Overview
Ludwig Georg Thedel Graf von Wallmoden (6 February 1769 – 22 March 1862) was an Austrian General of the Cavalry, best known for his training of light infantry and the refinement of the Tirailleur system. As a grandson of George II of Great Britain and first cousin of George III, he is perhaps the only individual from that generation to have been photographed, within the broader British royal family.
Early life and ancestry
Born into the House of Wallmoden, he was the second son of Johann Ludwig Reichsgraf von Wallmoden-Gimborn (1736–1811) and his first wife, Charlotte Christiane Auguste Wilhelmine von Wangenheim (1740–1783). At the time of Ludwig's birth, his father was British ambassador in Austria. Johann was an illegitimate son of George II of Great Britain by his mistress Amalie von Wallmoden. She was married to Adam Gottlieb, Count Wallmoden (1704–1752), but for a payment of 1000 Ducats the Count was prepared to defer his claims on his wife to George, and was finally separated from her in 1740.
Biography
Wallmoden first entered the Hanoverian Army, and then in 1790 the Prussian Army. While serving in the Prussian army as a captain in Wolfradt's hussars he distinguished himself at the battle of Kaiserslautern winning the Pour le Mérite but was simultaneously bayoneted in the chest.
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