The Battle of Wörgl or Wörgel was fought on 13 May 1809, when a
Bavarian force under French
Marshal François Joseph Lefebvre
François Joseph Lefebvre ( , ; 25 October 1755 – 14 September 1820), Duc de Dantzig, was a French military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and one of the original eighteen Marshals of the Empire created by Napoleon.
Ea ...
attacked an
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence ...
detachment commanded by
Johann Gabriel Chasteler de Courcelles. The Bavarians severely defeated Chasteler's soldiers in series of actions in the Austrian towns of
Wörgl
Wörgl () is a city in the Austrian state of Tyrol, in the Kufstein district. It is from the international border with Bavaria, Germany.
Population
Transport
Wörgl is an important railway junction between the line from Innsbruck to Munich, an ...
,
Söll
Söll is a municipality in the district of Kufstein in the Austrian region of Sölllandl. It is located 9 km south of Kufstein and 9 km east of Wörgl. The village consists of 25 subdivisions. The main sources of income are agriculture ...
, and
Rattenberg
Rattenberg ( bar, Råttnberg) is a City on the Inn River in the Austrian state of Tyrol near Rattenberg mountain and Innsbruck. With just 400 inhabitants and a surface area of 10 ha, it is the smallest city in the country.
Geography
The proximit ...
. Wörgl is located south of the modern-day
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
border on the upper
Inn River.
Civilian militia of the
County of Tyrol
The (Princely) County of Tyrol was an estate of the Holy Roman Empire established about 1140. After 1253, it was ruled by the House of Gorizia and from 1363 by the House of Habsburg. In 1804, the County of Tyrol, unified with the secularised ...
rose in revolt under commander-in-chief
Andreas Hofer
Andreas Hofer (22 November 1767 – 20 February 1810) was a Tyrolean innkeeper and drover, who in 1809 became the leader of the Tyrolean Rebellion against the Napoleonic and Bavarian invasion during the War of the Fifth Coalition. He was subs ...
supported by a strategic council at the start of the
War of the Fifth Coalition
The War of the Fifth Coalition was a European conflict in 1809 that was part of the Napoleonic Wars and the Coalition Wars. The main conflict took place in central Europe between the Austrian Empire of Francis I and Napoleon's French Empir ...
. The hardy mountaineers rapidly banded together in irregular units and killed, captured, or routed the area's Bavarian and French garrisons. The patriot volunteering troopers were soon joined by
Feldmarschall-Leutnant
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 ...
Chasteler's regular division sent from the Austrian Army of Inner Austria.
In mid-May, Lefebvre advanced on the Tyrol from the north and northeast with the Bavarian VII Corps. After the Bavarians mauled Chasteler's regulars at Wörgl, the Austrian general abandoned the Tyrol and attempted to join with the retreating army in
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...
. The victory allowed the Bavarians to temporarily reoccupy
Innsbruck, though not without additional fighting. The
Tyrolean Civil Revolt, however, was far from over. Even after the regular Austrian armies met defeat at the
Battle of Wagram
The Battle of Wagram (; 5–6 July 1809) was a military engagement of the Napoleonic Wars that ended in a costly but decisive victory for Emperor Napoleon's French and allied army against the Austrian army under the command of Archduke Charles ...
in early July, the revolt resisted all efforts to stamp it out. The back of the rebellion was finally broken in November and only fizzed out in February 1810.
Background
Brought under Bavarian rule after Austria's military defeat in the
War of the Third Coalition
The War of the Third Coalition)
* In French historiography, it is known as the Austrian campaign of 1805 (french: Campagne d'Autriche de 1805) or the German campaign of 1805 (french: Campagne d'Allemagne de 1805) was a European conflict spanni ...
, the
County of Tyrol
The (Princely) County of Tyrol was an estate of the Holy Roman Empire established about 1140. After 1253, it was ruled by the House of Gorizia and from 1363 by the House of Habsburg. In 1804, the County of Tyrol, unified with the secularised ...
's inhabitants seethed against their new overlords. The Bavarian king did impose new rulings on the province, with which he crushed ages old Tyrolean social, military and religious feudal liberties. The Bavarian king also did impose conscription and did order a compulsary
vaccination
Vaccination is the administration of a vaccine to help the immune system develop immunity from a disease. Vaccines contain a microorganism or virus in a weakened, live or killed state, or proteins or toxins from the organism. In stimulating ...
programme against
smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...
.
These tensions were fully exploited by Austria's agents, who circulated the territory in advance of the
War of the Fifth Coalition
The War of the Fifth Coalition was a European conflict in 1809 that was part of the Napoleonic Wars and the Coalition Wars. The main conflict took place in central Europe between the Austrian Empire of Francis I and Napoleon's French Empir ...
. When Austria's armies invaded Bavaria and the
Kingdom of Italy
The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia was proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to an institutional referendum to abandon the monarchy and f ...
in April 1809, the Tyrol erupted in revolt against its occupiers. The Tyrolese militia, supported by ''irregulars'' quickly captured or routed most of the Bavarian and French garrisons. Not only did the revolt cut off French-Allied communications between Italy and Bavaria, but it connected the Austrian armies operating in the two theaters.
![Tiroler Landsturm 1809](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Tiroler_Landsturm_1809.jpg)
Desiring to sustain the rebellion,
Generalissimo
''Generalissimo'' ( ) is a military rank of the highest degree, superior to field marshal and other five-star ranks in the states where they are used.
Usage
The word (), an Italian term, is the absolute superlative of ('general') thus me ...
Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen
Archduke Charles Louis John Joseph Laurentius of Austria, Duke of Teschen (german: link=no, Erzherzog Karl Ludwig Johann Josef Lorenz von Österreich, Herzog von Teschen; 5 September 177130 April 1847) was an Austrian field-marshal, the third s ...
ordered his brother
Archduke John of Austria to detach a regular division to support the revolt. Accordingly, John sent Chasteler from the Army of Inner Austria. Before he arrived, the Tyroleans scored a tremendous early success at
Innsbruck. For two days, the Tyrolean leader
Major Martin Teimer harassed the local Bavarian garrisons with a large force of irregulars. On 13 May, Bavarian
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
Baron Kinkel surrendered four battalions, two squadrons, and five cannons, a total of 3,860 troops. Teimer's men also trapped a column of 2,050 French conscripts. After an ineffectual defense by hard-drinking
General of Division
Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army co ...
Baptiste Pierre Bisson, the entire column surrendered along with the eagle of the 3rd Line Infantry Regiment.
The main Austrian armies were forced to retreat after Emperor
Napoleon I of France defeated Feldmarschall-Leutnant
Johann von Hiller
Johann Baron von Hiller (13 October 1754 – 5 June 1819) was an Austrian general during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He held an important command during the 1809 campaign against France, playing a prominent role at the B ...
at the
Battle of Landshut on 21 April and Archduke Charles at the
Battle of Eckmühl
The Battle of Eckmühl, fought on 22 April 1809, was the turning point of the 1809 Campaign, also known as the War of the Fifth Coalition. Napoleon I had been unprepared for the start of hostilities on 10 April 1809, by the Austrians under th ...
on 22 April. On 27 April Napoleon ordered Lefebvre's VII Corps to seize
Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label= Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...
. This was accomplished two days later, as Feldmarschall-Leutnant
Franz Jellacic's Austrian division withdrew to the south.
![Kufstein-festung](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Kufstein-festung.jpg)
On 1 May,
General-Major
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
Stengel's brigade of Lieutenant General
Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria's division attacked the
Lueg Pass near
Golling an der Salzach
Golling an der Salzach is a market town in the Hallein district of Salzburg, Austria.
Geography
It is located on the southern rim of the ''Tennengau'' region south of the city of Salzburg. Here at the confluence of the Salzach and its Lammer trib ...
. The 1,850 Bavarians were repelled by
Captain Sessich's 420 men of the ''Warasdin-Kreutzer''
Grenz infantry
Grenz infantry or Grenzers or Granichary (from german: Grenzer "border guard" or "frontiersman"; Serbo-Croatian: graničari, krajišnici, sr-cyr, граничари, крајишници, Russian Cyrillic: граничары) were light infant ...
Regiment. Stengel lost 200 casualties while the defenders only lost 30. Stengel probed the Leug Pass again on 4 and 5 May, while General-Major Raglovich (with Rechberg's brigade) moved against
Abtenau
Abtenau (Central Bavarian: ''Obtenau'') is a market town in the Hallein District of Salzburg in Austria. The municipality is located in Lammertal, Tennengau, about 45 km south of Salzburg, and encompasses the entire middle valley of the Lammer.
...
, farther east. Again, the Austrians held their ground under the overall command of Jellacic, suffering 35 killed and wounded, and 70 captured. Bavarian losses were not reported. At about this time, General-Major Vincenti's brigade of Lieutenant General
Bernhard Erasmus von Deroy
Bernhard Erasmus von Deroy (11 December 1743 – 23 August 1812) from the Electorate of the Palatinate became a noted general officer in the army of Bavaria. His military career began shortly after the start of the Seven Years' War. During th ...
's division suffered a minor defeat at the hands of the Tyrolean rebels. Lefebvre proposed to Napoleon that he send two battalions of reinforcements to aid Vincenti. The emperor criticized this idea and instead directed the marshal to march to the relief of
Kufstein Fortress
The Kufstein Fortress (german: Festung Kufstein) is the main landmark of Kufstein, a town in Tyrol, Austria. It is sometimes wrongly referred to as ''Geroldseck Fortress''. It is on a hill commanding Kufstein proper. Kufstein Fortress is above sea ...
with the better part of his corps. Accordingly, Lefebvre advanced on Kufstein with Deroy and Lieutenant General
Karl Philipp von Wrede Karl may refer to:
People
* Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name
* Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne
* Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer
* Karl of Austria, last Austri ...
's divisions, leaving the Crown Prince's division to hold Salzburg.
On 11 May, Deroy relieved Kufstein and its 576-man Bavarian garrison. Major D'Aicher had resisted 3,000 Tyrolean and Austrian besiegers for exactly a month. The same day, Wrede advanced southeast from Salzburg to attack 600 Tyroleans at
Lofer
Lofer is a market town in the district of Zell am See in the Austrian state of Salzburg.
Geography
Lofer is located in the historic Pinzgau region, in the valley of the Saalach river between the Chiemgau Alps and Reiter Alpe in the north and ea ...
. The Bavarians lost 22 dead and 44 wounded, while inflicting about 70 casualties on their opponents. Wrede pressed on with 7,500 soldiers to
Waidring where he battled General-Major Franz Fenner on 12 May. Fenner's 9th Jäger battalion, three squadrons of light horse, six guns, and 1,000 irregulars were driven off with about 100 casualties. The Bavarians lost 40 dead and wounded.
Battle
''The
Tyrol 1809 Order of Battle lists the regular units of both armies and their organization.''
Wörgl
Wörgl () is a city in the Austrian state of Tyrol, in the Kufstein district. It is from the international border with Bavaria, Germany.
Population
Transport
Wörgl is an important railway junction between the line from Innsbruck to Munich, an ...
is located about to the southwest of Kufstein, while
Söll
Söll is a municipality in the district of Kufstein in the Austrian region of Sölllandl. It is located 9 km south of Kufstein and 9 km east of Wörgl. The village consists of 25 subdivisions. The main sources of income are agriculture ...
is about east of Wörgl. Advancing through
Sankt Johann in Tirol
St. Johann in Tirol is a market town in Tyrol, Austria, in the Kitzbühel district. In the regional ductus, the last syllable of the name is stressed as "Sankt yo-Hahn'".
History
St. Johann is situated in the Leukental, which extends from Jo ...
, Wrede approached the village of Söll from the east. Meanwhile, Deroy's division was in the Inn valley in the direction of Kufstein.
![Battle of Worgl 1809](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Battle_of_Worgl_1809.JPG)
Chasteler attempted to stop the Bavarians with 5,000 mostly regular troops organized in 11 and one-half battalions, three and one-half squadrons, and 17 guns. This force included a tiny reinforcement from Jellacic's division, four companies of the ''de Vaux'' Infantry Regiment Nr. 45 and a half squadron of the ''O'Reilly'' Chevau-léger Regiment Nr. 3. The Austrians suffered a severe defeat and retreated southwest up the Inn valley. During the withdrawal, there was more fighting at
Rattenberg
Rattenberg ( bar, Råttnberg) is a City on the Inn River in the Austrian state of Tyrol near Rattenberg mountain and Innsbruck. With just 400 inhabitants and a surface area of 10 ha, it is the smallest city in the country.
Geography
The proximit ...
.
Historian
Digby Smith
Digby Smith (born 1 January 1935) is a British military historian. The son of a British career soldier, he was born in Hampshire, England, but spent several years in India and Pakistan as a child and youth. As a "boy soldier", he entered train ...
reported that 3,000 Austrians were killed, wounded, and captured. The Bavarians seized nine guns, 27 ammunition wagons, and three colors and "effectively destroyed" Chasteler's command. Smith listed 8,000 infantry, 1,450 cavalry, and 18 guns as engaged in the fighting under Wrede's command. Smith did not list Deroy's troops, though they were nearby.
Francis Loraine Petre
Francis Loraine Petre (22 February 1852 – 6 May 1925) was a British civil servant in India and a military historian upon his retirement. He wrote a two-volume regimental history of the Norfolk Regiment, but is best known for his works on the ...
noted that 600 Austrians and 11 guns were captured, but did not mention killed and wounded.
On 14 and 15 May, Wrede clashed with 3,000 Tyrolean
Landwehr
''Landwehr'', or ''Landeswehr'', is a German language term used in referring to certain national armies, or militias found in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Europe. In different context it refers to large-scale, low-strength fortificatio ...
and irregulars under
Josef Speckbacher at
Strass im Zillertal and
Schwaz
Schwaz () is a city in the Austrian state of Tyrol. It is the administrative center of the Schwaz district. Schwaz is located in the lower Inn valley.
Location
Schwaz lies in the middle of the Lower Inn Valley at the foot of the Kellerjoch a ...
. The Bavarians reported 33 dead and 158 wounded while their adversaries lost 90 dead and wounded, plus 185 captured. Lefebvre occupied Innsbruck by 20 May and optimistically reported that the uprising would soon be suppressed. Deroy's division held its own during the first and second
Battles of Bergisel
The Battles of Bergisel were four battles fought between Tyrolese civilian militiamen and a contingent of Austrian government troops and the military forces of Emperor Napoleon I of France and King of Kingdom of Bavaria against at the Bergi ...
on 25 and 29 May. However, the revolt was only temporarily repressed.
Following orders from Archduke John, Chasteler withdrew the remnant of his division from the Tyrol, moving down the
Drava River valley. With 4,000 to 5,000 troops, he attacked General of Division
Jean-Baptiste Dominique Rusca's Italian division at
Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt am WörtherseeLandesgesetzblatt 2008 vom 16. Jänner 2008, Stück 1, Nr. 1: ''Gesetz vom 25. Oktober 2007, mit dem die Kärntner Landesverfassung und das Klagenfurter Stadtrecht 1998 geändert werden.'/ref> (; ; sl, Celovec), usually ...
on 9 June. Chasteler was repulsed but slipped away to
Maribor (Marburg an der Drau) and safety. For a short time, his march severed communications between
Eugène de Beauharnais
Eugène Rose de Beauharnais, Duke of Leuchtenberg (; 3 September 1781 – 21 February 1824) was a French nobleman, statesman, and military commander who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.
Through the second marr ...
' army and northeast Italy. Chasteler briefly joined Feldmarschall-Leutnant
Ignaz Gyulai Ignaz is a male given name, related to the name Ignatius. Notable people with this name include:
* Franz Ignaz Beck (1734–1807), German musician
* Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (1644–1704), Bohemian-Austrian musician
* Ignaz Brüll (1846–1907), ...
's corps, but soon separated in an attempt to reach Archduke John's army. He ended the war trying without success to interfere with the siege of
Győr
Győr ( , ; german: Raab, links=no; names in other languages) is the main city of northwest Hungary, the capital of Győr-Moson-Sopron County and Western Transdanubia region, and – halfway between Budapest and Vienna – situated on one of ...
(Raab) in Hungary.
After Napoleon's defeat at the
Battle of Aspern-Essling
In the Battle of Aspern-Essling (21–22 May 1809), Napoleon crossed the Danube near Vienna, but the French and their allies were attacked and forced back across the river by the Austrians under Archduke Charles. It was the first time Napoleon ...
and his subsequent concentration of troops for a decisive battle, the Tyrolean revolt flared again and the rebels scored many successes in June and July. Lefebvre reoccupied Innsbruck, but the Tyroleans beat the Bavarians in the third Battle of Bergisel on 13 August, chasing them out of the mountains again.
Jean-Baptiste Drouet, Comte d'Erlon
Jean-Baptiste Drouet, Comte d'Erlon (29 July 176525 January 1844) was a Marshal of France and a soldier in the Grande Armée during the Napoleonic Wars. He notably commanded the I Corps of the '' Army of the North'' at the Battle of Waterloo.
Ear ...
replaced Lefebvre and won a clear cut victory over the rebels in the fourth Battle of Bergisel on 1 November.
Explanatory notes
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Further reading
*
*
Chandler, David. ''The Campaigns of Napoleon.'' New York: Macmillan, 1966.
*
Rothenberg, Gunther E. ''Napoleon's Great Adversaries, The Archduke Charles and the Austrian Army, 1792-1814''. Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press, 1982
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Worgl, Battle Of
Conflicts in 1809
1809 in the Austrian Empire
1809 in France
Battles of the War of the Fifth Coalition
Battles of the Napoleonic Wars
Battles involving Austria
Battles involving France
Battles involving Bavaria
May 1809 events
Austrian Empire–France relations