Was the Rotzol land grant for services in the Saxon Army?
The land grant papers that are clickable attachments to the Rotzollen webpage would seem to indicate that the Rotzol family got the Rotzollen land from Augustus II or III, Kings of Poland and Saxony. Such land grants were often given for service to the king; in particular, for military service by high ranking officers. In the current case it would be in the Saxon Army.
To find out, I consulted the Stammregister und Chronik der Kur- und Kongiglich Sachsischen Armee von 1670 bis zum Beginn des zwangzigsten Jahrhunderts by Heinrich August Verlohren 1827-1905. There were indeed Rotzols in the Saxon army. Note this entry for two Rotzol family members circa 1800.
Now note the following more complete Rossel family. If you compare the entries 5 and 6 below to the above entries you will note that these are the same two people so Rossel must be an alternative spelling of Rotzol.
The first entry is for Ernst Rossel/Rotzol who was a captain in the Prinz Army of the Kingdom of Saxony during 1733 to 1734; this was the time of the
War of Polish Succesion. He died in 1737. So here is a least one Rotzol with a major position in the Army. So perhaps our Rotzols of Rotzollen were part of this military family and first rewarded for leadership in the Northern War and then for the service in the War of Polish Succession. So the Rotzollen deed is gift of grateful King Augustus II and/or Augustus III.
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November 22, 2005