Joseph-Orden und seine Mitglieder (1882) — online editions index (Enzyklothek)
• “The Germans under the French Eagles” (Sauzey), Bavaria Chapter 3 (Napoleon Series PDF)
• Kurpfalz-bayerisches Militär-Ehrenzeichen (German Wikipedia; includes Mezanelli among awardees)
• Geschichte des königlich-bayerischen 5. Chevaulegers- … (Bavarikon; regimental history with references to Generalmajor Graf Mezanelli)