József Alvinczi | |
|---|---|
 Portrait | |
| Born | (1735-02-01)1 February 1735 |
| Died | 25 September 1810(1810-09-25) (aged 75) |
| Allegiance |  Habsburg monarchy Austrian Empire |
| Branch | Army of the Holy Roman Empire Imperial Austrian Army |
| Rank | Generalfeldmarschall |
| Known for |
|
| Battles / wars | See list:
|
FreiherrJoseph Alvinczi von Borberek also known asBaron József Alvinczi de Borberek (German:Joseph Alvinczy, Freiherr von Berberek; 1 February 1735 – 25 September 1810) was a soldier and an officer in theHabsburg Army and afield marshal of theAustrian Empire. He is remembered for handingNapoleon his first two defeats, at the battles ofBassano andCaldiero, both in 1796 and just days apart; moreover, the Austrian army consisted mainly of new recruits and inexperienced officers, and it had no internal cohesion. By the time of theBattle of Rivoli, Alvinczi's health had deteriorated as a result of the winter campaign.[1] Napoleon would later remark that Alvinczi was the best general he had fought thus far.[2]
.JPG)
An ethnicMagyar[citation needed], he was born inTransylvania in a place calledAlvinc (German:Alwintz), and spent his boyhood in the household ofGraf Franz Gyulai before joining his regiment as aFähnrich aged 14. By 1753 he had risen toHauptmann.
During theSeven Years' War, Alvinczi distinguished himself leading agrenadier company in the battles ofTorgau andTeplitz, where his courageous leadership won him a promotion to secondmajor. At the end of the war he worked extensively on the implementation ofFranz Moritz von Lacy's new regulations throughout the army.
Promoted toOberst commanding the 19th Infantry Regiment 19 in 1774, he led his men during theWar of the Bavarian Succession, where he took theBöhmertor, city ofHabelschwerdt and captured thePrussian CommanderPrince Hessen-Philippstal, a feat which won Alvinczy promotion tomajor general and award of theMilitär-Maria Theresien-Orden (MTO).
Alvinczi fought underErnst Gideon Freiherr von Laudon in theOttoman War of 1787, but did not accomplish his mission ofcapturing Belgrade. After a short period instructing the future Emperor,Archduke Francis, he returned to command his regiment. After being promoted toFeldmarschalleutnant, he was transferred to theAustrian Netherlands in 1790 to suppress theUnited States of Belgium, until a fall from his horse forced him to retire.
Upon the outbreak of theFrench Revolutionary Wars in 1792, Alvinczy commanded adivision, steadying his demoralised men at a key stage of the victoriousbattle of Neerwinden in 1793, leading his men forward to capture the village; for this exploit he was awarded the Commanders Cross of the MTO. He took command of an Auxiliary army which supported theBritish under theDuke of York and Albany, fighting atLandrecy and in theBattle of Fleurus, before being wounded atMariolles.
On his recovery and promotion toFeldzeugmeister, Alvinczy advised theWilliam VI of Orange in the successful relief ofCharleroi in June 1793, losing two horses under him in the process, and earning the reward of the Grand cross of the MTO. Briefly commander of the Army of theUpper Rhine, he was recalled toVienna to serve on theHofkriegsratin 1795.
In late 1796 he took over command of the army that was fightingNapoleon Bonaparte in the north of theItalian Peninsula. After organising theTyrolean militia to face the threat of theFrench advance in 1796, he was tasked with the third relief of theSiege of Mantua. Alvinczy's army was largely composed of new recruits with few experienced officers.
He defeated Bonaparte atBassano on 6 November andCaldiero on 12 November. Ultimately, Bonaparte won a hard-fought victory over Alvinczi at theBattle of the Bridge of Arcole on 15–17 November 1796.[3] After at first withdrawing towardVicenza, the Austrians gamely reoccupied the field of battle on 22 November.[4] But when he found that troops under his lieutenantPaul Davidovich had begun their own retreat, he admitted defeat and fell back to Bassano.[5]
Despite deteriorating health, he regrouped and tried again. He suffered a severe defeat in theBattle of Rivoli on 14 January 1797. Mantua surrendered soon afterward. He was then given the position of military governor ofHungary, and promoted tofield marshal in 1808. Alvinczi was also entrusted with the chairmanship of the commission created to reorganize the army.[1] He died two years after the promotion,—inBuda.
 | This article includes alist of references,related reading, orexternal links,but its sources remain unclear because it lacksinline citations. Please helpimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(August 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| International | |
|---|---|
| People | |
