Karl Aloys zu Fürstenberg
Karl Aloys zu Fürstenberg-Stühlingen | |
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Colonel and Proprietor, 36th Infantry Regiment | |
Years of service | 1777–1799 |
Rank | Generalfeldmarschall |
Battles/wars | |
Awards | Military Order of St. Hubert 1791[1] |
Relations | Alexander Ferdinand, 3rd Prince of Thurn and Taxis (father in law) |
Karl Aloys zu Fürstenberg (26 June 1760 – 25 March 1799) was an Austrian military commander. He achieved the rank of
A younger member of a cadet branch of the House of Fürstenberg, at his birth his chances of inheriting the family title of Fürst zu Fürstenberg were slight; he was prepared instead for a military career, and a tutor was hired to teach him the military sciences. He entered the Habsburg military in 1777, at the age of seventeen years, and was a member of the field army in the short War of the Bavarian Succession (1778–79). His career progressed steadily during the Habsburg War with the Ottoman Empire. In particular he distinguished himself at Šabac in 1790, when he led his troops in storming the fortress on the Sava river.
During the
Childhood and early military training
Karl Aloys was a son of Karl Egon, second son of
In 1780, at the age of twenty years, he was promoted to
On 1 January 1790, at Laudon's explicit request, Karl Aloys zu Fürstenberg was promoted to
Fight against Revolutionary France
While Karl Aloys zu Fürstenberg fought for the Habsburg cause in Serbia, in France, a coalition of the clergy and the professional and bourgeois class—the First and Third estates—led a call for reform of the French government and the creation of a written constitution. Initially, the rulers of Europe viewed the French Revolution as an event between the French king and his subjects, and not something in which they should interfere. In 1790, Leopold succeeded his brother Joseph as emperor and by 1791, he considered the situation surrounding his sister, Marie Antoinette, and her children, with greater alarm. In August 1791, in consultation with French émigré nobles and Frederick William II of Prussia, he issued the Declaration of Pillnitz, in which they declared the interest of the monarchs of Europe as one with the interests of Louis XVI and his family. They threatened ambiguous, but quite serious, consequences if anything should happen to the royal family. The French émigrés continued to agitate for support of a counter-revolution. On 20 April 1792, the French National Convention declared war on Austria. In the War of the First Coalition (1792–1797), France opposed most of the European states sharing land or water borders with her, plus Portugal and the Ottoman Empire.[8]
Promotions
Swabian Circle of the Empire:
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War of the First Coalition
In the early days of the French Revolutionary Wars, Karl Aloys zu Fürstenberg remained as brigade commander of a small Austrian corps, approximately 10,000 men, under the overall command of Anton I, Prince Esterházy. He was stationed in the Breisgau, a Habsburg territory between the Black Forest and the Rhine. This location between the forested mountains and the river included two important bridgeheads across the river which offered access to southwestern Germany, the Swiss Cantons, or north-central Germany. His brigade defended Kehl, a small village immediately across the Rhine from Strasbourg, but most of the action in 1792 occurred further north, in present-day Belgium, near the cities of Speyer and Trier, and at Frankfurt on the Main River.[9]
In the second year of the war, Fürstenberg was transferred to the cavalry of
In June 1796, Fürstenberg commanded a division of four infantry battalions, 13 artillery pieces, and the Freikorps (Volunteers) Gyulay and secured the Rhine corridor between Kehl and Rastatt. On 26 June 1796, the French Army of the Rhine and Moselle crossed the Rhine and chased the Swabian Circle's military contingent out of Kehl. In June 1796, Archduke Charles added the contingent to Fürstenberg's command, making him the Swabian's Feldzeugmeister, or General of Infantry. Fürstenberg's troops defended the imperial line at the town of Rastatt until support troops arrived, and they could make an orderly withdrawal into the Upper Danube Valley.[11] The Swabian contingent was demobilized in July, and Fürstenberg returned to the command of Austrian regulars during the Austrian counter-offensive. At the Battle of Emmendingen on 19 October 1796, his leadership was again instrumental in an Austrian victory. General Jean Victor Marie Moreau's Army of the Rhine-and-Moselle sought to retain a foothold on the eastern side of the Rhine, following his retreat from southwestern Germany west of the Black Forest. Fürstenberg held Kenzingen, 2.5 miles (4 km) north of Riegel on the Elz River. Karl Aloys zu Fürstenberg was ordered to feint against Riegel, to protect the primary Austrian positions at Rust and Kappel.[12]
In the
After the French capitulation at Kehl (10 January 1797), Fürstenberg received additional forces with which he could end the siege at Hüningen. He ordered the reinforcement of the ring of soldiers surrounding Hüningen and, on 2 February 1797, the Austrians prepared to storm the bridgehead. General of Division Georges Joseph Dufour, the new French commander, pre-empted what would have been a costly attack, by offering to surrender the bridge. On 5 February, Fürstenberg finally took possession of the bridgehead. Francis II, the Holy Roman Emperor, appointed him as Colonel and Proprietor of the 36th Infantry Regiment, which bore his name until his death in battle in 1799.[14]
Peace
The Coalition forces—Austria, Russia, Prussia, Great Britain, Sardinia, among others—achieved several victories at Verdun, Kaiserslautern, Neerwinden, Mainz, Amberg and Würzburg, but in northern Italy, they could neither lift nor escape the siege at Mantua. The efforts of Napoleon Bonaparte in northern Italy pushed Austrian forces to the border of Habsburg lands. Napoleon dictated a cease-fire at Leoben on 17 April 1797, leading to the formal Treaty of Campo Formio, which went into effect on 17 October 1797. Austria withdrew from the territories the army had fought so hard to acquire, including the strategic river crossings at Hüningen and Kehl, as well as key cities further north.[15]
When the war ended, Fürstenberg stayed at the Donaueschingen estate of his cousin, Karl Joachim Aloys, who had recently inherited the family title as Fürst zu Fürstenberg. Later in 1797, he traveled to Prague and remained with his family until May 1798, when he received a posting to a new division in Linz.[16] His daughter, Maria Anna, was born after he left, on 17 September 1798.[17]
Activities in the Second Coalition
Despite the longed-for peace, tensions grew between France and most of the First Coalition allies, either separately or jointly.
As winter broke on 1 March 1799, General
Battle of Ostrach
At the outbreak of hostilities in March 1799, Karl Aloys zu Fürstenberg was with his troops in Bavarian territory, just north of the
The French advanced guard arrived in Ostrach on 8–9 March, and over the next week skirmished with the Austrian forward posts, while the rest of the French army arrived. Jourdan disposed his 25,000 troops along a line from Salem Abbey and Lake Constance to the Danube river, centered in Ostrach. He established his command headquarters at the imperial city of Pfullendorf, overlooking the entire Ostrach valley. Jourdan was expecting Dominique Vandamme's troops to arrive in time to support his far north flank near the river, but Vandamme had gone to Stuttgart to investigate a rumored presence of Austrian troops there and had not rejoined the main army. Consequently, the French left flank, under command of Gouvion Saint-Cyr, was thinly manned. Jourdan thought he had more time, expecting Charles would need still three or four days to move his troops across the Lech, and march to Ostrach, but by the middle of Holy Week in 1799, more than a third of Charles' army, 48,000 mixed troops, was positioned in a formation parallel to Jourdan's, and his 72,000 remaining troops were arrayed with the left wing at Kempten, the center near Memmingen, and the right flank extended to Ulm.[24]
By 21 March, the French and Austrian outposts overlapped, and skirmishing intensified. Charles had divided his force into four columns. Fürstenberg covered the northern flank of the Archduke's main force. Fürstenberg's force pushed the French out of Davidsweiler, and then advanced on Ruppersweiler and Einhard, 5 kilometers (3 mi) to the northwest of Ostrach. Saint-Cyr did not have the manpower to defend the position, and the entire line fell back to Ostrach, with Fürstenberg's troops pressuring their withdrawal.[25] Fürstenberg's persistent pressure on the French left flank was instrumental in the collapse of the northern part of the French line. After their success in driving the French back from Ostrach, and then from the heights of Pfullendorf, the Austrian forces continued to press the French back to Stockach, and then another five miles or so to Engen.[26]
Death at the Battle of Stockach (1799)
On the morning of what they suspected would be the general engagement, Karl Aloys zu Fürstenberg sought out the field chaplain, and requested the
In the course of the battle, Jourdan's forces were supposed to engage in simultaneous attacks on the left, center and right of the Austrian line.[28] On the French right, Souham's and Ferino's Corps met with strong resistance and were stopped; on the French left, Lefebvre's troops charged with such force that the Austrians were pushed back. Having stopped Souham's and Ferino's assault, Charles had troops available to counter Lefebvre's force. At that point, Vandamme's men moved into action.[29] Because Souham's assault at the center had been stalled, Charles still had enough men to turn part of his force to fight this new threat, but the Austrians were hard pressed and the action furious. At one point, Charles attempted to lead his eight battalions of Hungarian grenadiers into action, to the dismay of the old soldiers. Fürstenberg reportedly said that while he lived, he would not leave this post (at the head of the grenadiers) and the Archduke should not dismount and fight.[30] As Fürstenberg led the Hungarian grenadiers into the battle, he was cut down by a canister and case shot employed by the French.[31] Although he was carried alive off the field, he died almost immediately. Charles ultimately did lead his grenadiers into battle, and reportedly his personal bravery rallied his troops to push back the French.[32] After the battle, someone removed Fürstenberg's wedding ring and returned it to his wife in Prague, with news of his death; Fürstenberg was buried at the battlefield cemetery in Stockach, and his cousin erected a small monument there,[33] but in 1857, his body was moved to the family cemetery, Maria Hof at Neudingen, near Donaueschingen.[34]
Family
Upon the death of Prosper Ferdinand, Count Fürstenberg, in the War of the Spanish Succession, in 1704 the Fürstenberg inheritance was divided between the count's two youngest sons, Joseph Wilhelm Ernst and Wilhelm Egon; the eldest son was an ecclesiastic. The family of Fürstenberg was raised to princely status 2 February 1716, with the elevation of Joseph Wilhelm Ernst (1699 – 1762), as the first Prince of Fürstenberg (German: Fürst zu Fürstenberg).[35]
Joseph Wilhelm Ernst died in 1762, leaving two sons: the elder son, Joseph Wenzel, succeeded him as the second prince. The younger son, Karl Egon (1729 – 1786), served as a governor in Bohemia. Joseph Wenzel's line died out in 1804, and Karl Aloys's son Karl Egon II succeeded as the fifth and final Prince of Fürstenberg, before the house was mediatised in 1806, due to German mediatisation.[36]
Children of Karl Aloys zu Fürstenberg and Elizabeth, Princess of Thurn und Taxis, were:
- Marie Leopoldine (Prague, 4 September 1791 – Kupferzell, 10 January 1844); married at Heiligenberg, 20 May 1813 to Charles Albert III, Prince of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst (Vienna, 29 February 1776 – Bad Mergentheim, 15 June 1843)
- Maria Josepha (9 September 1792)
- Antonie (28 October 1794 – 1 October 1799)
- Karl Egon II (Prague, 28 October 1796 – Bad Ischl 22 October 1854), succeeded his cousin, Karl Joachim, as the fifth Prince of Fürstenberg in 1804. He married on 19 April 1818, to Amalie of Baden (Karlsruhe, 26 January 1795 – Karlsruhe, 14 September 1869).
- Maria Anna, 17 September 1798 – 18 July 1799[37]
Ancestry
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References
Footnotes
- ^ Digby Smith. "Fürstenberg". Leonard Kudrna and Digby Smith, compilers. A Biographical Dictionary of all Austrian Generals during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon series.org. Robert Burnham, editor in chief. January 2008. Accessed 7 October 2009.
- ^ (in German) Ernst Hermann Joseph Münch. Geschichte des Hauses und Landes Fürstenberg. Aachen: Mayer, 1847, p. 318.
- ^ (in German) Jens-Florian Ebert, "Feldmarschall-Leutnant Fürst zu Fürstenberg," Die Österreichischen Generäle 1792–1815. Napoleon Online: Portal zu Epoch Archived 2000-04-08 at the Wayback Machine. Markus Stein, editor. Mannheim, Germany. 14 February 2010 version. Accessed 28 February 2010.
- ^ Smith. "Fürstenberg".
- ^ (in German) Jens-Florian Ebert, "Feldmarschall-Leutnant Fürst zu Fürstenberg," Die Österreichischen Generäle 1792–1815.
- ^ Stephen Herold. The Austrian Army in 1812. In: Le Societé Napoléonienne. Accessed 31 December 2009.
- ^ Münch, p. 331. Princess Elisabeth of Thurn und Taxis (Regensburg, 30 November 1767 – 21 July 1822), was the youngest daughter of Alexander Ferdinand, 3rd Prince of Thurn and Taxis.
- ISBN 0-340-56911-5, pp. 41–59.
- ^ Smith, pp. 31–34.
- ^ (in German) Jens-Florian Ebert, "Feldmarschall-Leutnant Fürst zu Fürstenberg," Die Österreichischen Generäle 1792–1815.
- ^ Smith. "Fürstenberg".
- ^ J. Rickard. "Battle of Emmendingen," 19 October 1796. History of War. Peter D. Antill, Tristan Dugdale-Pointon and J. Rickard, editors. February 2009 update. Accessed 7 October 2009.
- ^ (in German) Ebert, "Feldmarschall-Leutnant Fürst zu Fürstenberg," Die Österreichischen Generäle 1792–1815.
- ^ (in German) Ebert, "Feldmarschall-Leutnant Fürst zu Fürstenberg," Die Österreichischen Generäle 1792–1815.
- ^ Blanning, pp. 41–59.
- ^ (in German) Ebert, "Feldmarschall-Leutnant Fürst zu Fürstenberg," Die Österreichischen Generäle 1792–1815.
- ^ Münch, pp. 331–336.
- ^ Blanning, pp. 230–232.
- ISBN 978-0-8061-3875-6, p. 70.
- ^ John Young, D.D. A History of the Commencement, Progress, and Termination of the Late War between Great Britain and France which continued from the first day of February 1793 to the first of October 1801, in two volumes. Edinburg: Turnbull, 1802, vol. 2, p. 220.
- ^ Rothenberg, pp. 49–50.
- ^ Rothenberg, pp. 70–74.
- ^ Ramsey Weston Phipps, The Armies of the First French Republic, volume 5: "The armies of the Rhine in Switzerland, Holland, Italy, Egypt and the coup d'etat of Brumaire, 1797–1799," Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1939, pp. 49–50.
- ^ Phipps, pp. 49–50.
- ^ Edward Cust (Sir). Annals of the wars of the eighteenth century, compiled from the most authentic histories of the period. London: Mitchell's military library, 1857–1860, p. 166.
- ^ (in German) Ebert, "Feldmarschall-Leutnant Fürst zu Fürstenberg," Die Österreichischen Generäle 1792–1815.
- ^ Phipps, pp. 49–50.
- ^ Phipps, pp. 49–50.
- ^ (in German) Ebert, "Feldmarschall-Leutnant Fürst zu Fürstenberg," Die Österreichischen Generäle 1792–1815.
- ^ (in German) Münch, p. 330.
- ^ Phipps, pp. 49–50.
- ^ (in German) Ebert, "Feldmarschall-Leutnant Fürst zu Fürstenberg," Die Österreichischen Generäle 1792–1815.
- ^ (in German) Münch, p. 335.
- ^ (in German) Ebert, "Feldmarschall-Leutnant Fürst zu Fürstenberg," Die Österreichischen Generäle 1792–1815.
- ^ For a more complete description of the history of this family, see the entry by Hugh Chisholm. "Fürstenberg". The Encyclopædia Britannica: a Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, Literature and General Information. Cambridge, England, New York: At the University Press, 1910–11 or (in German) Ernst Hermann Joseph Münch; Carl Borromäus Alois Fickler. Geschichte des Hauses und Landes Fürstenberg: aus Urkunden und den besten Quellen. Aachen: Mayer, 1847.
- ^ Münch, pp. 318, 337.
- ^ Münch, pp. 316–336.
Sources
- ISBN 0-340-56911-5.
- Chisholm, Hugh. "Fürstenberg". The Encyclopædia Britannica; a Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, Literature and General Information. Cambridge, England, New York: At the University Press, 1910–11.
- Cust, Edward (Sir). Annals of the wars of the eighteenth century, compiled from the most authentic histories of the period. London: Mitchell's military library, 1857–1860.
- (in German) Ebert, Jens-Florian. "Feldmarschall-Leutnant Fürst zu Fürstenberg." Die Österreichischen Generäle 1792–1815. Napoleon Online: Portal zu Epoch. Markus Stein, editor. Mannheim, Germany. 14 February 2010 version. Accessed 5 February 2010.
- Herold, Stephen. The Austrian Army in 1812. In: Le Societé Napoléonienne. Accessed 31 December 2009.
- (in German) Münch, Ernst Hermann Joseph; Carl Borromäus Alois Fickler. Geschichte des Hauses und Landes Fürstenberg: aus Urkunden und den besten Quellen. Aachen: Mayer, 1847.
- Phipps, Ramsey Weston. The Armies of the First French Republic, volume 5: "The armies of the Rhine in Switzerland, Holland, Italy, Egypt and the coup d'etat of Brumaire, 1797–799," Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1939, pp. 49–50.
- Rickard, J. Battle of Emmendingen, 19 October 1796. History of War. Peter D. Antill, Tristan Dugdale-Pointon and J. Rickard, editors. February 2009 update. Accessed 7 October 2009.
- Smith, Digby. "Fürstenberg". Leonard Kudrna and Digby Smith, compilers. A biographical dictionary of all Austrian Generals during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon Series. Robert Burnham, editor in chief. January 2008 version. Accessed 7 October 2009.
External links
- Marek, Miroslav. House of Fürstenberg: Karl Aloys (F3). Version 2008. Accessed 20 January 2010.