Friedrich Karl Wilhelm, Fürst zu Hohenlohe | |
|---|---|
| Born | 16 February 1752 (1752-02-16) |
| Died | 16 January 1814(1814-01-16) (aged 61) |
| Allegiance | Habsburg monarchy |
| Branch | Colonel and Proprietor, 7th (later 2nd) Dragoon Regiment |
| Service years | 1772–1809 (retired) |
| Rank | Field Marshal |
| Conflicts | French Revolutionary Wars Napoleonic Wars |
| Awards | Military Order of Maria Theresa Order of Saint Hubert |
Friedrich Karl Wilhelm, Fürst (prince) zu Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen (February 16, 1752 – January 16, 1814) was a general in the military service of theHouse of Habsburg during theFrench Revolutionary Wars and theNapoleonic Wars. He was born inIngelfingen, in southwest Germany, on 16 February 1752.
The Family of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen descended from Christian Kraft, Graf v. Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen, whose four sons held the title concurrently. Christian Kraft was a younger son of the Count of Hohenlohe-Langenburg und Gleichen. He married circa 1700 to Maria Katharina Sophia v. Hohenlohe-Waldenburg, a cousin, and they had seventeen children, ten of which survived past adolescence. Heinrich August zu Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen (1715–1796), the twelfth child, married circa 1750 to Wilhelmine Eleonore zu Hohenlohe-Neuenstein-Oehringen (1714–1794); among their children were Friedrich Karl Wilhelm, andFrederick Louis.[1]
Friedrich Karl Wilhelm entered Habsburg military as aCuirassier in 1772. He commanded the Dragoon regimentWaldeck in Austria's wars with the Ottoman Empire in 1788–1789. During the French Revolutionary Wars, he served in the Imperial Army of the Upper Rhine, under command of General of CavalryDagobert Sigmund von Wurmser. In 1781, he was a major in 39th Dragoon RegimentWaldeck, which he commanded asColonel in Austria's wars against the Turks in 1788–89. He also received the BavarianOrder of Saint Hubert.[2]
In 1793 he served in the Army of the Upper Rhine, under General of Cavalry Graf Wurmser. In 1794 he fought on the Rhine, underFeldzeugmeister (General of Infantry)Friedrich Wilhelm, Fürst zu Hohenlohe-Kirchberg and was distinguished in the actions nearKaiserslautern (20 September) andOggersheim (9 October).[3] On 11 October of that year Prince Friedrich was promoted to Major General. In 1795, the prince took part in the successful assault onMainz (29 October) and was victorious in the action at Bacharach (17 December). In 1796 he served in Germany underArchduke Charles and was present at theBattle of Würzburg as a cavalry brigade commander.[2]
In 1799, the prince fought on the Rhine as a brigade commander in Lieutenant Field MarshJohann Sigismund, Count Riesch's cavalry division and was distinguished in thebattle of Stockach, on 25–26 March, when his Cuirassiers broke and scattered the reserve cavalry division ofJean-Joseph Ange d'Hautpoul.[2]
On 3 November, on his own initiative, he attacked the French underMichel Ney at Löchgau-Erligheim on the RiverEnz, defeating them decisively, and driving them west toSinsheim.[3] This action convinced François Lecourbe, French commander of the siege ofPhilippsburg, to withdraw. For the prince's action on the Enz,Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor awarded him the Knight's Cross of theMilitary Order of Maria Theresa on 21 November 1799.[2]
On 2–3 December 1799, he commanded the 3rd Assault Column, with three battalions and 26 squadrons of cavalry) under overall command of Lieutenant Field MarshalAnton, Graf Sztáray, in the imperial victory atWiesloch over François Lecourbe's French troops.[2] On 6 March 1800 he was promoted to Lieutenant Field Marshal and transferred back to the imperial army in southern Germany, under command ofPál Kray. Subsequently commanded a cavalry division in the Imperial center at the defeat in thebattle of Hohenlinden on 3 December.[2]
In 1801, he was appointed Colonel-Proprietor (Inhaber) of 7th Dragoon Regiment.[3] Prior to theCapitulation of Ulm, he,Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg, andArchduke Ferdinand d'Este broke out of the French cordon surrounding the city and escaped toBohemia, hotly pursued by the French cavalry.[4] On 5 November, he commanded an Austrian cavalry column at theBattle of Dürenstein and a few weeks later, he commanded the Austrian cavalry at the Allied defeat at theBattle of Austerlitz.[5]
The decisive French victory at theBattle of Austerlitz over the combined Russian and Austrian armies forced the Austrian withdrawal from the Coalition. The subsequentPeace of Pressburg, signed on 26 December 1805, reinforced the earlier treaties ofCampo Formio andLunéville. Furthermore, Austria ceded land to Napoleon's German allies, and paid anindemnity of 40 millionfrancs. Victory at Austerlitz also gave Napoleon the latitude to create abuffer zone of German states between France and Prussia, Russia, and Austria. These measures did not establish a lasting peace on the continent.Prussian worries about growing French influence inCentral Europe sparked theWar of the Fourth Coalition in 1806, in which Austria did not participate.[6]
Austria did not return to active war against France until theDanube Campaign of 1809[broken anchor]. Although the Habsburgs eked out a victory atAspern and Essling, the campaign resulted in yet another decisive defeat atWagram. In this campaign, the prince saw no active service, although for nine months in 1809, he served asAdlatus (noble adjutant and mentor) of the Commanding General in Galicia. In December, he retired to his estates inHungary, where he died on 16 June 1815 inKaschau, todayKošice, inSlovakia.[2]
Promotions[2]
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| Military offices | ||
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| Preceded by vacant | Proprietor (Inhaber) of Dragoon Regiment N°7 (subsequently N°2 after 1814) 1801–1814 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| People | |
