Origin , where Count von Berg and his siblings spent their childhood. The current Neo-Gothic building was built after Count von Berg's death by his nephew
Friedrich Berg. Friedrich Wilhelm Rembert von Berg was born on , in the
family estate in the small village of
Sagnitz, in the
Kreis Dorpat of the
Governorate of Livonia. His father Friedrich Georg von Berg (1763–1811) was a state councillor and his mother Gertruda Wilhelmine von Ermes (1774–1844) was a young noblewoman, the younger Friedrich was the first cousin once removed of generals Gregor (1765–1838) and Burchard Magnus von Berg (1764–1838), both of whom served in the
Russian Imperial Army during the course of the
Napoleonic Wars. Genealogists still debate where the Livonian noble Berg family originated in, many speculated they originated in
Westphalia. The first known ancestor of the family to appear in
Livonia was Otto von Berg. His son, who was also named Otto, was a vassal of the
Livonian Knighthood. Friedrich belonged to the Sagnitz branch of the Luist line of the family. The Luist line was formed by Captain Gustav von Berg (1656–1715), and the further divided Sagnitz branch was formed by Friedrich's grandfather Major Gotthard Ernst von Berg (1714–1766).
Early life Berg along with his siblings spent their childhood in the Sagnitz castle and were home educated by the young
Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve. He was brought up as a
Lutheran. After he finished his home education he studied in the Tartu Gymnasium in
Dorpat. Originally not seeking a military career as a family tradition, Berg enrolled into the
Philosophy faculty of
Imperial University of Dorpat in 1810. But after
Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812, Berg dropped out of university and voluntarily entered the
Russian Imperial Army. He entered the army as a
Fahnenjunker and was enlisted into the
6th Libau Infantry Regiment which was stationed at the north-western part of Russia to defend against Napoleon. Berg's bravery during the war of 1812 rewarded him the rank of
lieutenant from
Alexander I personally. He was also appointed second to the
quartermaster due to his high education and being multilingual among Russian soldiers at the time. After Napoleon was pushed out of Russia, Berg was transferred to a
partisan unit under the command of
Baron von Tettenborn and
Pavel Kutuzov and took part in actions in
Germany including the
Battle of Leipzig.
Family Berg was born the eldest son of a family with three siblings, including his younger brother Gustav "Astaf" Gotthard Karl von Berg, owner of the Alt-Ottenhof Manor. His other brother
Alexander was a diplomat and
consul in
Naples and
London. Count von Berg married late in his life. In 1839, after a long relationship with the Baroness de Sassè, he married a rich
Milanese aristocrat Leopoldina Cicogna-Mozzoni (1786–1874), the widow of the Italian politician
Alessandro Annoni, with whom he had no children. However, after his brother Gustav's death in 1861, Friedrich adopted his orphaned nephews and brought them under his care: • Friedrich Georg Magnus Graf von Berg (1845–1938) • Alexander Rembert Joachim Graf von Berg (1847–1893) • Georg Erich Rembert Graf von Berg (1849–1920) • Emilie Wilhelmine "Minni" Anna Marie Ulrike Pauline Gräfin von Berg (1852–1945) Since his marriage was childless, his
Austrian and
Finnish comital titles were inherited by his nephews/adoptive children. ==Governor-General of Finland==