Roon, ALBRECHT THEODOR EMIL, COUNT VON, Prussian soldier, was born at Pleushagen near Kolberg in Pomerania on 30th April 1803, entered the army in 1821, was appointed in 1827 to teach in the cadet school of Berlin, and joined the general staff in 1833. He held amongst other positions that of topographer in the general staff surveys (1833-35), teacher in the military academy (1835), military tutor to Prince Frederick-Charles (1843), and member of the commission for reorganising the
Prussian army (1859). In the last-quoted year he was made war minister, and in 1861 marine minister as well. He carried the bill for army reform through the House of Representatives; the effects of his labours in reorganising the army were brilliantly realised in the great wars of 1866 and 1870-71. His rewards included the title of count (1871) and the rank of field-marshal (1873). For a few months before his retirement (November 1873) he acted as president of the Prussian cabinet. He died in Berlin on 23d February 1879. A pupil of Karl Ritter (q.v.), Von Roon illustrated his teacher's methods in an elementary work on general geography (12th ed. 1868) and in a more advanced book dealing with general geography, ethnology, and politics (3d ed. 1847-55). See Life by Von Gossler (1879), an anonymous Life (Gütersloh, 1888), and Deutsche Revue (1890-91).