Origins & Early Life

Adrian Dietrich Lothar von Trotha (3 July 1848 – 31 March 1920) was a German military commander during the European new colonial era. As a brigade commander of the East Asian Expedition Corps, he was involved in suppressing the Boxer Rebellion in Qing China, commanding troops which made up the German contribution to the Eight-Nation Alliance. He later served as governor of German South West Africa and Commander in Chief of its colonial forces, in which role he suppressed a native rebellion during the Herero Wars. He was widely condemned for his brutality in the Herero Wars, particularly for his role in the genocide of the Nama Khoekhoe and the Herero.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Lothar von Trotha belonged to a prominent Saxon noble family. He was married twice; on 15 October 1872 he married Bertha Neumann, who died in 1905. On 19 May 1912, following his retirement from the service, he married Lucy Goldstein-Brinckmann (1881–1958), a second marriage for both. Lucy came from a Frankfurt Jewish family which had converted to Christianity. Trotha had two sons, who died without known descendants.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Born in Magdeburg, the capital of the Province of Saxony, Trotha joined the Prussian Army in...

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