794 
S C H 
general; and in 1719, during the dispute between duke 
Charles Leopold and the Mecklenburg nobility respecting 
their privileges, he was employed, and displayed all the 
energy and prudence which the business seemed to require. 
His own property was situated in Pomerania, which, being 
ceded to the king of Prussia, he immediately entered into his 
service, and obtained a regiment in 1722. In cousequence 
of disturbances at Thorn, he was sent by the king as envoy 
to the royal Polish and electoral court of Saxony; but being 
unable to accomplish the object of his mission, he quitted 
Dresden, with the consent of his sovereign, and resigned his 
office to his brother. In 1730, he was made governor of 
Peitz, and next year was promoted to be a lieutenant- 
general, and honoured with the order of the Black Eagle. 
In 1733, he marched, with three Prussian regiments, to 
Mecklenburg, and took possession of some places in that 
duchy, which were not restored to the duke till 1787. He 
now rose into great favour with the king, Frederic Wil¬ 
liam I., was his constant companion, and accompanied him 
to all his reviews. In 1739, he became a general of in¬ 
fantry; and at the funeral of the king, in 1740, bore the 
banner of the kingdom. He was raised the same year to the 
rank of count, as was also his brother, by Frederic II., and 
at the same time nominated a field-marshal. On the death 
of the emperor, Charles VI., he was sent for by the king, 
that he might confer with him on measures necessary to be 
pursued in regard to the approaching war; and his regiment, 
which broke up in December, was the first that entered the 
Silesian territories. He shortly after reduced many strong 
places, and in January 1741, attended the king when he 
entered Breslau, and, shortly after, advancing and crossing 
the river Neiss, he occupied the important pass of Jablunka. 
In the month of February, having given up his command, 
he proceeded to Breslau, and after making some important 
preparations and establishing magazines, he returned to the 
army. In the month of April he obtained a great victory at 
Molwitz, which determined the future fate of Silesia. On 
this occasion, though wounded severely and often, he never 
quitted the field, and by his ability and great presence of 
mind, rallied the Prussian troops, after they had been thrown 
into a disorder, which rendered the issue of tlie battle, at one 
time, extremely doubtful. On the breaking out of the 
second Silesian war, Schwerin conducted a party of the 
Prussian army through the country of Glatz to Bohemia, 
took possession of many great towns, and levied heavy con¬ 
tributions. He was very instrumental in taking Prague, and 
signed the articles of capitulation on the part of the king of 
Prussia. After this, the king took a step contrary to the 
advice and opinion of his favourite marshal, which induced 
him to quit his command, and retire to his estate. The 
coolness that now subsisted between the king and Schwerin 
was not removed till 1747, when Frederic invited him to 
Berlin, and he was afterwards placed in a very conspicuous 
situation in the seven years’ war. In 1756 he attacked very 
successfully, with his advanced guard, a body of Austrians, 
and destroyed the bridge on the Elbe at Schirsitz. About 
the same time the king had been conqueror in the bloody 
engagement at Lowositz, and having sent a letter to the 
field-marshal to acquaint him with the victory, the latter 
wrote him back that he heartily congratulated him, but had 
the battle been fought by a subject, instead of a king, he 
would thereby have exposed his life to danger. In 1757, 
having now done wonders in the cause in which he had em¬ 
barked, he joined the royal army encamped before Prague. 
In this situation the king determined to give the enemy 
battle; the marshal opposed the plan, on account of the un¬ 
favourableness of the place; but when he found him deter¬ 
mined, he, at length, yielded. The battle was fought on 
the 6th of May, and was one of the bloodiest in which the 
king was ever engaged. “ The Prussians,” says the histo¬ 
rian, “ performed wonders, and displayed a bravery beyond 
all praise; but in consequence of a most destructive fire of 
grape-shot, and the difficulty of approaching the enemy, 
they began to lose courage and to give way. Schwerin, 
S C H 
who was posted before a narrow pass, seeing his regiment 
giving way, snatched the colours from an ensign of the 
second battalion; placed himself in front of the regiment, 
and calling out to his men, < Do you not see the enemy 
turning their backs,’ encouraged them by that address to 
advance.” Scarcely, however, had he proceeded.a few steps, 
before he fell covered with wounds, in the 73d year of his 
age. The last act of the hero turned the fate of the day, 
and secured for the Prussians a decided victory. The field- 
marshal’s body was conveyed to a neighbouring convent, to 
which the king went for the purpose of viewing it, and de¬ 
ploring the fate of his general. To commemorate the event, 
a plate was engraved by Berger, and the king caused a statue 
of white marble to be erected in William’s Place, at Berlin. 
Schwerin was a severe disciplinarian; he enforced subordi¬ 
nation with great rigour; he possessed a most delicate sense 
of honour, which he made a great point of maintaining. 
He knew how to preserve his dignity with princes of the 
royal blood, and always obliged them to treat him with 
respect. He entertained an unfeigned reverence for religion, 
and paid particular attention to those who were actuated by 
the same principles, and often used to say, that a brave 
general ought to be a good Christian. Gen. Biog. 
SCHWERIN, the capital of the grand duchy of Meck- 
lenburg-Schwerin, in the north of Germany, is a consider¬ 
able town, situated on the west side of the lake of Schwerin. 
Its position is very agreeable : the town is surrounded with 
a rampart, and is divided into the Old town, the New town, 
the Moor, and the suburbs. The grand ducal palace is 
situated on an island in the lake: it is fortified, and com¬ 
municates with the town by a draw-bridge; but its principal 
ornaments are its picture gallery and its park. The chief 
buildings and institutions of Schwerin are the high church, 
formerly a cathedral, two other Lutheran churches, a Catho¬ 
lic church, a poor house, an orphan house, an infirmary, 
and a synagogue. The population amounts to 8500, al¬ 
most all Lutherans. Here are several public offices for the 
business of the grand duchy, but the manufactures are 
trifling. Brewing and distilling are carried on to some ex¬ 
tent. In 1759, this town was taken by the Prussians, after a 
bombardment, and laid under a heavy contribution. In 1806 
it was occupied by the French; 60 miles east of Hamburgh, 
and 17 south of Wismar. 
SCHWERIN, or Skvvierzyna, a small town of Prussian 
Poland; 55 miles west-by-north of Posen, and 11 north of 
Meseritz, with fully 3000 inhabitants, of whom nearly a 
third are Jews. 
SCHWERINSBURG, a well built but small town of 
Prussia, in Pomerania, near Anklam, with a magnificent 
castle and gardens, belonging to one of the counts - of 
Schwerin. 
SCHWERSENTZ, a town of Prussian Poland ; 61 miles 
east of Posen. It contains 2700 inhabitants, of whom the 
half are Jews. 
SCHWERTA, a large village of Saxony, in the south¬ 
east corner of Upper Lusatia. The inhabitants, who amount 
to 2300, are chiefly linen weavers and turners. 
SCIIWERTE, or Schwierte, a small town of Prussian 
Westphalia, in the county of Mark, on the Roer. Popu¬ 
lation 1400; 36 miles east-north-east of Dusseldorf. 
SCHWETZ, a small town of west Prussia, on the Vistula; 
3 miles north of Culm, with 2300 inhabitants, and some 
manufactures of woollens, leather, and earthenware. 
SCHWETZINGEN, a small town of the west of Ger¬ 
many, in Baden; 6 miles west-by-south of Heidelberg. It 
stands in a fertile and beautiful district, and contains 2200 
inhabitants. It has a palace which formerly belonged to 
the electors palatine, and was their usual residence during 
the 18th century. The adjacent gardens and pleasure 
grounds are equal to any thing of the kind in Germany, 
being ornamented with alleys, bowers, terraces, fountains, 
and statues. A canal to the Rhine was dug in 1749; and 
there is a shaded walk from this to Heidelberg. 
SCHWETZKO, or Swieczechow, a small town of 
Prussian 
