Scharnhorst’s Mentor: Count Wilhelm zu Schaumburg-Lippe and the Origins of the Modern National Army

Abstract

Imperial count of the Holy Roman Empire and sovereign ruler Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst zu Schaumburg-Lippe (1724–1777) established in his small state of Schaumburg-Lippe the prototype of the nation in arms decades before the French levée en masse. Count Wilhelm also founded an educational institution designed to educate and train both civilian and military leaders in homeland defence. He was also the first German prince to condemn aggressive, offensive war. His most famous student was Gerhard von Scharnhorst. After Prussia’s catastrophic defeat in 1806, Scharnhorst was able to lay the foundations of a modern Prussian military along the lines of Count Wilhelm’s national army. Using primary and secondary source material, this article analyses the tremendous contribution of Count Wilhelm zu Schaumburg-Lippe to modern military history.