Hans Christoff von Königsmarck

Who was Hans Christoff von Königsmarck?

Count Hans Christoff von Königsmarck, of Tjust, son of Conrad von Königsmarck and Beatrix von Blumenthal, was a Swedish-German soldier who commanded Sweden's legendary flying column, a force which played a key role in Gustavus Adolphus' strategy.

He was born in Kötzlin, Altmark. He was appointed Major General in 1640, Governor General of Bremen-Verden in 1645, Privy Councilor in 1651 and Field Marshal in 1655. He is best known for the battle of Prague between 25 June and 1 November 1648 which ended the Thirty Years' War.

In 1655 Königsmarck erected a castle in Lieth and named it after his wife Agathe von Leesten. The name of the castle, Agathenburg, also became the toponym of the village Lieth. The field marshal Otto Wilhelm von Königsmarck was his son, and his granddaughter by another son was Aurora von Königsmarck. He died, aged 63, in Stockholm.