Background
Colonel Guilliame Sissener was born in Brussels in 1779.
Colonel Guilliame Sissener was born in Brussels in 1779.
He is the originator of the Sissener family of Norway. He started his military career as a soldier in Napoleon Bonaparte"s army in 1799. After being captured by the Russians, he escaped in 1807 and joined the Royal Danish Lifeguard in Copenhagen.
In January 1808, Sissener was promoted to Lieutenant with the 1st.
National Infantry Regiment at Trondheim. This is when he took the name Wilhelm, the Norwegian equivalent of Guilliame.
In 1810, another soldier of Napoleon, Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte (1763–1844), was elected King of Sweden, and took the name Karl Johan. In 1814, France"s ally Denmark was forced to give Norway up to Sweden.
Sissener benefitted from his common origin with the new King, and rose quickly in the military ranks.
In 1814, he was promoted Captain and in 1818 Sissener was transferred to the 1st Akershus Brigade (Akershusiske infanteribrigade). In April 1837, Wilhelm Sissener became Commandant of Kongsvinger Fortress, and two years later he was promoted to Colonel. During his life at Brensmork, the Sissener family made close ties to the Wergeland family.
Death and afterward Wilhelm Sissener died 29 December 1846.
He is buried in Eidsvoll cemetery.
The famous Norwegian poet Henrik Wergeland mentions several members of the Sissener family in his poems.