KANZLER, HERMANN. - Papal general and pro-minister of arms, b. at Weingarten near Bruchsal (Baden) on 28 March 1822, d. at Rome on 6 Jan. 1888. An exemplary Christian and an excellent soldier, intelligent and cultured, he was one of the noblest and most chivalrous figures of old papal Rome. Having completed his secondary studies at Mannheim, he entered the military college of Karlsruhe, revealing aptitudes and a love for the profession. Standard-bearer and lieutenant (25 May 1841), in order not to fight a duel he renounced his career and devoted himself to the study of languages and to travel, displaying on several occasions a rare contempt for danger. On 1 Sept. 1845 he was finally able to be admitted at Bologna into the service of the Holy See as a cadet. Thoroughly prepared in the military sciences and a valiant organizer, he became second lieutenant in the foreign infantry, fought at Monte Berico (Vicenza) on 24 May 1848, and, the only surviving officer, though wounded, commanded his company to the last, earning a special mention from Gen. Durando.
Promoted lieutenant on 15 Apr. 1849 and captain on 21 June, he served as aide to Gen. Zucchi, hastened amid adventurous vicissitudes to the exiled Pius IX at Gaeta, and carried out delicate secret assignments in the provinces of the troubled Papal State. On 26 July 1850 he was chosen by Gen. Kalbermatten as ordnance officer, and soon reached the rank of colonel (1 May 1859) of native infantry. Left at first aside by Gen. De Lamoricière, who preferred De Pimodan to him, he bore even this trial with modesty and serenity. During the campaign of 1860 in the Marches and Umbria he knew how to distinguish himself clearly among all his colleagues: near S. Angelo (13 Sept.) he succeeded in opening a way with a slender column through an entire enemy division, earning promotion to brigadier general (22 Sept.); in the defense of Ancona he appeared endowed with experience, valor and dauntless coolness, and was an active partisan of resistance to the last.
On his return from imprisonment in Genoa, he received command of a brigade, later becoming, at a very young age, lieutenant general and pro-minister (27 Oct. 1865) in the place of Msgr. De Merode. Deeply devoted to Pius IX and as profoundly welcome to him as he was not to Antonelli, esteemed by the very opponents of the papal government, generous, calm and reflective, he enjoyed the full confidence of his Italian and foreign subordinates, also because of his military temperament and his mentality inclined toward cold and tenacious offensive. He was, therefore, the most suited to proceed with those radical reforms of the army and to the study of those problems of defense which, imposed by the dictates of the September Convention, made of the Catholic volunteers a respectable and efficient military body.
And this was seen in the test of facts: the definitive suppression of brigandage in southern Lazio (1864-66) was followed by the valid resistance opposed to the Garibaldian bands in the autumn of 1867, as well as by the victorious action of Mentana (3 Nov.). Then came the final crisis of 1870: it represented for K. and for his men, in the apt words of Vigevano, a veritable "drama of military psychology," between a spontaneous spirit of combativeness unto the supreme sacrifice and disciplined compliance with the sovereign's dispositions, aimed at reducing the clash to the minimum necessary to make evident the use of force. Even on that extreme occasion the papal militias led by K. knew how to command the respect of honest men by fighting and obeying like a "good army," so much so as to obtain the honors of arms from the besiegers. Once the painful and arduous capitulation negotiations were concluded, and the departing troops for imprisonment had been saluted, K. did not wish to leave the side of Pius IX, whom he had the good fortune to attend until his last agony. Created a baron by Leo XIII, he spent the rest of his life succoring and benefiting his former soldiers, and devoting himself with success to studies of a military character and to astronomy.
To him is owed, among other things, an objective Rapporto alla S. di N. S. papa Pio IX sulla invasione dello Stato pontificio nell'autunno 1867 (Rome 1868), as well as an important collection of personal and governmental documents secured for the Vatican Archives by Msgr. A. Mereti in 1932.
Bibliography7 works
Paolo Dalla Torre