He served in four wars and was instrumental in several victories during the reign of Frederick the Great, most particularly at Hohenfriedberg and Torgau.

The family had lived there for several hundred years; records show them founding a Latin School in the mid-fourteenth century.

[5] Upon his appointment as governor of Spandau, Schwendy, who had been Zieten's mentor, released his regiment to command of Generalmajor Kurt Christoph Graf von Schwerin.

This was sufficient for the so-called soldier-king, who was obsessed with tall men, to overlook Zieten in the promotions lists.

[2] By 1730, on the recommendation of General Wilhelm Dietrich von Buddenbrock, the supposedly rehabilitated Zieten entered the newly formed Freikompanie (independent company) of hussars at Potsdam.

On 1 March 1732, a second company of the Hussars was created, and Zieten was appointed as its chief and promoted to the Rittmeister with 50 thalers a month's salary.

He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the Life hussar regiment and received the Order Pour le Mérite.

In the Moravian foray of the following year, Zieten and his hussars penetrated almost to Vienna, and in the retreat to Silesia he was constantly employed with the rearguard.

With several contemporaries, he maintained a running rivalry with Hans Karl von Winterfeldt, one of Frederick's trusted confidantes.

[7] In the winter of 1741–1742, and later during the short peace between the first and second Silesian wars, Zieten was engaged in the reorganization of Prussian cavalry.

To their discipline they had added the dash and skirmishing qualities of the best irregulars, and the Prussian hussars were considered the best of their kind in Europe.

Zieten led the famous Zietenritt (Zietenride) around the enemy's lines to deliver the King's order to a distant detachment.

Before the Battle of Hennersdorf in November, the Zieten Hussars shadowed the Imperial army, waiting to pounce on them.

At Hennersdorf, Zieten repulsed the sudden and unexpected assault of the Austro-Saxons; Winterfeldt arrived on the field in time to take a decisive part in the victory.

Once again the rivals had to share their laurels, and Zieten actually wrote to the king in disparagement of Winterfeldt, receiving in reply a full and generous recognition of his own worth and services, coupled with the curt remark that the king intended to employ General von Winterfeldt in any way that he thought fit.

During the War of the Bavarian Succession, Frederick forbade him to go, so he stayed on his estate at Wustrau with his niece, Johanna von Blumenthal, whose son was serving in his regiment.

[2][10] In the subsequent years of peace, the old army commander remained a tireless instructor of his now legendary Hussar regiment.

"[2] On 26 January 1786, Zieten died in his bed in Berlin, a remarkable age considering his hair-trigger temper and his reputed 74 duels.

The furniture of the Berlin house had to be auctioned after his death, and his widow was only freed from debt by a gift from King Frederick of ten thousand thalers.

His only son, Friedrich von Zieten (6 October 1765–29 June 1854), whose baptism Frederick witnessed, was first a captain of hussars and from 1800–1824 councilor of Ruppin.

[2] With the death of the last male heir, the property and title moved from the Zieten family to the line of Schwerin, due to the marriage of one of his granddaughters, Karoline Albertine Luise Wilhelmine Emilie von Zieten (22 April 1806–24 February 1853) to Albert Ludwig Wilhelm von Schwerin (17 June 1801–27 October 1865).

[2] Zieten's name is on the Equestrian statue of Frederick the Great in Berlin (1851), and a full-sized relief of him stands at the corner of the statue; in addition, built between 1981 and 1983, the National People's Army barracks in Beelitz bore his name, as well as Zietenstraße in Düsseldorf and the Zietenring in Wiesbaden, a street in Lünen, also bear his name.