born April 30, 1803, Pleushagen, near Kolberg, Pomerania
died Feb. 23, 1879, Berlin, Ger.
Prussian army officer.
He aided Prince William (later Emperor William I ) in suppressing the insurrection in Baden (1848). As minister of war (1859–73), he improved the Prussian army by requiring universal military service and a permanent reserve. His reforms contributed to the army's decisive victories in the Seven Weeks' War (1866) and the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71), which helped make Germany the leading power on the European continent.