Moltke, << MAWLT kuh, >> Helmuth Karl von (1800-1891), was a Prussian military genius. He ranked next to Prince Otto von Bismarck as a builder of the German Empire.
Moltke was appointed to the Prussian general staff in 1832. He became chief of staff in 1858. As chief of staff, Moltke prepared the military plans for the wars with Denmark in 1864, with Austria in 1866, and with France in 1870. His campaigns always succeeded. Moltke’s greatest triumph was the Prussian victory over France. His armies won decisively at Sedan on Sept. 1, 1870. Metz fell in October, and the Prussian armies entered Paris in triumph (see Franco-Prussian War ).
Moltke was born on Oct. 26, 1800, in the duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and grew up in the city of Lubeck. He graduated from the Royal Military Academy in Copenhagen. His nephew Helmuth von Moltke served as commander of the German Army in France at the beginning of World War I. Moltke died on April 24, 1891.
