Wokół militarnej twórczości Karla Augusta von Struenseego

Abstract

Karl August von Struensee (1735-1804) was one of the most prominent representatives of military literature in Silesia in the 18th century. His work in this field gained recognition during the early years of his life when he served as a lecturer at the Knight Academy in Legnica until 1771. In the following years, he worked in the civil service, eventually advancing to the position of minister in the service of the Prussian monarchy, which he held for the last few years of his life. He never served in the military, however, works on artillery and fortifications – and these were the most important in Struensee’s military writings – written by non-military personnel were not uncommon in the 18th century’s truly “golden age” of military literature. However, it is worth acknowledging that Struensee’s works on artillery and fortifications not only surpassed the average level of literature devoted to these fields but, according to the most credible opinions, presented an excellent level of analysis and reflection. The author positioned himself in the genre of the so-called “military Enlightenment,” with the three volume work on fortifications published between 1771 and 1774 being undoubtedly his opus vitae. He also critically translated into German the famous Mes Rêveries by Maurice de Saxe.