Boyen, Hermann von

Boyen, Hermann von

(boi`ən), 1771–1848, Prussian field marshal. After the Prussian defeat by Emperor Napoleon INapoleon I
, 1769–1821, emperor of the French, b. Ajaccio, Corsica, known as "the Little Corporal." Early Life

The son of Carlo and Letizia Bonaparte (or Buonaparte; see under Bonaparte, family), young Napoleon was sent (1779) to French military schools at
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 and the disastrous treaties of Tilsit in 1807 (see SovetskSovetsk
, formerly Tilsit
, town (1989 pop. 41,900), NW European Russia, on the Neman River at the mouth of the Tilse. It is a rail junction, a river port, and an industrial and commercial center in an agricultural area.
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), he assisted ScharnhorstScharnhorst, Gerhard Johann David von
, 1755–1813, Prussian general. A Hanoverian army officer, military writer, and director of the war college, he entered Prussian service in 1801.
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 in the reorganization of the Prussian army. As chief of staff to F. W. von BülowBülow, Friedrich Wilhelm, Freiherr von
, 1755–1816, Prussian general in the Napoleonic Wars. After his victories (1813) over the French at Gross Beeren and at Dennewitz he was created count of Dennewitz. In 1815 he played a conspicuous part in the Waterloo campaign.
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, he fought (1813–14) against the French in the War of Liberation, and as minister of war (1814–19) he completed the reforms that were initiated earlier. His measures, including the introduction of general conscription and the development of a national guard, formed the basis of Prussian military strength. He was again minister of war from 1841 to 1847.