Donat John Count Heissler of Heitersheim was an Imperial and Royal Marshal of the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

empire. He was deeply involved in the conflict between the

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

and Turkish empires. He was born in 1648 and died at

Szeged Szeged ( , ; see also #Etymology, other alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat ...

on 1 September 1696. Armoiries des Comte Heissler de Heitersheim

Biography

Donat John Heissler was born in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

in about 1648, at the end of the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

. He enlisted in the service of the

Habsburgs The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

at a very young age, and as a cavalry captain, Heissler obtained the rank of

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

on 15 September 1678. His courage and exemplary behaviour led to his promotion to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

and command over a regiment of

dragoons Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat ...

, which is named after him. He fought bravely in the

Battle of Vienna The Battle of Vienna; pl, odsiecz wiedeńska, lit=Relief of Vienna or ''bitwa pod Wiedniem''; ota, Beç Ḳalʿası Muḥāṣarası, lit=siege of Beç; tr, İkinci Viyana Kuşatması, lit=second siege of Vienna took place at Kahlenberg Mou ...

in 1683 and continued to distinguish himself in battle over the following years. In 1684 he defeated rebels commanded by

Imre Thököly Imre is a Hungarian masculine first name, which is also in Estonian use, where the corresponding name day is 10 April. It has been suggested that it relates to the name Emeric, Emmerich or Heinrich. Its English equivalents are Emery and Henry. ...

, followed by a victory over a Turkish regiment at

Székesfehérvár Székesfehérvár (; german: Stuhlweißenburg ), known colloquially as Fehérvár ("white castle"), is a city in central Hungary, and the country's ninth-largest city. It is the regional capital of Central Transdanubia, and the centre of Fejér ...

. In 1684 he relieved

Vác Vác (; german: Waitzen; sk, Vacov; yi, ווייצען) is a town in Pest county in Hungary with approximately 35,000 inhabitants. The archaic spelling of the name is ''Vácz''. Location Vác is located north of Budapest on the eastern bank o ...

, subjugated Arad and defeated Turkish forces, which were defending

Oradea Oradea (, , ; german: Großwardein ; hu, Nagyvárad ) is a city in Romania, located in Crișana, a sub-region of Transylvania. The county seat, seat of Bihor County, Oradea is one of the most important economic, social and cultural centers in the ...

and Gyula. On 16 September 1685, he was promoted to the rank of

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

and in his first expedition prevented the conquering of

Munkács Mukachevo ( uk, Мукачево, ; hu, Munkács; see name section) is a city in the valley of the Latorica river in Zakarpattia Oblast (province), in Western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of Mukachevo Raion (district), the city ...

and

Ofen Buda (; german: Ofen, sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Budim, Будим, Czech language, Czech and sk, Budín, tr, Budin) was the historic capital of the Kingdom of Hungary and since 1873 has been the western part of the Hungary, Hungarian c ...

, and defeated the Turks at

. In 1688 he crushed Imre Thökölu at

Körös The Körös () or Criș () ( German: ''Kreisch'') is a river in eastern Hungary and western Romania. Its length is from the confluence of its two source rivers Fehér-Körös ('' Crișul Alb'') and Fekete-Körös ('' Crișul Negru'') to its out ...

, seized

Požarevac Požarevac ( sr-cyr, Пожаревац, ) is a city and the administrative centre of the Braničevo District in eastern Serbia. It is located between three rivers: Danube, Great Morava and Mlava and below the hill Čačalica (208m). As of 2011, ...

(Passarowitz) and distinguished himself at

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

. Having been appointed

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 ...

on 4 January 1689, his luck ran out in 1690.
His imperial troops and the supporting

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

n army were defeated by troops of Imre Thököly at the

battle of Zernest The Battle of Zernest was fought on 11 August 1690, near the town of Zernest in southeastern Transylvania (today Zărnești, in Romania), between the allied forces of Transylvania and the Holy Roman Empire, and the allied forces of the Ottoman Em ...

(Zărneşti-Tohani) on 21 August 1690. His ally, count

Mihály Teleki Mihály () is a Hungarian masculine given name, It is a cognate of the English Michael and may refer to: * Mihály András (1917–1993), Hungarian cellist, composer, and academic teacher * Mihály Apafi (1632–1690), Hungarian Prince of Transyl ...

was killed in action. Heissler was captured by Thököly, and offered to the Emperor in exchange for countess

Ilona Zrínyi Countess Ilona Zrínyi ( Croatian: ''Jelena Zrinska'', Hungarian: ''Zrínyi Ilona'') (1643, Ozalj – 18 February 1703, Izmit) was a noblewoman and heroine. She was one of the last surviving members of the Croatian-Hungarian Zrinski/Zrín ...

, the wife of Imre Thököly, who was being kept in an imperial prison. It took two years to negotiate the exchange. In 1692, the deal was closed: Heissler was released, and the countess joined her husband in Turkey. On 9 February 1692, immediately after his release, he was promoted to the rank of General of the Cavalry and proved that his courage had not been affected by his imprisonment, by seizing the town of

on 5 June. From 1694 until 1695 he took command of the main Hungarian forces on an interim basis. On 12 May 1696, he obtained the supreme rank of

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

. Although it is unknown when he was awarded the title of

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

, it is known that he used it in official documents in which he bought the Piesling property and Uherčice castle. He was elevated to the rank of

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

, a title he kept until he died on 1 September 1696 from the consequences of a wound he received 5 days before in the Battle of Ulaş near

Timișoara ), City of Roses ( ro, Orașul florilor), City of Parks ( ro, Orașul parcurilor) , image_map = Timisoara jud Timis.svg , map_caption = Location in Timiș County , pushpin_map = Romania#Europe , pushpin_ ...

. The ''"Register of Generals of the Imperial and Royal Army died on the Field of Honor"'' lists him as "Donat John Count Heissler of Heitersheim, Marhsal Imperial and Royal".

A lover of castles

Uherčice

GuentherZ 2009-08-15 0857 Uhercice u Znojma Statni zamek Uhercice

Heissler of Heitersheim acquired the castle of Uherčice and added to its embellishment. His modifications gave a more

baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

aspect to the castle, thanks to the involvement of the architect Francesco Martinelli. Under the aegis of the Count, Baldassarre Fontana created the very beautiful decoration in

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

in the chapel and several rooms.

Písecné

He also acquired the Piesling castle at the same time.

Descent

Donat John, Count Heissler of Heitersheim married Barbara Maria Countess of Rotthal (becoming Barbara Maria Countess Heissler of Heitersheim). They had two sons together:

Francis Joseph Count Heissler of Heitersheim († 12.07.1753)

He married May 29, 1713 in Prag, Maria Anna Countess of Mittrowitz, Member of the

Order of the Starry Cross The Order of the Starry Cross (or Order of the Star Cross/Star Cross Order; German: ''Sternkreuz-Orden'') is an imperial Austrian dynastic order for Catholic noble ladies, founded in 1668. The order still exists under the House of Habsburg-Lorraine ...

. They had four daughters: * Maria Theresia Carolina Maximiliana Countess Heissler of Heitersheim († 14.08.1759) married (30.05.1709) Count Maximilian Joseph Mittrovsky of Mitrowitz Baron of Nemyssl (* 30.05.1709 - † 01.18.1782). From this union was born Johann Nepomuk Count Mittrowsky of Mittrowitz (* 20.01. 1757 Brno - † 05.20.1799 in Brno). He is a direct ancestor of the conductor

Nikolaus Harnoncourt Johann Nikolaus Harnoncourt or historically Johann Nikolaus Graf de la Fontaine und d'Harnoncourt-Unverzagt; () (6 December 1929 – 5 March 2016) was an Austrian conductor, particularly known for his historically informed performances of music ...

(Nikolaus of LaFontaine Count of Harnoncourt-Unverzagt) * Johanna Countess Heissler of Heitersheim married (1741) Charles-Gabriel Baron of Canon and of the Holy Roman Empire, called Marquess of Ville, Lord of Brick in Silesia, Chamberlain of his Imperial and Royal Majesty, general Major commanding Debretchin. * Anna Maria Countess Heissler of Heitersheim * Maria Judith Countess Heissler of Heitersheim married Jean-Baptiste Joyeuse (* 11.25.1699 - † 18.091765) - Field Marshal. Francis Joseph Count Heissler of Heitersheimacquires Qualkowitz in 1702 which he resells in 1718. He also sells the Píesling property to Count Anton von Hartig. Francis Joseph had also a brilliant career as a member of the

Geheimrat ''Geheimrat'' was the title of the highest advising officials at the Imperial, royal or princely courts of the Holy Roman Empire, who jointly formed the ''Geheimer Rat'' reporting to the ruler. The term remained in use during subsequent monarchic r ...

then as royal judge of the Land from 1732, to finally become governor of Moravia in 1740.

Bernard of Heissler

second son of the count, led from 1705 the Regiment founded by Donat John.

Sources

*
''Mährischer Adel''
S. 44 * François-Alexandre Aubert de La Chesnaye Des Bois
''Dictionnaire généalogique, héraldique, chronologique et historique''
S. 383 (französisch)

References

External links

- page 44 of http://www.historie.hranet.cz/heraldika/pdf/kadich-blazek1899-041-050.pdf
- http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/bsb00008369/images/index.html?seite=673 {{DEFAULTSORT:Heissler Of Heitersheim (Donat John Count) 1648 births 1696 deaths Counts of Austria Field marshals of Austria Austrian generals Austrian soldiers 17th-century Austrian people 17th century in Hungary People of the Great Turkish War Austrian military personnel killed in action Generals of the Holy Roman Empire 17th-century Austrian military personnel