Commodore Ansbach served as an aide to Imperial Prince Otto von Braunschweig, and was present at the Braunschweig estate during Marquis Klopstock's unsuccessful assassination attempt on Kaiser Friedrich IV.
Ansbach resented his lord's behavior regarding Westerland, and was detained for privately voicing his disapproval. He was released when Braunschweig lost most of his support, and coerced his lord to commit suicide. Ansbach, secretly under orders from Prince Lichtenlade, offered Reinhard von Lohengramm the body of Braunschweig in an attempt to assassinate Lohengramm. His attempt half-succeeded in killing Siegfried von Kircheis.