Curt von François

Curt (Karl Bruno) von François (October 2nd 1852 - December 28th 1931) was a Géographe, a Cartographe and a Officier of the colonial army imperial of the German Reich which illustrated mainly in the South-western African where it have the responsibility of found in the name of the Kaiser the Ville of Windhoek the October 18th 1890 and the port of Swakopmund the August 4th 1892.

Origin

Born with Luxembourg in 1852, Curt von François was the son junior by a Prussian officer Bruno von François of ascent Huguenot E whose ancestors had fled the France after the revocation of the edict of Nantes.

Officer of the Prussian army , von François takes part in the war of 1870 against France.

In 1883, it joint as cartographer and geographer with Belgian forwarding of Hermann von Wissmann in Congo (future Congo-Kinshasa).

Of return in Germany in 1886, it is promoted captain and member of the state imperial major in 1887. It is then sent on mission by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in the German colony of the Togo before being sent in African South-west to found the order.

It is the June 24th 1889 which the German major Curt von François and 21 soldiers (whose his own brother Hugo von François) unloads with Walvis Bay, enclave Britannique in German African South-west. Sent by Otto von Bismarck, its mission is to pacify the area. It finds in Walvis Bay the German high commissioner, Heinrich Göring, which had to be solved to place itself under British protection.

Von François installed his districts with Otjimbingwe. Very quickly, it conquers Tsaobis, then Heusis.

The founder of modern Windhoek and Swakopmund

Curt von François and its troops arrived on the site of Winterhoek the October 18th 1890. It made there build a fort (Alte Feste), general headquarter of the colonial forces of Reich E charges his Hugo brother with raising the fortifications. Curt von François wrongly gains there the nickname of founder of Windhoek in colonial historiography. Winterhoek, germanized in Windhuk was an ideal place near sources of water, in the center of the country, located between the territories nama S and the teritoires Hereros. The first tradesmen arrived as of 1891 and in 1894, the city counted to 85 white residents (including five women), 500 soldiers of the German colonial troop and 300 to 400 blacks (primarily of the namas).

When Göring leaves its functions, Curt von François is named imperial police chief. The colonial administration is then moved of Otjimbingwe with Windhoek the December 7th 1891.

In 1892, it founds the port of Swakopmund intended to free the colony from its dependence with respect to Walvis Bay.

In 1893, the captain von François is promoted Major and receives the title of " Landeshauptmann" German African south-west.

The resistance of Hendrik Witbooi

It is in 1893 that it inaugurates the first German war in the territory with the attack of the general headquarter of the chief nama Hendrik Witbooi in Hornkranz. Henrik Witbooi had refused by three times to be put under German protection and had become the principal enemy of von François. The colonial troops killed in Hornkranz 70 women and children but their chief escaped then against attacked in the suburbs of Windhuk where it released the horses of the colonial troop. Von François attacked again Hornkranz with, as back-up troops, the Baster S of Rehoboth of the captain Hans Diergaardt. The site is then occupied by German. Hendrik Witbooi counter-attacked again initially in Naos then directly with Windhuk, obliging the colonial troop to give up Hornkranz.

The resistance of Witbooi then met a certain sympathy in Europe. A new attack of Hornkranz by von François did not make it possible to come to end from resistance from Hendrik Witbooi. Repressions, counter-attacks, sabotages and reprisals mark out all the year 1893. In December, von François attacked for the fourth time Hornkranz and for the first time, the namas of Witbooi are severely beaten. In same time, the pressures went up to Germany to recall Von François to which it was reproached for not having been able to treat with Witbooi differently than by the weapons and not to have overcome it either by this way. The March 15th 1894, it yields the title of imperial police chief to Theodor Leutwein

Von François left the German colony in August 1894 after having established a military station with Warmbad in the south of African South-west.

In 1895, it takes its military retirement and settles with Zernsdorf close to Berlin. It Marie in 1897 with Margret Meyer.

Curt von François died the December 28th 1931 in its residence of Zernsdorf.

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