Wirich Philipp von und zu Daun

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Wirich Graf Daun, contemporary. Portrait in the Army History Museum .

Wirich Philipp Lorenz Graf von und zu Daun , since 1710 Prince of Teano , (born October 19, 1669 in Vienna , † July 30, 1741 in Vienna) was Imperial Field Marshal , Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece , Imperial Privy Councilor and Chamberlain . He is the father of the better-known Field Marshal Leopold Daun , General Maria Theresa .

Life

Wirich Daun came from the aristocratic family of the Daun , who had owned the castle and the town of Daun in the Eifel near Koblenz for a long time and had been admitted to the state count in 1643. He began his military career in the regiment of his father Wilhelm Johann Anton Count Daun (1621–1706), who entered Austrian service in 1657 and in 1694 also became field marshal. His mother was Anna Maria Magdalena Countess von Althann (1635–1712), his siblings were Heinrich Dietrich Martin Joseph Count Daun, Imperial Field Marshal and Court War Councilor (1678–1761) and Lieutenant Field Marshal Heinrich Richard Lorenz Count Daun (1673–1729).

Wirich Daun took part in the campaign in Hungary in 1696/97 and also fought there with Zenta . From 1701 he served in the War of the Spanish Succession under Prince Eugene in Italy. He became known in 1706 for the tenacious three and a half months defense of Turin against the siege troops of the Duke de la Feuillade . This enabled Eugene to gain time so that he could defeat the superior French army of Philip of Orleans and Marshal Marsin in the battle of Turin .

In 1707 Daun , who had meanwhile been promoted to Feldzeugmeister , moved south to conquer the Kingdom of Naples . The resistance of the Neapolitans was broken by the storming of the fortress of Gaeta . He used a ship bought in Genoa, which from then on formed the basis of the Austrian Navy .

Archduke Karl , at that time titular king of Spain and king of Naples, then appointed Daun unauthorized, d. H. without the consent of Emperor Joseph I , as field marshal of the Spanish-Italian troops in Naples.

As the successor to Georg Adam Graf von Martinitz, Viceroy of Naples 1707–1708, Daun initiated the successful conquest of Sardinia . Charles gave him the principality of Teano (today: Province of Caserta ), which had previously been confiscated from the Duchess of Medina-Sidonia . Daun put this fief back against a transfer, but the title of Prince of Teano , which was also awarded , remained in the Daun family and passed to the Pálffy of Erdőd as their heirs in the 19th century .

Finally appointed Field Marshal and Supreme Commander in Italy with his seat in Milan as Eugen's successor, Daun advanced in the Comacchio War against Rome in 1708 , expelled Marshal Claude-Louis-Hector de Villars , occupied the papal legations in central Italy and forced Pope Clement XI. to peace with Joseph I.

For this he was appointed Spanish grandee , awarded the Golden Fleece and in 1713 again Viceroy of Naples , where he knew how to make himself popular with the people. His tenure ended in 1719.

From 1719 to 1725 he was director of the artillery (supreme land and caretaker) and city commander of Vienna . During this time he had today's Palais Kinsky built according to plans by Lucas von Hildebrand.

Daun then served temporarily as governor of the Netherlands (1724/25) after Prince Eugene of Savoy resigned from his governorship. In 1728 Daun became governor of the Duchy of Milan . As such, he had in 1733 the city of a French overwhelming power under King Charles Emanuel III. left by Sardinia, which is why he was replaced by Field Marshal Mercy and fell out of favor. However, he was able to justify himself against all allegations and was rehabilitated.

His wall grave is in the George Chapel of the Augustinian Church in Vienna , where his son, Leopold Joseph is also buried.

His wife was Countess Maria Barbara Herberstein .

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personal data
SURNAME Daun, Wirich Philipp from and to
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Daun, Wirich Philipp Lorenz Graf von und zu; Prince of Thiano
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian field marshal
DATE OF BIRTH October 19, 1669
PLACE OF BIRTH Vienna
DATE OF DEATH July 30, 1741
Place of death Vienna