Description

Friedrich Freiherr von der Trenck (1726-1794) was a Prussian officer, adventurer, and author. Von der Trenck was born in Königsberg, East Prussia. He entered the Prussian army in 1740 and became an orderly officer of King Frederick II of Prussia. However, he was imprisoned one year later, in 1745, at Glatz under the guard of Heinrich August de la Motte FouquÃ(c). In 1746, von der Trenck escaped from the fortress of Glatz (Klodzko). Then, in 1749, he obtained an employment as Rittmeister of an imperial cuirassier regiment in Hungary. In 1753, he went to Danzig for family reasons, but was again captured, on the orders of Frederick II, and was sent to the â€œSternschanzeâ€ (literally: Star-shaped Redoubt) in Magdeburg. In 1763, he was released through the intervention of Empress Maria Theresa. During the next ten years, von der Trenck led an active life. He busied himself in writing literature, running a wine trading business, and travelling to England and France. His works include: The Life and Adventures of Baron Trenck (2 volumes, 1786-7) and Memoirs (1787).