Born into an old Prussian family of officers, he was the son of Wilhelm Hahnke (1793-1861) and his wife Angelique, née von der Lancken (1803-1873). His father was raised to the hereditary Prussian nobility in 1836, thus becoming Wilhelm
von Hahnke. After time in the cadet corps Hahnke joined the military as second lieutenant in the
1st Guards Grenadiers in 1851. During the
Second Schleswig War, Hahnke served as a company leader. During the
Austro-Prussian War he served on the staff of
Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia as a general staff officer.[1] During the
Franco-Prussian War he served on the latter's staff again and earned the
Iron Cross (first class).[2]
In 1888 Hahnke was appointed Chief of the
Military Cabinet of the just-crowned
Wilhelm II. In January 1905 he was promoted to field marshal. He later was appointed as the Adjutant-General to the
Kaiser. He died on 8 February 1912.[2]
Family
Hahnke married 1865 in Berlin Josephine von Bülow (1842–1911), daughter of Friedrich von Bülow (1789–1853). The couple had seven sons and two daughters, among them:
Wilhelm (1867–1931), Prussian Major general ∞ Elisabeth von Schlieffen (born 1869), daughter of Field Marshal
Alfred von Schlieffen.
Knight of the Red Eagle, 4th Class with Swords, 1864; 3rd Class with Bow, 1866; 2nd Class with Oak Leaves and Swords on Ring, 18 January 1884;[4] Grand Cross with Crown, 27 January 1893[5]
^"Rother Adler-orden", Königlich Preussische Ordensliste (supp.) (in German), vol. 1, Berlin: Gedruckt in der Reichsdruckerei, 1886, p.
8 – via hathitrust.org
^"Eisernes Kreuz von 1870", Königlich Preussische Ordensliste (in German), vol. 3, Berlin: Gedruckt in der Reichsdruckerei, 1877, p.
18 – via hathitrust.org
^"Schwarzer Adler-orden", Königlich Preussische Ordensliste (in German), vol. 1, Berlin: Gedruckt in der Reichsdruckerei, 1895, p.
5 – via hathitrust.org
^Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Herzogtum Anhalt (1894) "Herzoglicher Haus-orden Albrecht des Bären" p.
20
^Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden (1902), "Großherzogliche Orden"
pp. 68,
72,
83
^Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Bayern (1908), "Königliche Orden"
p. 27
^Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Herzogthums Braunschweig für 1908. Bd. 1908. Braunschweig: Meyer, 1908. p. 10
^Großherzoglich Hessische Ordensliste (in German), Darmstadt: Staatsverlag, 1909, pp. 14, 193 – via hathitrust.org
^Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Württemberg (1907), "Königliche Orden"
pp. 43,
98,
113
^"Ritter-Orden", Hof- und Staatshandbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie, 1908, pp.
58,
69,
100, retrieved 14 January 2021
^Bille-Hansen, A. C.; Holck, Harald, eds. (1908) [1st pub.:1801].
Statshaandbog for Kongeriget Danmark for Aaret 1908 [State Manual of the Kingdom of Denmark for the Year 1908] (PDF). Kongelig Dansk Hof- og Statskalender (in Danish). Copenhagen: J.H. Schultz A.-S. Universitetsbogtrykkeri. pp. 13–14. Retrieved 10 February 2021 – via
da:DIS Danmark.