Franz von Weyrother
Franz von Weyrother | |
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Field Marshal | |
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Franz von Weyrother (1755 – 16 February 1806) was an
Napoleon Bonaparte twice and Jean Moreau
once.
Early career
Weyrother was born in Vienna as the son of cavalry Major (
Major General Graf Wenzel Colloredo as his adjutant and stayed in post until 1783. On 1 June 1784, he was promoted to Oberlieutenant and after his transfer on 1 August 1787 to Infanterie-regiment Nr. 2 Erzherzog Ferdinand, he served in the 1788—1790 Turkish War as Adjutant of Feldmarschalleutnant Maximilian Browne and on 1 February 1789, was appointed to Capitain-lieutenant (junior Captain) followed by Hauptmann (full Captain) on 6 July.[1]
The
Lieutenant-Colonel).[1]
Italy and Bavaria
In September 1796, Weyrother transferred to Northern Italy, where he fought in the
Feldzeugmeister József Alvinczi, helping to plan the campaign, which ended in a narrow defeat by Bonaparte at the Battle of Arcole.[3] His own plan for the Battle of Rivoli provided for three widely separated striking forces and unrealistically called for one flanking column to march across mountainous terrain in January.[4] His plans were compromised by Napoleon's chief spy, Toli, who obtained a copy of the plan for the advance in January 1797,[5] which ended in a decisive Austrian defeat at the Battle of Rivoli and the consequent surrender of the fortress of Mantua.[6]
One of a group of three, known as "Thugut's Benjamins" (trusted assistants to the Foreign Minister
Napoleonic Wars
When the
Mikhail Kutuzov requested that Weyrother be made chief of staff of the Austro-Russian army. Although the two men soon fell out, as Kutuzov wanted a defensive strategy, Weyrother gained the favour of Tsar Alexander I of Russia with his aggressive strategy. With the Tsar's support, he created the plan for the Battle of Austerlitz[8] in which the Allies were crushed by Napoleon on 2 December 1805. The defeat was so bad, the Russians accused Weyrother of being in the pay of the French. Weyrother withdrew from military life and retired to Vienna, where he died aged 51.[2]
His inappropriate dispositions for the battle at Austerlitz are satirised by Leo Tolstoy in War and Peace.
References
- Arnold, James R. Marengo & Hohenlinden. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Pen & Sword, 2005. ISBN 1-84415-279-0
- Boycott-Brown, Martin. The Road to Rivoli. London: Cassell & Co., 2001. ISBN 0-304-35305-1
- Chandler, David. The Campaigns of Napoleon. New York: Macmillan, 1966.
- Criste, Oscar. "Weyrother, Franz von" in: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie 42 (1897), : S. 287–289.
- Ebert, Jens-Floria, Die Österreichischen Generäle 1792–1815, Franz von Weyrother, Napoleon Online (de) Portal zu Epoche. October 2003.
Footnotes
- ^ a b Jens-Floria Ebert, Die Österreichischen Generäle 1792–1815, Franz von Weyrother, Napoleon Online (de) Portal zu Epoche Archived 8 April 2000 at the Wayback Machine. October 2003.
- ^ a b c Digby Smith, A Biographical Dictionary, at Napoleon Series, Franz von Weyrother, 28 December 2016.
- ^ Boycott-Brown, p 440
- ^ Boycott-Brown, p 491
- ^ Gachot, Edouard 'Histoire militaire de Masséna. Le première campagne d'Italie (1795 à 1798)' https://archive.org/stream/histoiremilitai02gachgoog
- ^ a b Oscar Criste. "Weyrother, Franz von" in: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie 42 (1897): p. 287–289.
- ^ Arnold, p 221–222
- ^ Chandler, p 416–417
External links
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