Georges-Louis II d'Erbach-Schönberg

Vicomte de Schoenbourg

Georges-Louis II d'Erbach-Schönberg by Pompeo Batoni, c. 1745.

**Georges-Louis II d'Erbach-Schönberg** (27th January, 1723 - 11th February 1777) was a Franconian aristocrat and Prussian-Russian courtier, diplomat and scholar. Originally destined to inherit the Comital domains of the Schönberg Estate, history would have his fate as otherwise when he was graced with the opportunity to travel as a Prussian attaché to the Russian Empire in the wake of the marriage of the Grand Duke Peter to then-Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, the now Catherine II of Russia. He briefly entered the Russian military service as a foreign observer, working with the short-reigned Emperor Peter III in building the Russian-Prussian alliance during the Seven Years' War.

Described by contemporaries as a kind, thoughtful and devout man, Georges-Louis II was a predominately pious and loyal subject to the Prussian Crown. Like his father, he yearned for Prussian supremacy against the dark cloud of Habsburg corruption in the Holy-Roman Empire, seeking to elevate Erbach's status through service to Prussia. Considered as shy and courteous, he notably said little in public but was full of conversation in private. He was cautious to avoid involvement in any damaging scenarios, such as membership in political factions or participation in scandalous affairs. It was said to be one of the saving graces that prevented his downfall in Russia after the overthrow of Emperor Peter III and the same motivation that Frédéric le Grand appointed him as a representative in that same manner.

Albeit his diligence, there would be a divide among the Schönberg barons as they grew older. Georges-Louis II's younger brother, Charles-Eugène, would fall into the darkness of Austrian influence, joining their military and fighting against the Prussians during the War of Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War. His other brothers, Georges-Auguste II and Gustave-Ernest would later join the French service. Despite this political divide, the brotherly relationship would remain intact in their later years.

Known by most as a man of simple tastes, much like his father, Georges-Louis II prevailed in the provincial lifestyle. Although raised with a fine education and a prowess for the French language and courtly etiquette, he was never truly fond of court society. He preferred to go hunting than attending balls; he attended military exercises over the theatre; he preferred simpler suits and few excessive habiliments. What would otherwise be considered degrading behaviour of an aristocrat, Georges-Louis II was a proponent of the Enlightenment, much like Frédéric le Grand. He was a kind and just ruler over the Schönberg domains, inheriting them in 1758 and ruling over them until his demise in 1777. His later life would be devoted to piety, charity and continued service to the Crown.

## **Early Life**

### Birth

The occasion of Georges-Louis' birth was, despite the bone-chilling weather, relatively sound and without much eventfulness. He was born in the early morning of 27 January, 1723 in the matrimonial bedchamber of his mother, Ferdinande-Henriette de Stolberg-Gedern, at the Château de Schönberg in the synonymous valley that they called 'home'. In attendance at the childbearing was his father, the then-reigning comte, Georges-Auguste d'Erbach-Schönberg and an assortment of government officials, local gentry and servants. While giving birth, Ferdinande-Henriette audibly complaint of a short breath and overwhelming heat; immediately, without question, the comte ordered the windows of the entire Château to be opened, permitting the frosty air to cool the atmosphere and relieve the provincial court of the fears of losing both the child and comtesse.

### Infancy

Following his birth, Georges-Louis was consecrated in a baptismal ceremony held at the Église Saint-Michel de Bensheim, the patronised parish of the Schönberg dynasty. As an infant, Georges-Louis was described as happy and gregarious. Despite his parents being the hereditary overlords of the valley, they viewed themselves in a familial role, believing their subjects to be more than serfs and possessions. In a time where absolutism reigned supreme over Europe, the Schönberg valley found itself under the government of a benevolent family, devoted to religion, charity, justice and the full embrace of the Enlightenment.

### Childhood and Early Education

For over the course of a decade and then-some, Ferdinande-Henriette de Stolberg-Gedern found herself bedridden as the Château de Schönberg would be the site of the birth of all nine of Georges-Louis' siblings; a child was born nearly annually. Albeit Georges-Auguste's sexual appetite to ensure his line of succession- typical of his stock of the time, he ensured that all of his children received a substantial and ethically Protestant education, bar no exception. As soon as Georges-Louis gained the ability to speak, he was tutored on history, theology, mathematics, French, Latin, Italian and naturally, German.

### War of the Polish Succession

Given the nature of Erbach-Schönberg being an imperial domain within the Holy-Roman Empire, it was mandated for the aristocracy to contribute to the Empire in various aspects, including military service. When Georges-Louis attained ten years of age, he was taken by his father to participate in the Imperial Army's campaign against France, joining the forces of the Swabian Circle, of which the entire Erbach dynasty was member of, in supporting the relief efforts at Kehl and later at Philippsburg.
By chance or fate, history could not say, but it would be in the Imperial encampment at Philippsburg did Georges-Louis cross paths with the future Frédéric II. **Jacques Fitz-James, Duc de Berwick**, the Bastard-son of James II Stuart of England, exiled in France after the Glorious Revolution had deposed his father, was now in French service as a Marshal, created in this office by the late Sun King, Louis XIV of France. At the outbreak of the War of the Polish Succession in 1733, the Duc de Berwick was ordained Generalissimo of the French Army of the Rhine; with great austerity, Berwick laid siege to Kehl and Philippsburg, much to the challenge of the Swabian governors of either fortress. Despite the dilapidated state of the Imperial fortifications along the Rhine, Philippsburg would prove to be the fatal epitaph of Berwick's legacy. On the morning of 12 June, 1734, during an inspection of the French trenches near the fortress, a stray cannonball decapitated the Maréchal de Berwick. This tragic demise would require that the siege operations become entrusted to the Marquis d'Asfeld, a man experienced in poliorcetics; The supreme command of the army passed to the Duc de Noailles, who had witnessed Berwick's death.

On June 1, the Imperial Commander-in-Chief, the venerable and esteemed Eugène de Savoie, on the orders of the Emperor, set in motion the relief army, whose strength, comprised of the various soldiers from across the Empire, including Prussia and the Erbach domains, reached 70,000 men. On June 27, the Prince's forces arrived at Bruchsal. Despite the chaos of war, it would suffice to say that Georges-Louis did in fact learn much of his craft from observing the ruthless and diligent leadership of the revered Savoyard commander. Among his military curriculum, Georges-Louis developed an understanding of fortifications, poliorcetics, engineering, military drill, and, despite the odds, proper courtly etiquette and discipline; some of his more serious pass-times being the study of fencing and marksmanship.

### Adolescence

#### *The Late War and Armistice*

Amidst the business of war, there still remained the internal strife of the Imperial Estates. Eugène de Savoie, the much revered commander, was rather advanced in age. Despite the prince's admirable past, his mental state had withered away with the likes of the Imperial treasury. The Empire, strained by a deteriorated army and corruption-riddled administration, was in an economic crisis. Capitalising on the situation, Prussia's then-ruling Frédéric-Guillaume I offered to Emperor Charles VI a Prussian army of 50,000 men as a concession for Austrian recognition over the Prussian inheritance of the Duchies of Juliers, Cleves and Berg. The Emperor, too prideful to admit to the Imperial struggle, declined this offer, instead, favouring support from Empress Anna-Ivanovna of Russia, who contributed a force of 20,000 men under the Comte Pierre de Lacy.
Following several years of onslaught, the war ended with the Peace of Vienna, negotiated in secret in 1735. Eugène de Savoie, old and weakened, urged the Emperor to negotiate peace. The war, although less devastating and shorter than those of previous centuries, further decimated the Polish population; The conflict between the central and western European powers served as a diversion for Russia, which took the opportunity to attack the Ottomans in the Balkans in the meanwhile.

#### *Studies at Saint Jean-Baptiste de Berge*

In the aftermath of the armistice, Georges-Louis returned home with his father to Schönberg in 1738. The following year, then-aged sixteen, Georges-Louis was admitted to the Abbaye Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Berge, one of the leading monastic educational institutions of the Protestant nobility increasingly becoming part of the Prussian sphere of influence in the wake of Prussian impressionism. The monastery was governed by the Very Reverend Johann Adam Steinmetz, the stern, kindly and extremely knowledgeable Abbott. While attending the monastery, was Georges-Louis noticed by Abbé Steinmetz that he was very matured for his age. Upon Seinmetz's recommendation, Georges-Louis trained as a court page and took extra lessons the etiquette of court. For the duration of his studies, he would join other students enrolled as pages, traveling to Berlin in order to attend court and spectate the events that occurred. Through his father's influence, Georges-Louis managed to be assigned as the page of Friedrich Wilhelm, Freiherr von Grumbkow, the Prussian de-facto Prime Minister and President of the General War Commissariat.

#### *Tenure as Court Page to Marschall von Grumbkow*

On 18 March 1739, von Grumbkow died, barely a year prior to the King. During his time spent with the late Prussian commander, Georges-Louis had grown weary of his position. His charge was a diligent, through bombastic and cruel figure, full of sinister vices, ranging from an unsightly adoration for beer, to being in the Imperial payroll, often betraying the King's trust to line his pockets with Austrian gold. In public, Grumbkow was often described as a heartfelt, thoughtful and useful man, a loyal subject to the King with a great thirst for activity in military and civil administration. In private he was a lazy, drunk and sometimes physically abusive idler... not too unlike from his sovereign.

#### *Studies at the Université Frédericienne*

Upon the culmination of his studies at Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Berge, the time had come for Georges-Louis to complete his education by submitting an application to the most prestigious institution in the nation: The *Université Frédericienne.* Following the death of Grumbkow, Georges-Louis commenced his studies in the fall of 1739, enrolling in the subjects of Latin, Philosophy, Classicalism and Literature. Among his pupils, his education continued under the guidance of a slew of Protestant theologians and expert Abbés-Professeurs, namely the chief clerics in the Kingdom: Franz Albert Schultz, Johann Jakob Quandt, Christoph Langhansen and Daniel Heinrich Arnoldt. These men, held in great esteem by the Prussian academic community, held their own sort of court in the university, much-admired and much respected, despite subtle differences on certain viewpoints.

## Titles, Styles and Honours

### Titles and Styles

Vicomte de Schoenbourg

Chevalier de Plön