Austria - TheHistoryFiles.com

HABSBURG MILITARY MEDIOCRITY – H-WAR

Why was the Habsburg army slower and less brilliant than its European rivals between 1649 and 1918? I am certainly no expert on this topic, having read only very generally on Austrian history, but in the interest of providing a basis of discussion, I’ll posit the following general ideas: 1) The Habsburgs were almost […]

Austria

Habsburg Empire – Constitutional Reform

The Hungarian leader count Gyula Andrássy (1823-1890) in 1870 From 1860 to 1867, constitutional reform therefore ranked high on the political agenda. Neo-absolutist rule gave way to broader political participation, lively public debate, and the protection of individual rights. The most difficult aspect was the position of Hungary within the framework of the empire. The […]

Austria, Biography

Johann Joseph Wenzel Graf Radetzky von Radetz, (1766–1858)

Chief of the general staff of the Austrian armies against Napoleon and commanding general of Austrian forces during the revolution of 1848 in Italy. In his youth, Radetzky proved his bravery as a soldier; he was wounded numerous times, and he was noted for his intelligence and initiative. As a commander, he demonstrated concern for […]

Austria, Battle, France

Battle of Novi (15 August 1799)

Battle of Novi by Alexander Kotzebue A major battle between French and Austro-Russian armies near the town of Novi in the Italian Piedmont. As the Allies liberated Lombardy and Piedmont, the French Directory made a new effort to turn the tide of the war by appointing a new commander in chief, the young and energetic […]

Austria, Battle, Prussia

Battle of Torgau

Frederick the Great greets General Zieten after the Battle of Torgau. The fighting began in Silesia when an Austrian corps under General Loudon defeated a Prussian corps at Landeshut on 23 June 1760. The Austrians heavily outnumbered the Prussians, 34,000 men to 11,000. The Prussians were easily defeated, losing 10,000 men killed and captured. The […]

Austria, Battle, Prussia

HOHENFRIEDBERG – 3rd of June 1745

Battle of Hohenfriedberg, Attack of the Prussian Infantry , by Carl Röchling. Oil on canvas. HOHENFRIEDBERG, or HOHENFRIEDEBERG The battle gets its name from a village in Silesia about 6 miles from the small town of Striegau in the War of the Austrian Succession, the battle was fought on the 3rd of June 1745 between […]

Austria, Battle, Prussia

Battle of Hochkirch

Austrian forces attacking an encamped Prussian army at the Battle of Hochkirch, Saxony, Oct. 14, 1758, during the Seven Years’ War; painting by Johann Christoph Brand at the Museum of Military History, Vienna. Frederick turned his attention to the Austrians, marching into Saxony with elements of his army from Zorndorf. He met up with a […]

Austria, Battle, France

Battle of Borghetto, (30 May 1796)

The French victory at Borghetto permitted Bonaparte to cross the Mincio River, take Verona, and put Mantua under siege. The retreat of Feldzeugmeister Jean-Pierre Freiherr Beaulieu’s Austrian army back to Tyrol ended the second phase of the 1796 campaign in Italy. After the Battle of Lodi and the loss of Milan, Beaulieu had withdrawn behind […]

Austria, Biography

Karl Freiherr von Leiberich Mack, (1752-1828)

In 1805 Feldmarschalleutnant Karl Mack Freiherr von Leiberich lost more than 50,000 Austrian troops in the opening moves of the Austerlitz campaign after having been isolated by the rapid advance of Napoleon’s army on Ulm in Bavaria. Mack enlisted in the Austrian Army as a cavalry trooper in 1770 and, making rapid progress, was offered […]

Austria

Hungary and Maria Theresa II

Maria Theresa being crowned Queen of Hungary, St. Martin’s Cathedral, Pressburg. With unfailing political instinct Maria Theresa tried always to take into consideration factors relating to tradition in her dealings with the Monarchy’s most difficult country, and from time to time at least partly to win over the suspicious and eccentric nobility to the central […]