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| Archduke Friedrich | |
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| Royal prince of Hungary and Bohemia | |
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| Supreme Commander of the Imperial and Royal Armed Forces | |
| In office | 11 July 1914 – 2 December 1916 |
| Predecessor | Franz Joseph I |
| Successor | Charles I |
| Duke of Teschen | |
| Reign | 18 February 1895 – 3 April 1919 |
| Predecessor | Archduke Albrecht |
| Born | (1856-06-04)4 June 1856 Gross Seelowitz,Margraviate of Moravia,Austrian Empire |
| Died | 30 December 1936(1936-12-30) (aged 80) Magyaróvár,Kingdom of Hungary |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | |
| Issue |
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| House | Habsburg-Lorraine |
| Father | Archduke Karl Ferdinand of Austria |
| Mother | Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria |
Archduke Friedrich, Duke of Teschen (Friedrich Maria Albrecht Wilhelm Karl; 4 June 1856 – 30 December 1936) was a member of theHouse of Habsburg-Lorraine and theSupreme Commander of the Imperial and Royal Armed Forces of theAustro-Hungarian Empire duringWorld War I, having previously served as both commander-in-chief of theImperial-Royal Landwehr and inspector-general of theAustro-Hungarian Army.
Friedrich was born at the castle of Gross Seelowitz inMoravia (todayŽidlochovice nearBrno in theCzech Republic), the son ofKarl Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria and his wifeArchduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria.
His siblings included QueenMaria Cristina of Spain,Archduke Charles Stephen of Austria, a candidate for theKingdom of Poland, andArchduke Eugen of Austria, an Austrian officer.
When Friedrich's uncleArchduke Albert, Duke of Teschen died in 1895, he and his brothers each inherited large estates. Friedrich owned properties at Ungarisch-Altenburg (nowMosonmagyaróvár in Hungary), Belleje, Saybusch (nowŻywiec in Poland), Seelowitz (nowŽidlochovice) andFrýdek in the Czech Republic, and Pressburg (nowBratislava in Slovakia). HisVienna residence, the Palais-Albrecht, housed theAlbertina art collection which he owned.
On 8 October 1878 Friedrich married at Château de l'Hermitage inFrance,Princess Isabella of Croÿ (1856–1931), daughter of Rudolf,Duke of Croÿ, and his wife Princess Natalie ofLigne. They had nine children:
Like most of the princes of the ruling house, Friedrich adopted a military career, and served creditably for many years as commandant of the V. (Pressburg) Corps. Subsequently, commander-in-chief of theImperial-Royal Landwehr (militia) and army inspector, he became, after the murder of the heir to the throne,Archduke Franz Ferdinand, inspector-general of theAustro-Hungarian Army.[1]
InWorld War I, he was —from the dynastic point of view —as grandson of the victor of theBattle of Aspern-Essling, ArchdukeCharles, and as nephew of the victor of theBattle of Custoza, ArchdukeAlbrecht, the predestined head of the armed forces of Austria-Hungary; and on 11 July 1914 Friedrich was appointed supreme commander of the Austro-Hungarian Army by EmperorFranz Joseph I. He thought it his duty to accept this heavy responsibility, but, modestly underestimating his own powers, left the actual exercise of the command to his chief of staff,Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf. In the performance of ceremonial duties, and as mediator for the settlement of the conflicting demands of the military, civil and allied elements, his services were undeniable.[1] He was promoted to the rank ofGeneralfeldmarschall on 8 December 1914. In February 1917 EmperorCharles I himself took over the supreme command; the Archduke, although the Emperor's representative, no longer appeared in the foreground.
After World War I the governments ofAustria andCzechoslovakia confiscated all of Friedrich's properties within their borders. These included his palaces in Pressburg and in Vienna and his art collection. He retained his properties in Hungary however. In 1929 he won a court case requiring compensation from the Czechoslovak government.[2]
Friedrich died at Ungarisch-Altenburg (Magyaróvár, nowMosonmagyaróvár) in 1936. His death was the biggest royal event for Hungary since the coronation of King Charles in 1916. The funeral and burial in the parish church in Mosonmagyaróvár was attended by his nephew, theexiled King of Spain; by numerous archdukes; by all the surviving Austro-Hungarian field marshals; by personal representatives ofHitler; by members of theHouse of Savoy; by the diplomatic corps; by a son of exiled German Kaiser Wilhelm; by representatives of the governments ofGermany,Italy andAustria, and by Hungary's regent,Miklós Horthy and his wife. There were members of the Hungarian government and delegates of the German and Austrian in attendance as well. Entire battalions of theRoyal Hungarian Army were present to pay their last respects to their former supreme commander.
Friedrich received the following decorations and awards:[3][4]
Württemberg:
Russian Empire:
France: Grand Cross of theLegion of Honour,30 December 1878
Belgium: Grand Cordon of theOrder of Leopold,3 July 1881
Ernestine duchies: Grand Cross of theSaxe-Ernestine House Order,7 January 1882
Kingdom of Bavaria:
Netherlands:Grand Cross of the Netherlands Lion,12 December 1890
Tuscan Grand Ducal Family:Grand Cross of St. Joseph,26 February 1891
Kingdom of Saxony:
Denmark:Knight of the Elephant,26 May 1892[5]
Luxembourg:Knight of the Gold Lion of Nassau,9 June 1892
Kingdom of Prussia:
Spain:
Persian Empire: Order of the August Portrait, in Diamonds,22 October 1900
Military Order of Malta: Bailiff Grand Cross of Honour, with Distinction for Jerusalem,19 May 1901
Parmese Ducal Family:Grand Cross of the Constantinian Order of St. George,26 January 1903
United Kingdom:Honorary Grand Cross of the Bath (military),10 June 1904[8]
Sweden:Knight of the Seraphim,18 December 1907[9]
Baden:
Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach:Grand Cross of the White Falcon,10 May 1908
Kingdom of Bulgaria:
Ottoman Empire: Gold and SilverImtiyaz Medals,19 August 1915
Mecklenburg:
Oldenburg:Friedrich August Cross, 1st and 2nd Classes,19 August 1915
Brunswick:War Merit Cross,11 September 1916
Hohenzollern: Cross of Honour of thePrincely House Order of Hohenzollern, 1st Class with Swords,12 October 1916
Lippe:War Merit Cross,5 July 1918| Ancestors of Archduke Friedrich, Duke of Teschen |
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One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1922). "Frederick, Archduke of Austria".Encyclopædia Britannica (12th ed.). London & New York: The Encyclopædia Britannica Company.
Media related toArchduke Friedrich, Duke of Teschen at Wikimedia Commons
Works by or aboutArchduke Friedrich, Duke of Teschen atWikisourceArchduke Friedrich, Duke of Teschen Cadet branch of theHouse of Lorraine Born: 4 June 1856 Died: 30 December 1936 | ||
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| Preceded by | Duke of Teschen 18 February 1895 – 3 April 1919 | Succeeded by |
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| Loss of title | — TITULAR — Duke of Teschen 3 April 1919 – 30 December 1936 Reason for succession failure: Austrian nobility titles abolished | Succeeded by |
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