View source for Alfred von Waldersee

{{Short description|German field marshal (1832–1904)}}
{{for|the community in Canada|Waldersee, Manitoba}}

{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = [[Graf]]
| name                = Alfred von Waldersee
| image               = Alfred von Waldersee (cropped).png
| caption             = Alfred von Waldersee in 1902
| order               = Chief of the [[German General Staff]]
| term_start          = 10 August 1888
| term_end            = 7 February 1891
| monarch             = [[Wilhelm II]]
| chancellor          = {{plainlist|
*[[Otto von Bismarck]]
*[[Leo von Caprivi]]}}
| predecessor         = [[Helmuth von Moltke the Elder|Helmuth von Moltke]]
| successor           = [[Alfred von Schlieffen]]
| birth_date          = {{birth date|df=y|1832|04|08}}
| birth_place         = [[Potsdam]], [[Province of Brandenburg]], [[Kingdom of Prussia]] in the [[German Confederation]]
| death_date          = {{Death date and age|df=y|1904|03|05|1832|04|08}}
| death_place         = [[Hanover]], [[Province of Hanover]], [[Kingdom of Prussia]] in the [[German Empire]]
| placeofburial_label = 
| placeofburial       = 
| placeofburial_coordinates = <!-- {{Coord|LAT|LONG|display=inline,title}} -->
| allegiance          = {{flag|Kingdom of Prussia}} (1850&ndash;1871)<br/>{{hr}}{{flag|German Empire}} (1871&ndash;1904)
| branch              = {{army|Prussia}}<br />{{hr}}[[File:Kaiserstandarte.svg|18px]] [[Imperial German Army]]
| serviceyears        = 1850-1904
| rank                = [[File:OF10 Generalfeldmarschall h (Preußen) 1918.gif|40px]] ''[[Generalfeldmarschall]]''
| servicenumber       = <!-- Do not use data from primary sources such as service records -->
| unit                = 
| commands            = 
| battles_label       = 
| battles             = [[Austro-Prussian War]]<br>[[Franco-Prussian War]]<br> [[Boxer Rebellion]]
| awards              = 
| memorials           = 
| spouse              = 
| relations           = [[Georg von Waldersee]]
| laterwork           = 
| signature           = 
| signature_size      = 
| signature_alt       = 
| website             = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
| module              = 
| nickname            = ''Weltmarschall'' (World Marshal)
}}

'''Alfred Heinrich Karl Ludwig Graf von Waldersee'''<ref>{{German title Graf}}</ref> (8 April 1832{{snd}}5 March 1904) was a German ''[[Generalfeldmarschall]]'' ([[Field marshal|Field Marshal]]) who served as Chief of the Imperial [[German General Staff]] and Commander of the International Relief Force during the [[Boxer Rebellion]]. 

Born into a military family, von Waldersee saw decorated service as an artillery officer, and became Prussian military attaché at the Paris embassy in 1870. This gave him insight into the French defences that would prove crucial in the upcoming [[Franco-Prussian War]], in which he played a significant role. Later, as principal assistant to Field-Marshal [[Helmuth Karl Bernhard von Moltke|Helmuth von Moltke the Elder]], Chief of the Imperial General Staff, von Waldersee gained influence with the future Kaiser [[Wilhelm II]], who promoted him Chief of Staff on his accession.

When the Peking legation compound was besieged by the [[Boxer Rebellion|Boxer insurgents]] in 1900, von Waldersee was appointed as head of an eight-nation relief force. Although he arrived too late to take part in the fighting, he conducted punitive expeditions, which succeeded in pacifying the Boxers, and allegedly took a Chinese mistress, [[Sai Jinhua]]. 

==Family==
Alfred von Waldersee was the fifth of six children of the Prussian cavalry general Franz Heinrich von Waldersee (1791–1873) and Bertha von Hünerbein (1799–1859). Franz Heinrich von Waldersee was the son of Franz Anton von Waldersee (1763–1823), an illegitimate son of [[Leopold III, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau|Leopold III Friedrich Franz, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau]] (1740–1817) and of Johanne Eleonore Hoffmeier (1739–1816). Nevertheless, Franz Anton was raised and educated at the ducal court and in 1786 was created a ''[[Graf]]'', or Count.

The Waldersee family estate, Waterneverstorf, is located on the Baltic coast near [[Behrensdorf]] in the German federal state of [[Schleswig-Holstein]].

==Early years and beyond==
Waldersee was born at [[Potsdam]] into a military and aristocratic family. After attending several cadet schools, in 1850 he was commissioned as a ''Leutnant'' into the Artillery Corps of the [[Prussian army]] and he soon attracted the favorable notice of his superiors. In his first major campaign, the [[Austro-Prussian War]] of 1866, he served as ''[[aide-de-camp]]'' to General of Artillery [[Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia (1828–1885)|Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia]], with whom he was present at [[Battle of Königgrätz|Königgrätz]]. In the course of this campaign, Count Waldersee was promoted to major and assigned to the Prussian General Staff. Thereafter, he served on the staff of X Army Corps, a new formation in the conquered kingdom of [[Hanover]]. In January 1870, he became military attaché at the [[Paris]] embassy of Prussia.<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|wstitle=Waldersee, Alfred, Count|inline=y|volume=28|page=258}}</ref> At this post he was able to gather intelligence on troop strengths and other information on the French military that proved valuable in the campaigns to come.

In the [[Franco-Prussian War]], [[Lieutenant Colonel]] Count Waldersee, recognized for his military prowess and recent analysis of the adversary's armed forces, proved a most useful assistant to the "supreme War-Lord." He was present at the great battles around [[Metz]], assigned to the staff of General [[Friedrich Franz II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]]; and later in operations against [[Antoine Eugène Alfred Chanzy|Chanzy]]'s army on the [[Loire]]. The grand duke was a soldier, but not a tactician of note, and the successful outcome of the western campaign was largely due to his adviser, Waldersee.<ref name="EB1911"/>

At the end of the war, Waldersee received the [[Iron Cross|Iron Cross, First Class]], and was entrusted with the difficult post of German representative at Paris, in which his tact and courtesy were marked. At the end of 1871, Waldersee took command of the 13th [[Uhlan]] Regiment at Hanover, and two years later became chief of staff of the [[Hanoverian Army]] corps, in which he had served before 1870.<ref name="EB1911"/>

On 14 April 1874, he married [[Mary von Waldersee|Mary Esther Lee]] (1837–1914), third daughter of the wealthy [[New York City]] merchant David Lee and widow of [[Prince Frederick of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg|Prince Frederick of Schleswig-Holstein]].<ref name=Hutto/> Mary had previously been created Princess of Nöer by the Emperor of Austria and her elder sister, Josephine, was the wife of Baron [[August von Wächter]], the Württembergian [[Minister of Foreign Affairs of Württemberg|Minister of Foreign Affairs]]. Mary became an advocate for the poor in Prussia and was honored for her compassion.<ref name=Hutto>Hutto, Richard Jay, ''Crowning Glory: American Wives of Princes and Dukes''. Macon, Georgia: Henchard Press, Ltd. 2007, pp. 136-137  {{ISBN|978-0-9725951-7-9}}</ref>

==The Great General Staff==
In 1882, Waldersee was chosen by Field Marshal [[Helmuth Karl Bernhard von Moltke|Helmuth von Moltke the Elder]] as his principal assistant on the General Staff at [[Berlin]] with the rank of ''[[Generalquartiermeister]]''. With this appointment, Waldersee was already seen as the likely successor of the octogenarian field marshal. On several occasions Waldersee accompanied Prince Wilhelm, the future Kaiser [[Wilhelm II]], on trips abroad to represent the prince's grandfather, Kaiser [[Wilhelm I]]. Out of these trips grew a tenuous teacher-student relationship, but Waldersee was seen by Wilhelm's liberal parents Crown Prince [[Frederick III, German Emperor|Friedrich Wilhelm]] and [[Victoria, Princess Royal]] as "anti-Semitic, narrowly zealous in religion, and reactionary... the quartermaster general was the personification of everything Wilhelm's parents most detested."<ref>Clarke, Christopher. ''Kaiser Wilhelm II''. New York: Longman. 2000, p. 12  {{ISBN|0-582-24559-1}}</ref> The British historian [[John C. G. Röhl]] wrote that Waldersee "...seems to have suffered from some form of paranoid megalomania" as Waldersee believed in a vast Jewish world conspiracy in which the "entirety" of Jews around the world were working for the destruction of the ''Reich''.<ref name = KaiserCourt>{{cite book | last=Röhl | first=John | authorlink=John C. G. Röhl | title=The Kaiser and his court : Wilhelm II and the government of Germany | publisher=Cambridge University Press | location=Cambridge New York | year=1994 | isbn=0-521-40223-9 }}
</ref>{{rp|200}}

Chancellor [[Otto von Bismarck|Bismarck]] had been in power in Prussia and Germany for a generation, but by the mid-1880s the socio-political mood in Germany was changing. Socialists were gaining seats in the [[Reichstag (German Empire)|''Reichstag'']], and the liberal middle-class had a friend in the crown prince. Bismarck, seeking to retain his own power, now looked to an alignment with the army, but he was weary and suspicious of Waldersee. Effectively already chief-of-staff in all but name, the count was "able but extravagantly ambitious, restlessly intriguing, [and he] more or less openly aspired to the chancellorship [himself]."<ref name = Crankshaw>{{cite book | last=Crankshaw | first=Edward | authorlink=Edward Crankshaw | title=Bismarck | publisher=Viking Press | location=New York | year=1981 | isbn=978-0-670-16982-5 }}</ref>{{rp|401}} In 1885, Waldersee wrote in his diary: "We have far too many enemies, the French, the Slavs, ''above all the Catholics'' [emphasis in the original], and then the entire little rabble of the dispossessed, with their supporters".<ref name = KaiserCourt/>{{rp|200}} In 1886, Waldersee wrote in his diary: "Everywhere the masses are on the move, everywhere there is rebellion against authority, the negation of all religion, the generation of hatred and envy against those with wealth. We are probably facing major catastrophes".<ref name = KaiserCourt/>{{rp|200}} In another diary entry, Waldersee wrote "The ghost of socialism is beginning to show a very earnest face" while he called the ''Zentrum'' a gang of "hypocritical blackguards without a Fatherland, intent on the collapse of Germany and the destruction of Prussia".<ref name = KaiserCourt/>{{rp|200–201}} Waldersee's view of the international situation was equally bleak with democracy established in France, Italy and Britain and autocracy faced with challenges in Russia, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman empire.<ref name = KaiserCourt/>{{rp|201}} For Waldersee, only if the ''Reich'' held firm, which provided the foundation for the "mainstay for the whole of Europe, but if we become weak, the entire old world will fall apart".<ref name = KaiserCourt/>{{rp|201}} Waldersee believed that he would one day lead the forces of the ''Reich'' against all he hated in some apocalyptic war.<ref name = KaiserCourt/>{{rp|201}} Before the war could be launched, Waldersee argued that the "inner enemy" which consisted of the [[German Progress Party|Progressive Party]], the entire German Jewish community and the liberal Crown Prince Frederich and his British wife, the Crown Princess Victoria would have to be disposed of first.<ref name = KaiserCourt/>{{rp|201}} Waldersee dreaded the prospect that the Crown Prince Frederich would ascend to the throne as Waldersee believed that with Frederich as Emperor, Germany would become a democracy, the ''Junkers'' and the rest of the nobility would lose their privileged position and the Army would lose its "state within the state" status by bringing the military under civilian control.<ref name = KaiserCourt/>{{rp|201}} To stop all this from happening, Waldersee plotted to have the military stage a coup d'état to depose Frederich in favor of his son Prince Wilhelm if he should ascend to the throne; have Victoria expelled back to Britain; end universal manhood suffrage for the ''Reichstag'' and have Germany launch a war to "take out" France, Austria and Russia (the fact that Germany was allied to the last two did not matter to Waldersee).<ref name = KaiserCourt/>{{rp|201}} In a letter to Prince Wilhelm (the future Wilhelm II) in 1887, Waldersee wrote:

<blockquote>All the Progressive people with their supporters, the entire ''Judenschaft'' and most foreign countries, that is to say, taken together are formidable foes...In view of the colossal influence which the Jews wiled by virtue of their wealth, through which they have secured the services of Christians in influential positions, even though they themselves are few in number, they are by far the most dangerous of our enemies.<ref name = KaiserCourt/>{{rp|201}} </blockquote>

Shortly afterwards, Prince Wilhelm addressed a meeting of the anti-Semitic Christian Social Party headed by the Lutheran pastor [[Adolf Stoecker]] whom the prince praised as a "second Luther".<ref name = KaiserCourt/>{{rp|201–202}} In the international outcry that followed Wilhelm's address to Stoecker's party, Waldersee wrote in a letter to Wilhelm "the entire row in the press comes from the Jews" whose "attacks are aimed less at Stoecker than at the Prince".<ref name = KaiserCourt/>{{rp|202}} In his diary, Waldersee wrote "Too many people are under the influence of the Jews" whom he wrote were afraid of Wilhelm as were "all our enemies-the French, the Russians, the Progressives and the Social Democrats".<ref name = KaiserCourt/>{{rp|202}}

The General Staff knew of few of Bismarck's schemes, and Waldersee's outlook was on occasions at odds with foreign policy positions held by the chancellor. Waldersee, officially still second under Moltke, had been elevating the military attachés at the Imperial embassies into "a virtually independent diplomatic service", often managing to bypass the Foreign Ministry.<ref name = Crankshaw/>{{rp|405}} After one such breach of protocol was detected at the Vienna embassy, Waldersee was subsequently "hauled over the coals" by Bismarck in person, to demonstrate to the military establishment who was in charge of foreign affairs.<ref name = Crankshaw/>{{rp|406}} In 1888, the Emperor Wilhelm I died and Frederich become Emperor Frederich III, but as the new emperor was already dying of throat cancer, Waldersee cancelled his plans for a ''putsch'', guessing correctly that Frederich would be dead soon enough and his friend, Wilhelm who was now Crown Prince, would soon be the Emperor. Field Marshal Moltke finally retired in August 1888, and Waldersee's appointment to succeed him was a foregone conclusion:<ref name="EB1911"/> the newly crowned 29-year-old Kaiser Wilhelm II gave his consent.

Waldersee essentially followed the Moltke line until he ran headlong into the often unpredictable young emperor. In 1890, at the autumn maneuvers ''[Kaisermanöver]'' of the Imperial Army, Waldersee had the effrontery to soundly "defeat" the formations under control of the impetuous Wilhelm II. Waldersee thus lost the confidence of his sovereign and was relieved of his duties and reassigned to command [[IX Corps (German Empire)|IX Army Corps]] at [[Altona, Hamburg|Hamburg-Altona]], a clear demotion but still an assignment of importance. Waldersee, despite all that had happened, would establish his Hamburg residence near the Bismarck retirement estate at [[Friedrichsruh]]. In 1898, he was appointed inspector-general of the Third Army at Hanover, the transfer orders being accompanied by eulogistic expressions of Wilhelm II's goodwill.

==Expedition to China==
[[File:GERMAN OFFICERS WELCOMING FIELD-MARSHAL COUNT VON WALDERSEEAT THE RAILWAY STATION, TIENTSIN.jpg|thumb|right|German Officers Welcoming Field-Marshal Count Von Waldersee At The Railway Station, Tientsin]]
Two thousand European and Chinese Christians were trapped in the legation compound at [[Peking]] by [[Boxer Rebellion|Boxer insurgents]] in 1900. An eight-nation International Relief Force of European, American and Japanese troops maneuvered to the rescue. As Kaiser Wilhelm II’s minister to China, Baron [[Clemens von Ketteler]], had been murdered by the Boxers, the Germans "claimed a certain priority in the crusade against Chinese barbarism."<ref name = Fleming>{{cite book | last=Fleming | first=Peter | authorlink=Peter Fleming (writer) | title=The Siege at Peking | publisher=Dorset Press | location=New York | year=1990 | orig-year=First published 1959 | isbn=0-88029-462-0 }}</ref>{{rp|179}} Wilhelm II wanted Waldersee to command the expedition to China, which he announced to the world press had come as a result of the initiative of the Emperor Nicholas II of Russia.<ref name = Mombauer/>{{rp|102–103}} In fact, Wilhelm had a sent a telegram to his cousin Nicholas asking if he would object if Russian troops were to come under the command of a German general, to which Nicholas replied he had no objection, which Wilhelm then misrepresented at the press conference he called in Berlin as Nicholas having asked for Waldersee to command the expedition.<ref name = Mombauer>{{cite book | last=Mombauer | first=Annika | authorlink=Annika Mombauer | title=The Kaiser : new research on Wilhelm II's role in imperial Germany | at="Wilhelm, Walderse and the Boxer Rebellion", pp. 91–118 | publisher=Cambridge University Press | location=Cambridge, UK New York | year=2003 | isbn=978-0-521-82408-8 }}</ref>{{rp|103}} The announcement which went had been made without consulting the other powers caused a great deal of stress for the ''Auswärtiges Amt'' who now had to convince the other powers to accept Waldersee's appointment, which was only done by threatening that Wilhelm would feel humiliated if Waldersee's command were in fact rejected by the other powers and this would strain relations with Germany, a form of blackmail that proved effective, through it damaged Germany's diplomatic standing.<ref name = Mombauer/>{{rp|103}} On 7 August 1900, Waldersee received a telegram from Wilhelm II telling him that he was now in command of the expedition.<ref name = Mombauer/>{{rp|105}} The now semi-retired, sixty-eight-year-old, but for the occasion the newly promoted Field Marshal Alfred Count von Waldersee was officially proposed by the Tsar of Russia, and seconded by the Japanese, as the first Allied Supreme Commander of modern times.<ref name=Fleming />{{rp|254}}[[File:Waldersee.jpg|thumb|180px|Count Waldersee in China|left]][[File:Grabstätte – Waldersee – Stöfs.jpg|thumb|Grave of Field Marshal von Waldersee near Stöfs around 1906]]Preparations for the field marshal's departure from Germany to China caused a good deal of satirical comment on what became known as ''Waldersee Rummel'' or "Waldersee theatricals", which he detested.<ref name="EB1911"/> Much of this circus, he wrote in his irritation "... unfortunately made it into the newspapers." Waldersee arrived at the front lines of Peking too late to direct his multinational force in any fighting of note, but was in charge of the pacification of the [[Righteous Harmony Society|Boxers]]. Waldersee who had dreams of winning a glorious military victory in China was greatly disappointed that the main fighting was over after he arrived in Beijing on 17 October 1900, where he installed himself in the bedroom of the Dowager Empress in the Forbidden City.<ref name = Mombauer/>{{rp|109}} In his own words, Waldersee went to work with "feverish activity" by ordering 75 punitive expeditions in the countryside around Beijing, in which thousands of people— mostly women and children—were slain.<ref name = Mombauer/>{{rp|109}} "These punitive expeditions ... were unrewarding enterprises [and] from Waldersee's point of view ... hardly constituted war."<ref name = Fleming/>{{rp|253}} It is probable, however, that "if his appointment had not existed, or if it had been filled by a less positive personality, the animosities which ceaselessly embittered the [international] contingents in North China would have assumed serious proportions. ... [In addition] there were countless minor incidents, and it is at least partly to Waldersee's credit that nothing came of them."<ref name=Fleming/>{{rp|254}}[[Image:Graf Waldersee inspiziert die Italiener 1901.jpg|thumb|right|370px|Postcard showing Waldersee inspecting Italian troops in China]]A prostitute named [[Sai Jinhua]], whom he had met in Europe, renewed her ‘acquaintanceship’ with Waldersee.<ref name="Zhang">{{cite book | last=Ditmore | first=Melissa | title=Encyclopedia of prostitution and sex work | publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group|Greenwood Press]] | location=Westport, Conn | year=2006 | isbn=978-0-313-32970-8 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-5WyPfynlwMC&pg=PA423 | at=Sai, Jinhua }}</ref>{{rp|423}} Ying Hu wrote that "Legend has it that in their "dragon bed" of the Empress Dowager, which Sai and Waldersee shared, she tried and sometimes succeeded in curbing the brutality of the troops."<ref name="HuYing">{{cite book | last=Hu | first=Ying | title=Tales of translation : composing the new woman in China, 1899-1918 | page=53 | publisher=Stanford University Press | location=Stanford, Calif | year=2000 | isbn=978-0-8047-3774-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UA9lG2YyUL8C&pg=PA53 }}</ref>{{rp|53}} Wenxian Zhang wrote that Sai Jinhua "was credited with influencing Waldsee{{sic}} to moderate the harsh treatment of Beijing residents."<ref name="Zhang" />{{rp|423}} Sai Jinhua, in her biography, admitted that she was on good terms with Waldersee but, as stated by Hu Ying, she "vigorously" disputed that she had a sexual relationship with him.<ref name="HuYing" />{{rp|53}}

Count Waldersee understood that the conduct of the conquerors was unbecoming: their soldiery was idle and bored, venereal disease was rampant, and after looting was curtailed, the rank-and-file remained gullible enough to be swindled with "Chinese art" of all descriptions.<ref name="Fleming" />{{rp|255}} At the end of the campaign he hastened his return to Germany. In 1901, for his "accomplishments in the interest of world peace," he was named an [[List of Honorary Citizens of Hamburg|honorary citizen of Hamburg]], his erstwhile home.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120526194440/http://fhh.hamburg.de/stadt/Aktuell/senat/service/ehrenbuerger/start.html Stadt Hamburg Ehrenbürger] {{in lang|de}} Retrieved on 17 June 2008</ref> Again at Hanover, he resumed the duties of inspector-general, which he performed almost until his death in 1904 at age 71.<ref name="EB1911" /> He died on 5 March at 8 o'clock in the evening.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=laIoAAAAIBAJ&dq=alfred+von+waldersee&pg=PA6&article_id=3989,3863439|title=Clinton Mirror|publisher=Clinton Mirror|language=en}}</ref>

==Honours and awards==
;German orders and decorations<ref name="HofUndStaat">''Handbuch über den Königlich Preußischen Hof und Staat fur das jahr 1903'', [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_uYcOAAAAYAAJ/page/n71/mode/2up p. 37]</ref><ref name="thetimes">{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Count von Waldersee |date=13 August 1901 |page=4 |issue=36532}}</ref>
{{columns-list|colwidth=25em|
* {{flagicon image|Flag of the Kingdom of Prussia (1803-1892).svg}} [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]]:
** Knight of Honour of the [[Johanniter Order]], ''1865''; Knight of Justice, ''1876''<ref name="prus1">{{citation|title=Königlich Preussische Ordensliste| journal=Preussische Ordens-Liste |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049878831&view=1up&seq=4&skin=2021|pages=[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049878831&view=1up&seq=65&skin=2021 57], [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049878831&view=1up&seq=568&skin=2021 560], [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049878831&view=1up&seq=1017&skin=2021 945], [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049878831&view=1up&seq=1076&skin=2021 1004]|language=German|location=Berlin|year=1886|volume=1|via=hathitrust.org}}</ref>
** [[Order of the Red Eagle|Knight of the Red Eagle]], 4th Class with Swords, ''1866''; 2nd Class with Oak Leaves and Swords on Ring, ''1874''; with Star, ''7 September 1881'';<ref name="prus1"/> Grand Cross, ''27 January 1889''
** [[Iron Cross]] (1870), 1st Class
** Knight's Cross of the Royal [[House Order of Hohenzollern]], with Swords, ''16 June 1871'';<ref name="prus1"/> Grand Commander's Cross with Swords on Ring, ''27 January 1891''<ref name="prus2">{{citation|title=Königlich Preussische Ordensliste (supp.)|journal = Preussische Ordens-Liste|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049878823&view=1up&seq=7&skin=2021|pages=[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049878823&view=1up&seq=221&skin=2021 5], [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049878823&view=1up&seq=114&skin=2021 108]|language=German|location=Berlin|year=1886|volume=1|via=hathitrust.org}}</ref>
** [[Order of the Crown (Prussia)|Knight of the Prussian Crown]], 1st Class, ''22 March 1884''<ref name="prus1"/>
** [[Order of the Black Eagle|Knight of the Black Eagle]], with Collar and in Diamonds, ''27 April 1900''
** [[Pour le Mérite]] (military) with Oak leaves, ''8 August 1901''<ref name="prus3">{{citation|title=Königlich Preussische Ordensliste|chapter-url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015025921423&view=1up&seq=5&skin=2021|page=[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015025921423&view=1up&seq=614&skin=2021 6]|language=German|chapter=Orden Pour le Mérite|location=Berlin|year=1895|via=hathitrust.org}}</ref>{{snd}}upon his return to Germany from his posting in China<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Count von Waldersee |date=9 August 1901 |page=3 |issue=36529| }}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Anhalt}} [[Duchy of Anhalt|Anhalt]]: [[Order of Albert the Bear|Commander of Albert the Bear]], 1st Class, ''1878'';<ref>''Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Herzogtum Anhalt'' (1883) "Herzoglicher Haus-orden Albrecht des Bären" p. [https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/view/bsb11040880?page=42 22]</ref> Grand Cross, ''1886''<ref>{{cite book|title=Hof- und Staats-Handbuch für das Herzogthum Anhalt, 1894|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LR03AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA19|year=1894|publisher=Im Selbstverlage des Herausgebers|page=19}}</ref>
* {{flag|Baden}}:<ref>''Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden'' (1902), "Großherzogliche Orden" [https://digital.blb-karlsruhe.de/blbihd/periodical/pageview/1879966 pp. 68], [https://digital.blb-karlsruhe.de/blbihd/periodical/pageview/1879970 72]</ref>
** Knight of the [[Military Karl-Friedrich Merit Order]], ''1870''
** Knight of the [[House Order of Fidelity]], ''1897''
* {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Bavaria}}:
** [[Order of Merit of the Bavarian Crown|Grand Commander of Merit of the Bavarian Crown]], ''1879''<ref name="bayern">{{citation|title=Hof- und – Staatshandbuch des Königreichs Bayern|year=1902|language=German|chapter=Königliche Orden|pages=[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hx3n9f&view=1up&seq=34&skin=2021 10], [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hx3n9f&view=1up&seq=51&skin=2021 27]|via=hathitrust.org}}</ref>
** [[Order of Saint Hubert|Knight of St. Hubert]], ''1901''<ref name="bayern"/>
** Grand Cross of the [[Military Merit Order (Bavaria)|Military Merit Order]], with Swords, ''16 May 1902''
* {{Flag|Brunswick}}: [[Order of Henry the Lion|Grand Cross of Henry the Lion]], with Swords, ''1882''<ref>''Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Herzogthums Braunschweig für 1902''. Bd. 1902. Braunschweig: Meyer, 1902. p. 10</ref>
* {{flagicon|Saxe-Coburg and Gotha}} {{flagicon|Saxe-Altenburg}} {{flagicon|Saxe-Meiningen}} [[Ernestine duchies]]: Grand Cross of the [[Saxe-Ernestine House Order]]
* {{flagicon image|Flagge Großherzogtum Hessen ohne Wappen.svg}} [[Hesse and by Rhine]]: Grand Cross of the [[Ludwig Order]], ''21 September 1889''<ref name="ordensliste">{{citation|title=Großherzoglich Hessische Ordensliste|chapter-url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112089248626&view=1up&seq=765&skin=2021|chapter=Ludewigs-orden|page=[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112089248626&view=1up&seq=784&skin=2021 16]|language=German|location=Darmstadt|year=1898|publisher=Staatsverlag|via=hathitrust.org}}</ref>
* {{Flagicon image|Flagge Großherzogtümer Mecklenburg.svg}} [[Mecklenburg]]:
** [[House Order of the Wendish Crown|Grand Cross of the Wendish Crown]], with Golden Crown
** [[Military Merit Cross (Mecklenburg-Schwerin)|Military Merit Cross]], 1st Class (Schwerin)
* {{flag|Oldenburg}}: [[House and Merit Order of Peter Frederick Louis|Grand Cross of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig]], with Golden Crown and Swords
* {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Saxony}}:
** Grand Cross of the [[Albert Order]], with Golden Star, ''1889''<ref>{{cite book|author=Sachsen|title=Staatshandbuch für den Königreich Sachsen: 1901|year=1901|publisher=Heinrich|chapter=Königlich Orden|page=[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015030492006&view=1up&seq=201&skin=2021 161]|location=Dresden|via=hathitrust.org}}</ref>
** [[Order of the Rue Crown|Knight of the Rue Crown]]
* {{flag|Württemberg}}:
** [[Order of the Crown (Württemberg)|Commander of the Württemberg Crown]], with Swords, ''1870'';<ref name="Landesamt1877">{{cite book|author=Württemberg (Kingdom). Statistisches Landesamt|title=Staatshandbuch für Württemberg|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bMtW8PxqkkcC&pg=PA39|year=1877|publisher=Druck von W. Kohlhammer|page=39}}</ref> Grand Cross with Swords, ''1889''<ref name="handbuch1896">{{cite book|author=Württemberg (Kingdom). Statistisches Landesamt|title=Staatshandbuch für Württemberg|url=|year=1896|publisher=Druck von W. Kohlhammer|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_Pc5CAAAAYAAJ/page/n79/mode/2up 45], [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_Pc5CAAAAYAAJ/page/n131/mode/2up 97]}}</ref>
** Grand Cross of the [[Friedrich Order]], ''1883''<ref name="handbuch1896"/>
** Grand Cross of the [[Military Merit Order (Württemberg)|Military Merit Order]]
}}

;Foreign orders and decorations<ref name="HofUndStaat"/><ref name="thetimes"/>
{{columns-list|colwidth=25em|
* {{flag|Austria-Hungary}}:<ref>{{citation|chapter-url=https://alex.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/alex?aid=shb&datum=1877&size=45&page=222|chapter=Ritter-Orden|title=Hof- und Staatshandbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie|date=1904|access-date=14 January 2021|pages=[https://alex.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/alex?aid=shb&datum=1904&page=344&size=45 56], [https://alex.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/alex?aid=shb&datum=1904&size=45&page=354 66], [https://alex.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/alex?aid=shb&datum=1904&size=45&page=445 157]}}</ref>
** Commander of the [[Order of Leopold (Austria)|Imperial Order of Leopold]], ''1871'';<ref>{{citation|chapter-url=https://alex.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/alex?aid=shb&datum=1883&page=349&size=45|chapter=Ritter-Orden: Oesterreichsch-kaiserlicher Leopold-orden|title=Hof- und Staatshandbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie|date=1883|access-date=5 February 2021|page=132}}</ref> Grand Cross, ''1887''; in Diamonds, ''1889''
** Commander of the [[Order of Franz Joseph]], with Star, ''1872''
** [[Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary|Grand Cross of St. Stephen]], ''1895''; in Diamonds, ''1901''
* {{flagicon image|Flag of France (1794–1815, 1830–1958).svg}} [[Second French Empire|French Empire]]: Grand Officer of the [[Legion of Honour]]
* {{flag|Kingdom of Italy}}:
** [[Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus|Grand Cross of Saints Maurice and Lazarus]]
** Grand Cross of the [[Military Order of Savoy]], ''October 1901''<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Court Circular|date=10 October 1901 |page=7 |issue=36582| }}</ref>
* [[File:Flag of the Vatican City (2 by 3).svg|25px]] [[Holy See]]: Grand Cross of the [[Order of Pope Pius IX]], ''3 June 1903''
* {{flagicon image|Early 20th Century Qajar Flag.svg}} [[Qajar Iran|Persian Empire]]: [[Order of the Lion and the Sun]], 1st Class
* {{flag|Russian Empire}}:
** [[Order of St. Anna|Knight of St. Anna]], 1st Class, with Swords and in Diamonds
** [[Order of St. Andrew|Knight of St. Andrew]], with Swords and in Diamonds, ''August 1901''<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Count von Waldersee |date=15 August 1901 |page=3 |issue=36534}}</ref>
* {{flagcountry|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland}}: [[Order of the Bath|Honorary Grand Cross of the Bath]] (military), ''16 August 1901''<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27346 |date=16 August 1901 |page=5409}}</ref>
}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Craig, Gordon A. ''The Politics of the Prussian Army, 1640–1945'' (Oxford U Press, 1964). [https://archive.org/details/politicsofpruss00gord online]
* Mombauer, Annika. “Wilhelm, Waldersee, and the Boxer Rebellion.” in ''The Kaiser: New Research on Wilhelm II’s Role in Imperial Germany'' eds. Annika Mombauer and Wilhelm Deist. (Cambridge University Press, 2004) pp.&nbsp;91–118.
* Trosclair, Wade James, "Alfred von Waldersee, monarchist: his private life, public image, and the limits of his ambition, 1882-1891" (LSU Theses #2782 2012) [https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/2782 online]
* Vlasov, Nikolay. "Political generals in Prussia-Germany: The Waldersee case." (Working Papers WP 2018-07, Centre for German and European Studies (CGES), 2018) [https://www.academia.edu/download/61341585/WP_Vlasov_720191126-80172-hv6k53.pdfonline]{{dead link|date=January 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
* Waldersee, Alfred Count von. ''A Field-Marshal’s Memoirs: From the Diary, Correspondence, and Reminiscences of Alfred, Count von Waldersee''. ed. Frederic Whyte. (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1924).
* [https://archive.org/search.php?query=title%3A%28Waldersee%2C%29 books in German]

==External links==
* {{PM20|FID=pe/017994}}
* {{Wikiquote inline}}

{{S-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{succession box | title=[[German General Staff|Chief of the General Staff]] | before=[[Helmuth Karl Bernhard von Moltke|Count Moltke]] | after=[[Alfred von Schlieffen|Count Schlieffen]] | years=1888–1891}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Eugen Anton Theophil von Podbielski]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Quartermaster-General of the German Army|years= 27 December 1881 – 10 August 1888}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Alfred von Schlieffen]]}}
{{S-end}}
{{GEmpireGSChiefs}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waldersee, Alfred Graf Von}}
[[Category:1832 births]]
[[Category:1904 deaths]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Potsdam]]
[[Category:Military personnel from the Province of Brandenburg]]
[[Category:Counts in Germany]]
[[Category:German Protestants]]
[[Category:Members of the Prussian House of Lords]]
[[Category:Field marshals of the German Empire]]
[[Category:Field marshals of Prussia]]
[[Category:Prussian people of the Austro-Prussian War]]
[[Category:German mass murderers]]
[[Category:German military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War]]
[[Category:German military personnel of the Boxer Rebellion]]
[[Category:German war criminals]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Iron Cross (1870), 1st class]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of Franz Joseph]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Military Merit Order (Bavaria)]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Pope Pius IX]]
[[Category:Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Military Order of Savoy]]
[[Category:Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour]]