Rutger von Ascheberg
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Count Rutger von Ascheberg (1621-1693) was a soldier, officer and civil servant in Swedish service, being appointed Lieutenant General in 1670, General in 1674, Field Marshal in 1678, Governor General of Skåneland (the Scanian provinces), i.e. the provinces of Scania, Halland and Blekinge, in 1680, and Royal Councilor in 1681.
He was of an old Westphalian family that had emigrated to Courland in the 16th century. At the age of 13 he served as page at the Swedish army in Germany. He was present at the Battle of Nördlingen in 1634.
In 1639 he left the army for studies in France. At the age of 19 he was drafted to a Hessian cavalry regiment in Swedish service. He distinguished himself at the Battle of Wolfenbüttel 1641 and though wounded in the Battle of Breitenfeld 1642 he fought bravely under Lennart Torstenson in the latter years of the Thirty Years' War, and in Poland.
In the war against Denmark he led his own cavalry regiment in 1655 and was promoted Colonel in 1657.
He was badly wounded at the attack on Copenhagen in 1658. When he was brought to Sweden to recover it was the first time he actually sat foot on Sweden proper, though he had served in the Swedish army for almost 24 years.
In the Scanian War he distinguished himself at the Battle of Halmstad 1676 and at the Battle of Landskrona 1677.
A major street is named in his honor in the city of Gothenburg, where he also lies buried in Tyska kyrkan (the German Church), Gothenburg.
[edit] References
- Björlin, Gustaf.: Kriget mot Danmark 1675-1679. Stockholm 1885.
- Wahlöö, Claes. Larsson, Göran.: Slaget vid Lund. Lund 1998.
