Marie von Clausewitz

The Woman Behind the Making of On War

Vanya Eftimova Bellinger

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Hardback

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English

Oxford University Press
11 February 2016

The marriage between Carl von Clausewitz and Countess Marie von Bruhl was a remarkable intellectual partnership. Many historians have noted the instrumental role Marie played in the creation, development, and particularly in the posthumous editing and publishing of Clausewitz's opus, On War, which remains the seminal text on military theory and strategic thinking. Highly intelligent and politically engaged, Marie was also deeply involved in her husband's military career and advancement, and in the nationalist politics of 19th-century Prussia.

Yet apart from peripheral consideration of her obvious influence on Clausewitz and on the preservation of his legacy, very little has been written about Marie herself. In Marie von Clausewitz, Vanya Eftimova Bellinger proposes to address this oversight, capitalizing on the recent discovery of a vast archive of material-including hundreds of previously unknown letters between Marie and Clausewitz-to produce the first complete biography of this understudied figure.

Delving into the private correspondence between the two, Bellinger shows how Marie, a highly educated woman of Prussia's upper echelon, broadened Clausewitz's understanding of the cultural and political processes of the time; provided him with insights into the practical side of daily politics; sharpened his writing style; and served as the catalyst for his ideas. The depth of her influence on and contribution to Clausewitz's theoretical writings, Bellinger argues, is greater than historians have previously suggested. Bellinger also establishes Marie as an impressive figure in her own right, both politically outspoken and socially adept at moving among the ranks of Prussian nobility.

The marriage between Marie, an intimate of the royal family, and Clausewitz, an obscure young lieutenant with dubious claims to nobility, allows Bellinger to engage in a broader discussion of gender and class relations in 19th-century Europe; and her study of their epistolary debates also sheds light on the political climate of the time, particularly incipient German nationalist fervor.

By: Vanya Eftimova Bellinger
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 240mm, Width: 163mm, Spine: 29mm
Weight: 700g
ISBN: 9780190225438
ISBN 10: 0190225432
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 11 February 2016
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Introduction 1. Two Worlds Apart (1779-1801) 2. Falling in Love (1802-June 1806) 3. Disaster and Separation (July 1806-October 1807) 4. The Long Engagement (November 1807-November 1809) 5. Marriage (December 1809-March 1812) 6. Exile (April 1812-January 1813) 7. The Wars of Liberation (March 1813-August 1815) 8. The Way Ahead (August 1815-December 1818) 9. The Decade in Berlin (1819-1829) 10. The Last Years Together (December 1829-November 1831) 11. Editing and Publishing On War (December 1831-January 1836) Postscript

Vanya Eftimova Bellinger is an independent scholar and journalist.

Reviews for Marie von Clausewitz: The Woman Behind the Making of On War

Bellinger's informative new book add[s] some fascinating details about their courtship, Carl's decision to leave Prussia in 1812, his role in the final battles against Napoleon, and his activity during the Polish campaign of 1830-31. The unpublished correspondence underscores Marie's importance for Carl's career. --Times Literary Supplement [An] impressively researched and richly illustrated account. -- Library Journal [A] groundbreaking look at the role Countess Maria von Bruhl . . . This is a magnificent work that not only offers Marie's unique perspective of Carl von Clausewitz and how the events of their era shaped his work, it brings out her neglected contribution to the formation and completion of his work . . . Every serious Clausewitz scholar should read this book to truly understand how this dynamic duo formed a loving and unprecedented marriage and intellectual partnership to create the most studied volume on war and politics in the Western world. --New York Journal of Books Building her book on 283 unpublished pieces of Marie von Clausewitz's personal correspondence with her husband, Carl von Clausewitz, Bellinger draws readers into Marie's personal life and social circles. -Choice