Peter Vitus von Quosdanovich | |
|---|---|
 Peter Vitus von Quosdanovich | |
| Born | 12 June 1738 |
| Died | 13 August 1802 (1802-08-14) (aged 64) Vienna, Austria |
| Allegiance |  Habsburg monarchy |
| Years of service | 1752–1797 |
| Rank | Feldmarschall-Leutnant |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Military Order of Maria Theresa, Knight (1779), Commander (1795) |
Peter Vitus Freiherr von Quosdanovich (Croatian: Petar Vid Gvozdanović; 12 June 1738 – 13 August 1802) was a nobleman and general of theHabsburg monarchy of Croatian descent. He achieved the rank of Feldmarschall-Lieutenant and was awarded the Commander's Cross of theMilitary Order of Maria Theresa. He played a major role in several battles against theFrench Army of Italy led byNapoleon during theFrench Revolutionary Wars.
Petar Vid Gvozdanović was born inŽumberak, Croatia,[1]Habsburg monarchy, and joined theVaraždinGrenzHussar Regiment # 41 in 1752. He fought in theSeven Years' War. He distinguished himself in theWar of the Bavarian Succession of 1778–9. He was promoted to colonel of the Slavonian Hussar regiment and decorated with the Knight's Cross of theMilitary Order of Maria Theresa. He fought during theAustro-Turkish War (1787–1791), becoming a General-Major and taking over the command ofAlt Gradisca. He was a relative ofKarl Paul von Quosdanovich.
During theWar of the First Coalition Quosdanovich first commanded a brigade, then a division. At the crucial defeat atFleurus he commanded the second column. On 24 September 1795, while leading a division, he scored an impressive victory over two French divisions at theBattle of Handschuhsheim (now a district ofHeidelberg). In July 1796 he transferred to Italy, where he led a corps underDagobert Sigmund von Wurmser andJózsef Alvinczi in four attempts to break the FrenchSiege of Mantua. In the first, he lost theBattle of Lonato after a complicated series of maneuvers between 29 July and 4 August 1796. During the second relief, he participated in theBattle of Bassano on 8 September, but avoided being trapped in Mantua with Wurmser. In the third relief of Mantua he led theFriaul Corps in theSecond Battle of Bassano and theBattle of Arcole. He led two brigades at the crucialBattle of Rivoli.[2][3] He retired from the army in 1797 and died atVienna on 13 August 1802.[4]