Karl Borromeo of Liechtenstein

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Karl Borromeo Joseph Prince of Liechtenstein (born September 20, 1730 - February 21, 1789 ) was an imperial field marshal .

Karl Borromeo Prince of Liechtenstein

Life

origin

He was the son of Emanuel von Liechtenstein (1700–1771). His mother was Maria Anna (née Countess Dietrichstein) (1707–1777). His brother Franz Joseph was the first prince of the sovereign Principality of Liechtenstein . Karl Borromeo was the heir of the small majorat consisting of the Fideikommiss-Primogeniturherrschaft Kromau and founder of a separate line of the House of Liechtenstein .

Military career

Mausoleum of the Charles Line of the House of Liechtenstein in Moravský Krumlov

Already in his youth he joined an Austrian cavalry regiment. In 1747 he served in the campaign in the Netherlands as part of the War of the Austrian Succession . He rose particularly quickly during the Seven Years' War . He was a colonel in 1757. He was badly wounded near Reichenberg in 1757. He distinguished himself during the conquest of Schweidnitz and was one of the first to penetrate the city. It was sent to Maria Theresa in Vienna as an award with the victory report . This initiated the admission to the Order of the Golden Fleece . He also became the owner of the 1st Dragoon Regiment and commander of the city of Vienna .

In 1758 he was field sergeant general and in 1760 field marshal lieutenant . In 1765 he was inspector general of the cavalry. In 1771 he was the commanding general in Pressburg and in 1775 he held the general command in Lower Austria .

During the Bavarian War of Succession in 1778/79 he was ranked general of the cavalry. At the beginning he commanded 28,000 men who were initially at Leitmeritz . In doing so, he blocked the opponents from entering Bavaria. He later joined forces with Laudon . When the situation of the Austrians became more problematic, he carried out a number of successful movements.

The prince was a Freemason and a member of the Viennese Lodge Zum Heiligen Joseph , he was also the order protector of the short-lived Masonic Order of the Asiatic Brothers .

Along with his wife, Liechtenstein was one of the closest confidants of Joseph II . Most recently he was Field Marshal, a real secret councilor and chamberlain . During the Turkish war in 1788 he was given the command of a 36,000-strong corps in Croatia. He was involved in the siege of Dubitza . The storm failed because of the reinforcements of the defenders. Seriously ill as a result of his restless activity, he sought healing in the spa town of Petrinia, where his condition worsened. Brought back to Vienna, he succumbed a few months after a severe illness.

He found his final resting place in the newly built mausoleum of the younger line of the House of Liechtenstein in the churchyard of the All Saints Church in Kromau , where his first-born son, who died on Christmas Eve 1795, was also buried.

family

Karl Borromeo was married to Eleonore (nee Princess Öttingen-Spielberg) (1745-1812) since 1761 . This was a confidante of Joseph II.

The descendants were:

  • Maria Josepha (1763–1833) - later married to Johann Nepomuk Ernst Harrach (1756–1829),
  • Karl Joseph Emanuel (1765–1795),
  • Joseph Wenzel (1767–1842),
  • Kaspar Melchior (1770–1773),
  • Moritz Joseph Johann (1775–1819),
  • Franz Alois Crispin (1776–1794),
  • Alois Gonzaga Joseph (1780-1833).

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ General Handbook of Freemasonry, Volume 1 (A –L), Max Hesse's Verlag, Leipzig 1900, p. 617
  2. ↑ Ibid., P. 50
  3. ^ Gregor Wolny : The Margraviate of Moravia, presented topographically, statistically and historically . Volume III: Znojmo District, Brno 1837, p. 331
personal data
SURNAME Liechtenstein, Karl Borromeo von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Liechtenstein, Karl Borromäus Joseph Prince of
BRIEF DESCRIPTION imperial Austrian field marshal
DATE OF BIRTH September 20, 1730
DATE OF DEATH February 21, 1789