Ernst Rüdiger von Starhemberg | |
|---|---|
 Portrait, copy afterPeter Schenk the Elder | |
| Born | (1638-01-12)12 January 1638 |
| Died | 4 January 1701(1701-01-04) (aged 62) |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  Holy Roman Empire |
| Branch | Imperial Army |
| Years of service | c. 1660–1701 |
| Rank | Generalfeldmarschall |
| Battles / wars | Great Turkish War |
| Awards | Order of the Golden Fleece |
Count Ernst Rüdiger von Starhemberg (12 January 1638 – 4 January 1701) was military governor ofVienna from 1680, the city's defender during theBattle of Vienna in 1683,Imperial general during theGreat Turkish War, and President of theHofkriegsrat. By birth, he was a member of theHouse of Starhemberg.
He was born inGraz,Styria, as son of Count Conrad Balthasar von Starhemberg (1612–1687) and his first wife Countess Anna Elisabeth vonZinzendorf und Pottendorf (died in 1659). His cousinCount Guido von Starhemberg also became a famous soldier and fought as an adjutant at his side. Ernst Rüdiger von Starhemberg fought in the 1660s under Imperial Lieutenant generalRaimondo Montecuccoli againstFrench andOttoman forces.
In 1683 he was military commander of the city of Vienna, with fewer than 20,000 men to oppose about 120,000 besieging Ottomans. On 15 July 1683 Starhemberg refused an offer by the Turkish commanderKara Mustafa Pasha to capitulate, counting on the speedy arrival of an Imperial army, sent by theHabsburg emperorLeopold I who had fled his residence, and the strength of city walls which had been fortified after the first OttomanSiege of Vienna in 1529.
When after two months the relief army under the command ofPolish kingJan Sobieski arrived in the first half of September, Vienna was on the brink of collapse. Its walls were breached by Turkishsappers who had tunnelled under the walls, packed the tunnels with gunpowder, and detonated the explosive charges. Finally, on 12 September, 80,000 Polish,Venetian,Bavarian, andSaxon troops attacked the Turks and were able to defeat them in the Battle on theKahlenberg.
Ernst Rüdiger von Starhemberg was promoted to the rank of afield marshal by the Emperor, recognizing Starhemberg's action in saving the imperial capital. He was also made a minister of the state. Going after the retiring Ottoman troops, Starhemberg was severely wounded in 1686 during theSiege of Buda by a shot in his left hand and had to abandon his command. In 1691 he was made President of the Hofkriegsrat and was responsible for the organisation of theHabsburg army.
He married firstly his third cousin, Countess Helena Dorothea vonStarhemberg (1634–1688). After the death of his first wife, he married again in 1689 to Countess Maria JosephaJörger von Tollet (1668–1746), his fourth cousin, once removed. He left issue from both marriages. The later Austrian politicianErnst Rüdiger, Fürst zu Starhemberg (1899–1956) was his descendant.
Starhemberg died at Vösendorf on 4 January 1701, aged 62. His tomb (byJoseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach) is situated in the ViennaSchottenkirche.
Later generations have idealized Starhemberg as saviour of theWestern world andculture. By order of EmperorFranz Joseph I of Austria, a statue was erected in his honour in 1872 at theHeeresgeschichtliches Museum in Vienna, where the Battle of Vienna is thoroughly documented, with Starhemberg'sépée andarmour on display.
Adolf Schinzl: Starhemberg, Ernst Rüdiger Graf von. In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Band 35, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1893, S. 468–470.Die Türkenkriege, Angriff auf das Abendland (= G/Geschichte; Heft Juni 2007)
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