Charles of Austria-Teschen

The Archduke Charles of Habsburg-Lorraine (German: Erzherzog Karl von Habsburg-Lothringen; Florence, September 5, 1771-Vienna, April 30, 1847), son of Leopoldo II and María Luisa de Borbón, was the younger brother of Emperor Francis II of the Holy Roman Empire. Despite suffering from epilepsy, Charles managed to earn respect as a commander and as a reformer in the Austrian army.

Early Years

Charles of Austria was born in the Pitti Palace in Florence in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the son of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II and his wife, the Spanish Infanta Maria Luisa de Borbón. His full name was: Carlos Luis Juan José Lorenzo . His father, then Grand Duke of Tuscany, generously allowed her aunt Maria Christina of Habsburg-Lorraine and her childless husband Albert of Saxe-Teschen to adopt and raise Charles in Vienna. In 1790 his father became emperor, so the family moved to Vienna and Carlos was able to reunite with his biological family.

He was initially destined for an ecclesiastical career due to his poor health (he had epilepsy) but soon developed a keen interest in military life and military events. In 1791, the adoption of his uncles became effective, his biological parents died prematurely in 1792. His uncles and adoptive parents favored his inclinations and made him heir to his immense estate, including the famous Vienna Palace the Albertina. Since then he assumed the surname of Austria-Teschen which he later had the privilege of passing on to his heirs.

Military career

He spent his youth in Tuscany, Vienna, and the Austrian Netherlands, where he began his military career in the French Revolutionary Wars. He commanded a brigade at the Battle of Jemappes, and in the 1793 campaign he had a distinguished performance during the Action of Aldenhoven and at the Battle of Neerwinden. In this year, he became Statthalter (Governor) of Belgium and received the rank of Lieutenant Field Marshal, a promotion soon followed by Feldzeugmeister (equivalent to commander in chief). The remainder of the war in the Low Countries was in charge of the high command, and he was present at the Battle of Fleurus in 1794.

In 1795 he was serving on the Rhine, and the following year he was entrusted with the command-in-chief of all Austrian forces on this river. His conduct during the operations against Jean-Baptiste Jourdan and Moreau in 1796 raised his reputation to the level of the greatest generals in Europe. Backing away at first, and avoiding taking the lead, he finally backed away, leaving a mere force as a screen in front of Moreau. He fell on Jourdan and struck him in the battles of Antwerp and Würzburg, driving them over the Rhine with heavy losses. He then turned against Moreau's army, which he defeated and forced to abandon Germany.

Napoleonic Wars

The victorious Archduke Charles of Austria during the Battle of Aspern-Essling (21 May to 22 May 1809). Work of Johann Peter Krafft

In 1797 he was sent to stop General Bonaparte's victorious march into Italy, and he led the retreat of the exhausted Austrians with the best results. In the 1799 campaign he once again opposed Jourdan, whom he defeated at the Battle of Osterach and at the Battle of Stockach in 1800, following on from his success in the invasion of Switzerland and the defeat of Masséna in the First Battle. from Zürich, whereupon he re-entered Germany and once more sent the French back to the Rhine.

Archduke Charles distinguished himself in the fight against Napoleon in 1796, and later defeated lesser opponents such as Jourdan and Masséna in combat at the First Battle of Zurich (June 1799).

His illness, however, forced him to retire to Bohemia, from where he was soon recalled to halt Moreau's advance on Vienna. However, the disastrous outcome of the Battle of Hohenlinden forced him to sign the Steyr Armistice. His popularity by then was already such that the Regensburg government decided in 1802 to erect a statue in his honor and grant him the title of savior of the country, honors that Carlos refused to receive.

In the short and disastrous war of 1805, Archduke Charles commanded what was purported to be the largest army in Italy, but events made Germany Europe's most decisive theater of operations, and defeats on the Danube they neutralized the success obtained by the archduke over Masséna in the desperate battle of Caldiero. With peace came his opportunity to initiate the reorganization of the army, which was first tried in 1809. As Generalissimo of the armies, he had been appointed field marshal some years before.

In 1806, Francis II (now Francis I of Austria) appointed Archduke Charles Commander-in-Chief of the Austrian army, as well as head of the Council of War. Backed by the prestige of being the only general who had proven capable of defeating the French, he initiated a long-term reform that replaced the obsolete methods of the 18th century, adopting the organization and tactics of French armies. The army was surprised in the middle of the transition process by the war of 1809, in which Carlos acted as commander in chief. In it he revealed to be a much more formidable enemy than before and only succumbed against the heterogeneous armies that Napoleon arranged against him after a desperate fight.

His initial successes were offset by defeats at the Battle of Abensberg, the Battle of Landshut, and the Battle of Eckmuhl, but after the evacuation of Vienna, the Archduke was victorious at the Battle of Aspern-Essling, and thereafter fought at the even more desperate Battle of Wagram, at the end of which the Austrians had been defeated but not driven out. He inflicted on Napoleon losses of some 50,000 men in the two battles. At the end of the campaign, the Archduke made all of his military posts available to the crown.

Marriage

Archduke Carlos with his family.

Charles spent the rest of his life in retirement, except for the short period in 1815 when he was Governor of Mainz. In 1822 he acceded to the duchy of Saxe-Teschen.

He married Princess Henrietta of Nassau-Weilburg (1797-1829) in 1815. Although he was a Protestant, he was allowed to keep his religion. He had four sons, the eldest of whom, Archduke Albert, became one of Europe's most celebrated generals, and two daughters, the eldest of whom, Maria Teresa, became Queen of Naples.

Offspring

The couple had seven children:

Death

Carlos died of pleurisy in Vienna on April 30, 1847, his body rests in the Imperial Crypt of Vienna and his heart in the Loreto chapel in the Church of the Augustinians.

An equestrian statue was erected in his memory in 1860 in Heroes' Square.

Consequences of your actions

The caution with which the Archduke carried out his strategy induced him to put it into practice only when the situation required it, although by his upbringing he was inclined to defensive strategies at all costs. He was also capable of preparing and executing the most offensive strategy, and his tactical abilities in handling men, whether in large movements as at Würzburg and Zürich, or en masse, as at Aspern and Wagram, were certainly equal to those of any leader of his time, with only a few exceptions.

Estatua del Archiduque Carlos en la Plaza de los Heroes o Heldenplatz in Vienna.

His 1796 campaign is considered almost flawless. What caused his defeat in 1809 was partly the great numerical superiority of the French troops and their allies, and partly the conditions in which his recently reorganized forces found themselves. The six weeks of inaction after the victory at Aspern was, however, the cause of unfavorable criticism. As a writer on military subjects, his position in the evolution of the art of warfare was very important, and his doctrines naturally carried the greatest weight. However, these tactics are considered outdated even for 1806. Caution and the importance of vantage points are central features of his system. The rigidity of his geographic strategy can be summed up in the principle of never allowing yourself to lose your position.

Over and over again he repeated that nothing should be ventured unless the army was completely safe, a rule he himself broke in his brilliant results of 1796. He said that the conservation of strategic points (and not the defeat of the enemy army) decided the fate of one's country, and that this should be the priority of the generals, a maxim that was never shown more inaccurate than in the war of 1809. The editor of the Archduke's work was able to defend him, albeit feebly, against Carl von Clausewitz's reproaches that Carlos placed more value on the terrain than on the annihilation of the enemy. In his writings on tactics the same spirit can also be seen. His reserve in combat was intended to cover the retreat. The vain influence of these antiquated principles was clearly demonstrated in the defense of Königgratz-Josefstadt in 1866 as a strategic point, which was preferred to the defeat of the separate Prussian armies, in the strange plans hatched in Vienna for the campaign of 1859, and in the even more unintelligible Battle of Montebello the same year. The theory and practice of Archduke Charles created one of the most curious contrasts in military history, one unrealistic, and another in which he displayed vivid activity, coupled with the greatest capabilities, which made him by far Napoleon's most formidable opponent.

On the battlefield, it can be clearly said that Charles was comparable in ability and style to Sir Arthur Wellesley, both conservative yet highly competent nonetheless. That Wellesley emerged with the greater reputation is probably due to the fact that he only faced Napoleon once, and was then commander of an allied force. By contrast, Charles met Napoleon in battle more times than any other commander. On these occasions, Charles's reliable and unimaginative tactics were not enough (except on one occasion, at Aspern-Essling) to defeat the unpredictable Corsican. However, Carlos is a member of the pantheon of famous Napoleonic characters that includes figures such as the Emperor himself, Davout, Prince Carlos Felipe of Schwarzenberg, Aleksandr Suvórov, Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher and the aforementioned Sir Arthur Wellesley.

Writings and references

His writings were edited by Archduke Albert and his brother Archduke Wilhelm, in Ausgewählte Schriften weiland Mr. K. Hoheit Erzh. carl v. Osterreich (1862 work, republished 1893, Vienna and Leipzig), including Grundsätze der Kriegskunst für die Generale (1806), Grundsätze der Strategie erläutert durch die Darstellung des Feldzugs 1796 (1814) and Geschichte des Feldzugs von 299 (1819); these last two works are valuable contributions to the history of warfare, and articles on the high art of warfare, practical field training, etc.

Titles, orders and jobs

Titles

• 5 September 1771 - 11 August 1804: Your Royal Highness the Archduke Charles of Austria, the royal prince of Hungary and Bohemia.
• 11 August 1804 - 10 February 1822: Your Imperial and Royal Highness the Archduke Charles of Austria, the royal prince of Hungary and Bohemia.
• 10 February 1822 - 30 April 1847: Your Imperial and Royal Highness Archduke Charles of Austria, royal prince of Hungary and Bohemia, Duke of Teschen.

Orders

Austrian Empire

• Knight of the Order of the Golden Toy.
• Great cross knight in brilliants of the Military Order of Mary Theresa.
• June 3, 1801 - June 30, 1804: Grand Master of the Teutonic Order.

German Confederation

• Knight of the Order of the Black Eagle.Kingdom of Prussia)
• First-class Knight of the Red Eagle Order.Kingdom of Prussia)
• Knight of the Order of St. Huberto.Kingdom of Bavaria)

Foreign

• Knight of the Order of Saint Andrew.Russian Empire)
• Knight of the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky. (Russian Empire)
• Knight of the Order of the White Eagle. Kingdom of Poland)
• First-class Knight of the Order of Santa Ana. (Russian Empire)
• Big Cross Knight of the Order of the Bathroom. (United Kingdom)
• Great Knight of the Order of the Legion of Honor. ( Kingdom of France)
• Knight of the Order of San Jenaro.Kingdom of the Two Sicilies)
• Big Knight of the Order of San Fernando and the Merit. (Kingdom of the Two Sicilies)
• Great Knight of the Order of the Cross of the South. (Empire of Brazil)
• Big Knight of the Order of Saint Joseph. ( Grand Duke of Tuscany)

Charges

Military

• 1801 - 1809: President of Hofkriegsrat.
• Governor and General Captain of the Kingdom of Bohemia.
• General-Feldmarshall of the Imperial and Royal Army.
• Colonel-owner (Inhaber) of the Infantry Regiment n.o 3 of the Imperial and Royal Army.
• Colonel-owner (Inhaber) of the Ulanos Regiment No. 3 of the Imperial and Royal Army.

Academics

• Honorary member of the Institute of Science, Literature and Arts.
• Honorary member of the Lombard Institute of Science, Literature and Arts.

Ancestors