Friedrich Franz Xaver Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen (31 May 1757 – 6 April 1844) was anAustrian general. He joined theAustrian military and fought against theKingdom of Prussia,Ottoman Turkey, and theFirst French Republic. He was promoted to the rank ofgeneral officer during theFrench Revolutionary Wars. Hohenzollern took one of the main roles in theSecond Battle of Bassano and theBattle of Caldiero (1796). During theNapoleonic Wars, he led a division in 1805 and an army corps in 1809. He wasProprietor (Inhaber) of an Austrian cavalry regiment from 1802 to 1844.
Born into the princely family ofHohenzollern-Hechingen nearMaastricht on 31 May 1757 in the modern-dayNetherlands, Hohenzollern first joined theDutch army in 1775. A year later, he entered theHabsburg service in his uncle's regiment, theFriedrich Anton of Hohenzollern-HechingenCuirassiers # 4. He later fought in theWar of the Bavarian Succession. In 1783 he married Maria Theresia von Wildenstein. He served in theAustro-Turkish War (1787-1791), becoming aMajor in 1788. After fighting atBelgrade he was elevated in rank toOberst-Leutnant in 1790.[1]
In 1793 Hohenzollern received promotion toOberst (colonel) and fought at the battles ofNeerwinden andWattignies. The following year he was involved in the sieges ofLandrecies andCharleroi. In 1795 he fought in the Army of the UpperRhine.[1]
In 1796, Hohenzollern became aGeneral-Major and transferred to the Italian theater. During theBattle of Borghetto on 30 May, he rallied the defeated soldiers and mounted a counterattack on the French inValeggio sul Mincio. This action won time for the army commander,Johann Beaulieu to organize an orderly retreat.[2] During theCastiglione campaign, he commanded a brigade in the column ofJohann Mészáros.[3]
In the third relief attempt of theSiege of Mantua, Hohenzollern commanded the army's advance guard. He led his troops in a hard-fought victory overNapoleon Bonaparte during theSecond Battle of Bassano on 6 November.[4] At theBattle of Caldiero on 12 November, Bonaparte attacked Hohenzollern's advance guard with two French divisions. Though initially outnumbered two-to-one, he managed to repulse repeated enemy attacks until Austrian reinforcements arrived and drove the French back intoVerona.[5] He played a lesser role in theBattle of Arcole, after which the Austrians were forced to retreat. In April 1797, the Knight's Cross of theMilitary Order of Maria Theresa was awarded to him.
During theWar of the Second Coalition, Hohenzollern again served in Italy. He commanded a brigade underPál Kray in a battle atLegnago on 26 March 1799.[6] He fought at theBattle of Magnano where he temporarily commanded a division.[7] Played a diversionary role in theBattle of the Adda.[8] He besieged theMilan citadel starting on 30 April and received its surrender on 24 May.[9] On 12 June, with 4,300 soldiers, he attempted to blockJacques MacDonald's much larger French force at theBattle of Modena but was defeated with heavy losses.[10] He also fought at the battles ofTrebbia andNovi. He won promotion toFeldmarschal-Leutnant in October 1799.
Hohenzollern defeatedNicolas Soult at La Bochetta nearGenoa on 9 April 1800 and atSassello on 10 April. He participated in theSiege of Genoa under the overall command ofPeter Ott. On 13 May, Hohenzollern defeated and captured Soult at Monte Creto, ending a series of successful French sorties.[11] After the fall of Genoa in early June, Ott appointed him commander of the captured port. After Bonaparte's decisive victory at theBattle of Marengo on 14 June, Genoa passed into French hands again. Hohenzollern fought at theBattle of Pozzolo in December 1800. In 1802, he became the proprietor ofChevau-léger Regiment Nr. 2 and held the position until his death.
During theWar of the Third Coalition, Hohenzollern led a division in the corps ofFranz von Werneck inArchduke Ferdinand's army. Deployed in southernGermany, the Austrian army was enveloped by Emperor Napoleon's Grand Army and crushed in theUlm Campaign. Werneck tried to escape on the north bank of theDanube, butMarshalJoachim Murat launched a relentless pursuit. Hohenzollern's division fought on 16 October atLangenau and 17 October atHerbrechtingen.[12] Murat caught up with the Austrians and surrounded them on 18 October 1805. When Werneck capitulated, Hohenzollern refused to obey the order to lay down his arms. Instead, he escaped intoBohemia with Archduke Ferdinand,Karl Schwarzenberg, and ten cavalry squadrons.[13] His noble rank was raised fromGraf toPrince in 1806, though he was not the reigning prince.
At the beginning of theWar of the Fifth Coalition, Hohenzollern received appointment to the command of III Armeekorps in the south German theater.[14] He led his corps at theBattle of Teugen-Hausen on 19 April 1809. He also fought at theBattle of Eckmühl on 22 April. After having traded corps withJohann Kollowrat, he led the II Armee Korps in the Austrian victory at theBattle of Aspern-Essling on 21–22 May.[15] This was the third time that Hohenzollern participated in a defeat of Napoleon, a rare distinction in 1809. In the climacticBattle of Wagram, he continued to lead his corps. In August 1809,Emperor Francis II promoted him to General of Cavalry (full general).
Hohenzollern commanded a corps inGalicia in 1812. During the latter part of 1813, he led a reserve corps, so he missed the campaign ending in theBattle of Leipzig and the 1814 campaign. When Europe mobilized against France during theHundred Days, Hohenzollern received command of the II Armeekorps in Schwarzenberg's army but he saw little action.
Hohenzollern sat as President in the deliberations of theHofkriegsrat (Aulic Council) from 1825 to 1830. He became aFeldmarschall on 18 September 1830. His wife Maria died in 1835. They had four children, Friedrich Franz Anton (1790-1847), Julia Fredericke (1792-1864), Friedrich Adalbert (1793-1819), and Josephine Fredericke (1795-1878). He died on 6 April 1844 inVienna.
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| Preceded by | President of theHofkriegsrat 1825–1830 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Proprietor (Inhaber) of Chevauxleger Regiment # 2 1801–1844 | Succeeded by Friedrich Anton of Hohenzollern-Hechingen |
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