Christian Ludwig zu Leiningen-Westerburg-Neuleiningen
Christian Ludwig Graf zu Leiningen-Westerburg-Neuleiningen , baptized Christian Ludwig Alexander (born April 6, 1771 in Grünstadt , Palatinate , † February 20, 1819 in Arad (Romania) , then Kingdom of Hungary), was an Austro-Hungarian colonel and knight of the Military Maria Theresa Order (highest Austrian order of bravery).
Life
Family and origin
Christian Ludwig was born as a scion of the Palatine noble family Leiningen in their residence in Grünstadt . There both the Altleininger branch and the Neuleininger branch of the Count's House of Leiningen-Westerburg each owned a castle in the immediate vicinity of each other and they also took turns exercising government power in the small country. Christian Ludwig was born and raised as a member of the Neuleininger line of the house in the “Oberhof” palace (now Neugasse 2). His parents were Count Karl II. Gustav zu Leiningen-Westerburg-Neuleiningen (1747–1798) and his wife Philippine Auguste, Wild and Rhine Countess zu Salm, from Grumbach (1737–1792).
His brother August Georg zu Leiningen-Westerburg-Neuleiningen and he himself were destined for a military career as later-born sons of the ruling count; her eldest brother Ferdinand Karl III. succeeded his father, who died in 1798, as ruling count, but could practically no longer exercise the rule, as the county of Leiningen was occupied by the French from 1797 and from 1801 to 1815, as part of the department du Mont-Tonnerre, also formally belonged to France. After that, the small state was not restored and became part of the Palatinate District of the Kingdom of Bavaria .
Austrian officer
While the brother August Georg initially served in the Dutch or French army and did not join the Austrian army until 1792, the younger Christian Ludwig did so as early as 1790. In that year he became a lieutenant in the Austrian infantry regiment "Bender" No. 41. The “Biographical Lexicon of the Austrian Empire” , by Constantin von Wurzbach , Vienna 1865, states that Christian Ludwig zu Leiningen-Westerburg-Neuleiningen, like his brother August Georg, “gave evidence of his fearlessness and excellent bravery on many occasions” . During the siege of Mainz on July 18, 1793, as first lieutenant, he saved a powder magazine from the impending explosion. As a captain in 1796 near Lauterbach (Hessen) , he led volunteers across the mountains in the rear of the French and attacked them unexpectedly. He was seriously wounded in the process. During the attack on Graubünden in 1799, Count Leiningen captured two French cannons, five ammunition wagons as well as many rifles and plenty of ammunition with the support of Tyrolean riflemen. In 1805 the man from Palatinate advanced to major.
In 1809 he supported the Tyrolean popular uprising against Bavaria and France as a lieutenant colonel in the 26th Infantry Regiment . The “Thematic Portal 1809” of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano records in a memorial entry about the Palatinate Prince: “Count Leiningen-Westerburg fought for the liberation of Tyrol from Bavarian rule out of deep inner conviction.” Josef von Hormayr reports on this in his book “Geschichte Andreas Hofer's, Sandwirths from Passeyr, Oberanführer of the Tyroler, in the war of 1809 ” , Brockhaus Verlag Leipzig, 1817 (page 118), that Graf Leiningen “ began to become the darling of the Tyroleans and especially the Sandwirth Hofer personally very much liked ” Somewhat unflattering and Driven by clear envy because of his own lack of popularity, Hormayr later characterizes the Palatinate with the following words:
“Rough bravery, a bramar-based being, the habit of promising the impossible and suspecting anyone as a traitor and coward who dared to curb the tendency to disorder; to live a policy and let live made Leinigen the idol of the lower masses and his troops. "
Field Marshal Lieutenant Johann Gabriel von Chasteler ordered the Austrian attack on Trento for April 24, 1809 . Christian Ludwig von Leiningen was to carry out a violent reconnaissance with his contingent in order to be informed about the enemy troop level; it began on April 20th. Even during this exploration, Leiningen involved the French in constant skirmishes, so that they evacuated Trento on April 22nd - two days before the planned battle. Count Leiningen immediately took the initiative and occupied the city independently. From the safe fortress, he let his relatively small forces carry out guerrilla-like attacks in the area in order to bind the enemy. Of these, the attack on Bassano del Grappa on June 3, 1809 is particularly noteworthy. During these skirmishes, Andreas Hofer and his men repeatedly came to the aid of Count Leiningen, whom he valued. The French wanted to drive Leiningen and his small band out of Trento again. When this became known, on June 9, 1809, 13 companies of Tyrolean riflemen gathered in Lavis and advanced towards Trento. Christian Ludwig zu Leiningen and his troops simultaneously undertook a sortie out of the fortress, which meant that the enemies were forced to break off the action and flee via Rovereto to Ala .
Also in the following weeks Count Christian Ludwig zu Leiningen rendered valuable services in the defense and preservation of Tyrol. In recognition of his repeatedly proven bravery in the struggle for the liberation of Tyrol, according to the army order of August 25, 1809, he was finally rewarded with the Knight's Cross of the Military Maria Theresa Order , Austria's highest honor for bravery. He was also appointed colonel in October 1809.
Garrison commander and secret activist
After the peace dictate of Schönbrunn, through which Tyrol was sacrificed at the end of 1809 and Austria made an ally of France with painful losses, the Austrian Emperor gave his daughter Marie-Louise to the victor Napoleon Bonaparte as his wife. Christian Ludwig zu Leiningen became regimental commander in Klagenfurt . Many patriots viewed the new policy of friendship with France as "shameful". Count Leinigen was one of them. In 1810 he set up illegal contacts with English agents and volunteered to lead an "all-round uprising movement" . French espionage exposed the matter early on and Minister Metternich was informed about it. This had Leiningen replaced on January 13, 1811 in Klagenfurt. On August 1, 1811, he resigned from the Austrian army; In 1812 there was an exchange of letters between the Palatinate Count and the Tsar of Russia. Leinigen wanted to mobilize up to 60,000 men to lead them from the south into the rear of the Napoleonic army marching against Russia, for which the Russian ruler sent him an initial amount of 3000 guilders to recruit people. Thereupon the highly decorated officer was banished to the Hungarian eastern border of the empire, where he was under secret police guard and could not carry out the project.
Private citizen, death and descendants
From October 1812 Count Christian Ludwig zu Leiningen lived as a private citizen in Arad . He had been married since April 8, 1809, to Countess Seraphina Franziska von Porcia from Venice. His wife died in 1817, he himself died in 1819. Their two children Christian Franz Seraph (1812–1856) and Seraphine Franziska Barbara (1810–1874) remained as orphans and were raised by their uncle August Georg zu Leiningen-Westerburg-Neuleiningen and his wife .
Although the Leininger, like many other German princelings had lost their real gentlemen, they were still considered lords - without governance - nearly equivalent to the ruling prince. The Viennese uncle, August Georg zu Leiningen-Westerburg-Neuleiningen , had become the heir of the class as head of the family. However, this only existed in the vicinity of the Westerburg , one of the family headquarters on the right bank of the Rhine. That is why he also called himself “Lord of the County of Westerburg in the Duchy of Nassau ” and, as the head of a former imperial count's family, bore the title “ Illustrious ”.
Christian Ludwig's son Christian Franz Seraph advanced - like his uncle August Georg, who was raising him - to field marshal lieutenant in the Austrian army, but died in 1856. Seraphine Franziska Barbara followed her deceased brother, who took the childless uncle as a lineage gentleman with the title "Exalted" and a Seat in the 1st chamber of the estates of the Duchy of Nassau had inherited, in whose rights. For many years she resided in Westerburg Castle , as a benefactress of the Catholic parish and politically interested, resolute "mother of the country". When she felt her death approaching in 1874, she returned to Austria, where she died shortly afterwards in Innsbruck and was buried. With it the Nassau main branch of the Counts of Leiningen-Westerburg-Neuleiningen went out; all his rights and goods fell to the Leiningen-Westerburg-Altleiningen line. The Bavarian branch line of the Leiningen-Westerburg-Neuleininger did not die out until 1956 with Professor Wilhelm zu Leiningen-Westerburg-Neuleiningen .
literature
- Josef von Hormayr : History of Andreas Hofer, Sandwirths from Passeyr, Oberanführer of the Tyroler, in the war of 1809. Brockhaus Verlag, Leipzig 1817, page 118.
- Constantin von Wurzbach : Leiningen-Westerburg, Christian Ludwig Graf . In: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich . 14th part. Imperial and Royal Court and State Printing Office, Vienna 1865, pp. 331–333 ( digitized version ).
- Hans Heiberger: The Counts of Leiningen-Westerburg. Kiliandruck Grünstadt, 1983, ISBN 3-924386-00-5
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Official South Tyrolean memorial site for Count Christian Ludwig zu Leiningen Westerburg-Neuleiningen
- ↑ Josef von Hormayr, Andreas Hofer, 1817, page 118 with the remarks about Christian Ludwig zu Leiningen-Westerburg .
- ↑ Josef von Hormayr, Andreas Hofer, 1817, page 144
- ↑ Hans Magenschab: Archduke Johann, Austria's green rebel. Styria Verlag, Graz 1981, pages 211/212
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Leiningen-Westerburg-Neuleiningen, Christian Ludwig too |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Leiningen-Westerburg, Christian Ludwig Graf zu; Leiningen-Westerburg, Christian Ludwig Alexander Graf zu (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Austro-Hungarian officer, Maria Theresa Knight |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 6, 1771 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Grünstadt |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 20, 1819 |
| Place of death | Arad (Romania) |