- Johann von Werth
Count Johann von Werth (1591 –
September 12 1652 ), also "Jan von Werth" or in French "Jean de Werth", was a Germangeneral ofcavalry in theThirty Years' War .He was born in 1591 at
Büttgen in theduchy of Jülich as the eldest son with eight more brothers and sisters. His parents (Johann von Wierdt (†1606) and Elisabeth Streithoven) belonged to the numerous class of the lesser nobility, and at an early age he left home to follow the career of a soldier of fortune in the Walloon cavalry of the Spanish service. In 1622, at the taking of Jülich, he won promotion to the rank of lieutenant. He served as a colonel of cavalry in theBavaria n army in 1630. He obtained the command of a regiment, both titular and effective, in 1632, and in 1633 and 1634 laid the foundations of his reputation as a swift and terrible leader ofcavalry forays. His services were even more conspicuous in the great pitchedBattle of Nördlingen (1634) , after which the emperor made him a "Freiherr" of the Empire, and the elector of Bavaria gave him the rank of lieutenant field-marshal. About this time he armed his regiment with themusket as well as thesword .In 1635 and 1636 his forays extended into Lorraine andLuxembourg , after which he projected an expedition into the heart ofFrance . Starting in July 1636, from the country of the lower Meuse, he raided far and wide, and even urged the cardinal infante, who commanded in chief, to "plant the double eagle on theLouvre ." Though this was not attempted. Worth's horsemen appeared at Saint-Denis before the uprising of the French national spirit in the shape of an army of fifty thousand men atCompiegne forced the invaders to retire whence they had come. The memory of thisraid lasted long, and the name of "Jean de Wert" figures in folk-songs and serves as a bogey to quiet unruly children.In 1637 Werth was once more in the
Rhine valley, destroying convoys, relieving besieged towns and surprising the enemy's camps. In February 1638 he defeated the Weimar troops in an engagement atRheinfelden , but shortly afterwards was made prisoner byBernhard of Saxe-Weimar . His hopes of being exchanged for the Swedish field marshalGustaf Horn were disappointed for Bernhard had to deliver up his captive to the French. The terrible Jean de Wert was brought toParis , amidst great rejoicings from the country people. He was lionized by the society of the capital, visited in prison by high ladies, who marvelled at his powers of drinking and his devotion totobacco . So light was his captivity that he said that nothing bound him but his "word of honour". However, he looked forward with anxiety for his release, which was delayed until March 1642 because the imperial government feared to see Horn at the head of the Swedish army and would not allow an exchange.When at last he reappeared in the field it was as general of cavalry in the imperial and Bavarian and
Cologne services. His first campaign against the French marshal Guebriant was uneventful, but his second (1643) in which BaronFranz von Mercy was his commander-in-chief, ended with the victory of Tuttlingen, a surprise on a large scale, in which Werth naturally played the leading part. In 1644 he was in the lower Rhine country, but he returned to Mercy's headquarters in time to take a brilliant share in the battle ofFreiburg . In the following year his resolution and bravery, and also his uncontrolled rashness, played themost conspicuous part in deciding the day at the second battle ofNördlingen . Mercy was killed in this action, and Werth succeeded to the command of the defeated army, but he was soon superseded by Field-marshal Geleen. Johann von Werth was disappointed, but remained thoroughly loyal to his soldierly code of honour, and found an outlet for his anger in renewed military activity.In 1647 differences arose between the elector and the emperor as to the allegiance due from the Bavarian troops, in which, after long hesitation, Werth, fearing that the cause of the Empire and of the Catholic religion would be ruined if the elector resumed control of the troops, attempted to take his men over the
Austria n border. But they refused, to follow, and escaping with great difficulty from the elector's vengeance Werth found a refuge in Austria. The emperor was grateful for his conduct in this affair, ordered the elector to rescind his ban, and made Werth a count. The last campaign of the war (1648) was uneventful, and shortly after its close he retired to live on the estates which he had bought in the course of his career, and on one of these,Benátky nad Jizerou near Königgrätz inBohemia , a gift from the emperor, he died onSeptember 12 1652 and was buried in the church of New Benatek nearby.References
*1911
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.