Antun Pejačević von Virovitica (German: Anton Pejatschewitsch von Virovitica; Bulgarian:Антун Пеячевич; Serbian: Антун Пејачевић; 4 September 1749 – 25 September 1802) was a Croatian Austrian nobleman, politician, and military from the House of
Pejačević. He was a lieutenant field marshal in the Habsburg army, a grand captain of
Požega, and a patron and an entrepreneur. His name and the name of his wife are frequently mentioned in connection with the glass manufacturing industry and trade in the region.
Life
Antun III Count Pejačević von Virovitica (full name Antun Mihajlo Ignjat Nepomuk Viktorin Pejačević) was born in
Osijek
Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...
,
Habsburg monarchy
The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...
, as the youngest son of Josip II Pejačević (1710–1787), then still a baron, and his wife
Elizabeta née Peterson. He had two brothers, Žigmund Pejačević (1741–1806) and Karlo III Ferdinand Pejačević (1745–1815), as well as a sister, Josipa Elizabeta. His grandfather Marko II Pejačević (1664–1727) was born in
Tschiprowzi in
Bulgaria before he settled in Eastern
Slavonia. He was of the
Eastern Orthodox faith before converting to Roman Catholicism when he joined the
Imperial-Royal Army.
In 1774 Antun married Countess Barbara Drašković von Trakošćan in Varaždin. They had four children: Antun (IV.), Stjepan, Barbara, and Ana.
Pejačević graduated from the Theresian Military Academy in
Wiener Neustadt and then served as a lieutenant in the regiment of
Graf Pálffy and later in the Slavonian border
Infantry Regiment No. 8 (Gradiskaner).
He took part in several wars and numerous battles:
War of the Bavarian Succession (1778–1779),
Russian-Austrian Turkish War (1787–1792),
French Revolutionary Wars (1792–1797),
Napoleonic Wars (1798–1815), and the Battle of
Dubica (1788 ), Battle of
Cetingrad (1790), etc.
He has received several awards for his services, including the Knight's Cross of the
Military Order of Maria Theresa
The Military Order of Maria Theresa (german: Militär-Maria-Theresien-Orden; hu, Katonai Mária Terézia-rend; cs, Vojenský řád Marie Terezie; pl, Wojskowy Order Marii Teresy; sl, Vojaški red Marije Terezije; hr, Vojni Red Marije Te ...
, which he received on 19 December 1790 in his 23rd doctorate. He advanced relatively quickly: in 1773 he became a major, in 1786 a colonel (in the first regiment of the Banat military frontier ), in 1793
major general, and 1801 a
field marshal lieutenant
Lieutenant field marshal, also frequently historically field marshal lieutenant (german: Feldmarschall-Leutnant, formerly , historically also and, in official Imperial and Royal Austrian army documents from 1867 always , abbreviated ''FML''), was ...
. He was also a Mason.
Count Antun Pejačević von Virovitica died shortly afterward, on 25 September 1802, in his castle in
Virovitica
Virovitica () is a Croatian city near the Hungarian border. It is situated near the Drava river and belongs to the historic region of Slavonia. Virovitica has a population of 14,688, with 21,291 people in the municipality (census 2011). It is als ...
.
See also
*
Pejačević family
*
List of Croatian noble families
*
Pejačević Castle
References
{{Authority control
1749 births
1802 deaths
People from Osijek
18th-century Croatian military personnel
Glass makers
Knights Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa
Croatian Freemasons