Seybothen, Johann Philipp von

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Seybothen, Johann Philipp von

Franconian Major-General (1710/1711–1714)

born 25 January 1660

died 29 October 1714, Rothenburg

Description

Seyboth or Seybothen was member of an important family from the Imperial Free City of Rothenburg. In 1699, Seyboth married Maria Catharina, daughter of Brandenburg-Bayreuth Assessor (assistant judge) Christoph Erdmann von Guttenberg. The pair had six children, Catharina Christina Maria, Johanna Charlotta Friderica, who both married according to their rank. Christian Krafft, born 1705, maybe died young, Carl Ludwig, born 1707, made it major and died in 1766; Adam Philipp Erdmann died young in 1710 and Philipp Heinrich Erdmann Ehrenreich became lawyer and counsellor.

Johann Philipp held some civilian appointments to the Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, namely Kammerjunker (chamberlain) and Amtmann (head of the local administration) in Dachsbach, Ühlfeld and Liebenau.

We can trace Johann Philipp's military career from May 1682, when he was mustered as an ensign with the Rothenburg company Löher in the Franconian regiment Andlau. The regiment marched to Vienna to take part in the famous lifting of the siege. In 1687, Seyboth is mentioned as a lieutenant and some time in the first third of the year 1689 he was promoted captain and obtained a Rothenburg company of infantry in the regiment Erffa.

During the Nine Year‘s War (1688–1697), Seybothen was promoted to major (in the first half of the year 1694).

In 1701, at the beginning of the War of Spanish Succession, Seybothen was promoted to lieutenant-colonel. We can only assume that he took part in all the campaigns of his regiment, including the battles of Friedlingen/Hüningen (1702), Höchstädt (1703) and Blenheim (1704).

In 1702, after Colonel Prenner had died from his wounds, Seybothen was made colonel, still in the same regiment Erffa he had begun his career in.

From 1705, Seybothen repeatedly did apply for the rank of major-general.

On 16 July 1706, Seybothen in vain tried to stop the French attack on the so-called Sellingerwörth, a small islet in the Rhine opposite Fort Louis. It had been occupied by only 50 Germans, who had to retreat after the French attacked with at first 900 men. A firefight between the French, who had landed reinforcements and Seybothen‘s three battalions (from regiments Erffa, Boyneburg and Thost) on the right bank of the Rhine ensued. Finally, Margrave Christian Ernst, who had taken command, and Seybothen had to retreat on order of Margrave Louis. This was the last major action of the regiment and probably of Seybothen during the war.

Finally, in 1710 or 1711, Seybothen was promoted to major-general. In 1711 he was made general quartermaster.

In 1713, as Erffa did serve as a Feldzeugmeister, Seybothen was given the full administration of the regiment, when he had only one more year to live.

Seybothen died on 29 October 1714 in Rothenburg.

Another Seybothen, Johann Sigmund Conrad (1678-1751), at least made it proprietor of the former regiment Erffa in 1750, enjoying it for only one year as he died in 1751.

References

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

Heller: Der Feldzug am Oberrhein…, in Österreichische militärische Zeitschrift 1849, vol. 4 [naming Seybothen as a Swabian officer]

Documents from Bavarian state archives Nuremberg and Bamberg, city archives Rothenburg.

Acknowledgement

Klaus Roider for the initial version of this article