Georg Ludvig von der Schulenburg (1755-1828)

Georg Ludvig von der Schulenburg (also recorded as Georg Ludewig von der Schulenburg; later styled as a Reichsgraf/rigsgreve) was born 21 May 1755 at Bleckede near Lüneburg and died 29 March 1828 in Copenhagen, where he was buried at Garnisons Kirkegård. Of German noble origin, he entered Danish service as a child; at the age of eleven he came to Denmark as a page at court. He left court service in 1771, entered military training as a landkadet, and was commissioned in the Danish infantry on becoming sekondløjtnant in 1772. He advanced to premierløjtnant in 1781 and to kaptajn in 1782.

As kaptajn he held staff employment in Copenhagen, serving as an adjutant at the governor’s staff under Duke Friedrich Karl Ferdinand of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Bevern; from 1784 he served as generaladjudant with the prince of Bevern and remained attached to him during postings in Germany until he formally left that employment to volunteer for active campaigning abroad. In 1788 he obtained afsked from Danish service as major to join Russian service for the war against the Ottoman Empire, and in 1789 he continued in Russian operations in Finland against Sweden. In these campaigns he received Russian recognition including the Georgskorset (Order of St George) and a guldkårde.

Returning to the Danish-Norwegian forces, he was taken back into the Norwegian establishment: in 1790 he became kar. (character/nominal) and really serving major (with seniority carried from 1789) in the Norwegian army component of the Danish monarchy. He served first with the Norwegian Jæger formations and, from 1798, with Søndenfjelds-Infanteriregiment. In 1793 he was appointed tertsmajor with a regiment on Sjælland. In 1801 he received a reserved (reserveret) seniority position toward oberstløjtnant and was appointed 3. stabsofficer; in 1802 he became really serving oberstløjtnant.

In 1806 he was appointed kar. oberst, and in 1807 he became regimentschef; in this period he was transferred among major Danish formations and held regimental-level command responsibilities in Copenhagen’s defensive establishment. He took command of Marineregiment and, from 1808, also of the Kopenhagener Infanteriregiment, while also being placed as Oberbefehlshaber of the Drabantgarden. He was promoted to General-Major in 1809. In 1812 he served for a time as kommandant in Copenhagen.

During the later phase of the Napoleonic Wars, Schulenburg was employed in Holstein with the Danish field forces. In 1813 he served as brigadekommandør in the bevægelige armédivision in Holsten and, during General J. V. Ewald’s illness, he replaced General J. Th. Wegener as commander of the division until Prince Frederik of Hessen assumed command, after which Schulenburg reverted to brigade command. In the retreat of the division, organized as the auxiliærkorpset operating in Mecklenburg and Holstein while Denmark was still aligned with France, he was a principal brigade commander and was closely involved in the operational decision to force a breakthrough back toward Rendsborg. In the Battle of Sehested on 10 December 1813 he led storm columns in the attack through the enemy blocking position and played a direct role in the successful assault at Sehested that enabled Danish mounted troops (notably the Fynske dragoner) to exploit the action. For his conduct he received the Kommandørkors of the Dannebrogordens.

On 1 January 1814 he took over Glückstadt from Swedish forces and began demolition of the fortress works. He then took part in the movement of the 2. auxiliærkorps on Denmark’s transition into the coalition struggle against Napoleon, although his later 1814 employment focused more on command and occupation duties than on additional major field engagements. While he was absent on field service he had been appointed kommandør for garden til fods (Livgarden til Fods), and after returning he again became kommandant in Copenhagen; he held both of these posts for the remainder of his life.

Schulenburg was promoted to generalløjtnant in 1815. In the same year he received the Storkors (Grand Cross) of the Dannebrogordens, and in 1817 he was named Dannebrogsmann. He also held the appointment of generaladjudant with the queen during the period when King Frederik VI attended the Congress of Vienna. He remained Copenhagen’s kommandant and a senior household/guard commander until his death on 29 March 1828.