Schnebelin, Johann Andreas von

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Schnebelin, Johann Andreas von

Franconian General-Feldwachtmeister (1701-1704), Feldmarschall-Lieutenant (1704-1705)

born date unknown

died 1705

Description

One of the most mysterious Franconian generals is Johann Andreas von Schnebelin. His family comes from the Alsatian Imperial knighthood. Nothing more seems to be known.

His military career we can more or less follow from January 1692, when he is mentioned as a lieutenant-colonel in the Würzburg regiment Johann Ernst von Bibra.

In 1693, he became proprietor and colonel of the former Franconian regiment Hedesdorff, after the latter had been cashiered and sentenced to death after surrendering Heidelberg to the French (he was pardoned and died in a monastery in 1717).

We can assume that Schnebelin took part in the campaigns of his regiment during the Nine Years’ War (1688-97). Some of his messages concerning his regiment have survived in the Franconian archives.

In 1699, Schnebelin was appointed deputy governor of the Fortress Philippsburg.

In 1701 Schnebelin was promoted Franconian major-general, and in 1704 Feldmarschall-Lieutenant.

Schnebelin died in 1705, his regiment was given to Johann Emeran Emerich von Helmstätt.

Johann Andreas Schnebelin is the author of the curious Erklärung der Wunder-seltzamen Land-Charten Utopiæ, so das ist/ das neu-entdeckte Schlarraffenland: Worinnen All und jede Laster der schalckhafftigen Welt/ als besondere Königreiche/ Herrschafften… (Explanation of the wonderful-strange map of Utopia, that is newly discovered Cockaigne: wherein all vices of the mischievous world, and kingdoms, principalities…).

References

Documents from the Bavarian state archives at Nuremberg and Bamberg.

Helmes, Hermann: Übersicht zur Geschichte der fränkischen Kreistruppen 1664-1714. München 1905.

N.B.: a copyrighted portrait from is to be found at the Digitaler PortraitIndex

Acknowledgement

Klaus Roider for the initial version of this article