Feldzeugmeister
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Feldzeugmeister was a military rank in the mercenary army,especially in the artillery. It was commonly used in the 16th or 17th century but could even be found in the beginning of the 20th century in some European countries.
[edit] Origin of the word
To explain the origin of the German word it has to be split into the three fragments: Feld-Zeug-Meister. The word Feld stands for battlefield. "Zeug" is an old German word for ordnance including all military equipment while "Meister" corresponds with commanding chief. It has to be noted that the expression was used since Philip VI of France, long before ordinary guns or cannons had been used on the battle field.
[edit] Military Rank
The ranks leading to Feldzeugmeister are Feldhauptmann and Feldmarschall then as the third most important person in the army, Feldzeugmeister. Although the expression was common in the German artillery Austrian, Hungarian and French militias use the word as well.
In 1898 the Ministry of War of the Kingdom of Prussia created the position of a Feldzeugmeister which was comparable to the commander of a division. The Feldzeugmeister was in charge of delivering weapons, ammunition and personnel.
In Bavaria of 1906 the inspection of weapons was organised by the department of the Feldzeugmeister.
As the position of a Feldzeugmeister differed by German states an Austrian and Hungarian Feldzeugmeister has a slightly different meaning. The Feldzeugmeister was the second highest rank of the Austrian army placing him between Generalfeldmarschall and Field Marshal.
A list of the most important Feldzeugmeisters is difficult to be created as the number of Feldzeugmeister within the past 400 years is extremely large and the success of a Feldzeugmeister cannot only be measured by loss or victory during a battle. Therefore the Austrian Feldzeugmeister Eugéne Guillaume Alexis, Graf von Mercy-Argenteau should be mentioned as a typical example. He joined the army as a man aged 17. His ancestors had been successful combatants in previous wars and it was obvious that he would rise in the hierarchy of the Austrian army. His first successful military operation was made at the age of 17, followed by his promotion to the rank of Major when he was 30 years old. In the next years his bravery became well known and he became Feldzeugmeister, serving Joseph Nikolaus Freiherr de Vins during the war in Italy. Eugéne Guillaume Alexis became a highly decorated major general. After the end of the war he retired. It has to be mentioned that many Feldzeugmeister didn't retire but lost their lives during battles.
