Maximilian,
Freiherr
(; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , literally "free lord" or "free lady") and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire ...
(Baron) von Wimpffen (1770–1854) was a military commander who served in the Austrian army during the
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted French First Republic, France against Ki ...
and
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
. Although a competent field commander, he was above all noted for his excellent knowledge of military strategy and tactics, which made him a key member in the General Staff of the
Imperial and Royal Army during the Napoleonic Wars
The Imperial-Royal or Imperial Austrian Army (german: Kaiserlich-königliche Armee, abbreviation "K.K. Armee") was strictly speaking, the armed force of the Holy Roman Empire under its last monarch, the Habsburg Emperor Francis II, although in r ...
.
Early career
Born in
Westphalia
Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants.
The territory of the regio ...
in 1770, Wimpffen was admitted at the
''Wiener Neustadt'' Military Academy and graduated in 1786 to join ''Infaterie Regiment 9 Clerfayt''. He was remarked early on for his bravery at the
siege of Belgrade, where he led a noted assault of the city, at the head of a column of volunteers. He received a wound during this action but was rewarded by being promoted ''Oberleutnant'' in the ''Morzin
Grenadier
A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word '' grenade'') was originally a specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in battle. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when grenadiers were recruited fr ...
Battalion''. He was then commissioned in Belgium, where he served as Adjutant to ''
Feldmarschallleutnant
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 ...
''
József Alvinczi
Freiherr Joseph Alvinczi von Borberek a.k.a. Baron József Alvinczi de Borberek (german: Joseph Alvinczy, Freiherr von Berberek; 1 February 1735 – 25 September 1810) was a soldier in the Habsburg Army and a field marshal of the Austrian Empi ...
and then led his Grenadiers at the
battle of Neerwinden, an action during which he was wounded and taken prisoner. Released, he took part in the battle of Landrecy in 1794 and the next year he was transferred to Italy, where he played a role at the
battle of Loano
The Battle of Loano occurred on 23–24 November 1795 during the War of the First Coalition. The French Army of Italy led by Barthélemy Schérer defeated the combined Austrian and Sardinian forces under Olivier, Count of Wallis.
Context
In ...
in November. In 1796, he joined the General Staff, with the rank of ''
Hauptmann
is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian, and Swiss armies. While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has and originally had the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literally ...
'' (Captain) but he was never very far from danger and was again wounded while fighting in the streets of
Valeggio that June. He was then given commands at the
battle of Brenta
The Battle of Brenta was fought between the cavalry of the Kingdom of Italy under king Berengar I and the Hungarians, hired by the East Francian king Arnulf of Carinthia, against him, at an unidentified location in northern Italian Peninsula a ...
and
battle of Caldiero, before being sent to serve in
Heinrich von Bellegarde
Count Heinrich von Bellegarde, Viceroy of Lombardy-Venetia (german: Heinrich Joseph Johannes, Graf von Bellegarde or sometimes ''Heinrich von Bellegarde''; 29 August 1756 – 22 July 1845), of a noble Savoyard family, was born in Saxony, joined the ...
's staff in the
Tyrol
Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...
. He was instrumental in coordinating the building of defences at
Feldkirch Feldkirch may refer to:
Places
* Feldkirch, Vorarlberg, a medieval city and capital of an administrative district in Austria
** Feldkirch (district), an administrative division of Vorarlberg, Austria
* Feldkirch (Hartheim), a village in the munici ...
, which had a significant role in the Austrian victory against
André Masséna
André Masséna, Prince of Essling, Duke of Rivoli (born Andrea Massena; 6 May 1758 – 4 April 1817) was a French military commander during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.Donald D. Horward, ed., trans, annotated, The Fre ...
in March 1799. Wimpffen was severely wounded during a counterattack against Masséna's forces, but refused to take sick leave and was soon back in action in Italy, receiving a fifth wound at the
battle of the Mincio River, while he was serving as Adjutant to commander-in-chief Heinrich von Bellegarde.
After the end of the
War of the Second Coalition
The War of the Second Coalition (1798/9 – 1801/2, depending on periodisation) was the second war on revolutionary France by most of the European monarchies, led by Britain, Austria and Russia, and including the Ottoman Empire, Portugal, N ...
, Wimpffen was given a position as Adjutant in the newly created Inner Austrian military command (1803) and was promoted to ''
Oberst
''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedish ...
'' (Colonel) in 1805.
[Hollins 54.]
Napoleonic Wars and beyond
With the outbreak of the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
, Wimpffen only took part to the late stages of 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 ...
, when he was appointed as staff officer in Moritz Lichtenstein's command and was among those who advised the Army
Chief of Staff
The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
,
Franz von Weyrother
Franz von Weyrother (1755 – 16 February 1806) was an Austrian staff officer and general who fought during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He drew up the plans for the disastrous defeats at the Battle of Rivoli, Battle of ...
, against an immediate battle. His advice was ignored and the Coalition was decisively defeated by
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
at the
battle of Austerlitz
The Battle of Austerlitz (2 December 1805/11 Frimaire An XIV FRC), also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of the most important and decisive engagements of the Napoleonic Wars. The battle occurred near the town of Austerlitz in ...
on 2 December 1805. During this battle, he was badly wounded, while directing troops during the main Coalition attack, but his merits were appreciated and was awarded 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 ...
and the position of General-Adjutant to
Archduke Charles of Austria-Teschen (1806).
[
Wimpffen was still holding this position at the outbreak 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 II, Holy Roman Emperor, Francis ...
in 1809 and thus commanded the Adjutant department during the first stages of this war. Then, on 26 April 1809, he was named Chief of Staff of the Army and was promoted to the rank of ''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 ...
''. As Chief of Staff, Wimpffen was instrumental in planning and coordinating the actions of the army 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 ...
, but, despite his best efforts, could not prevent the decisive Austrian 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 ...
. For his services during this campaign, he was awarded the Commander Cross of the Order of Maria Theresa and then given a field command in 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 ...
. The next major stage of his career came in 1813, after Austria joined the War of the Sixth Coalition
In the War of the Sixth Coalition (March 1813 – May 1814), sometimes known in Germany as the Wars of Liberation, a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, and a number of German States defeated F ...
and Wimpffen was promoted to ''Feldmarschallleutnant'' and given the command of a division, which he led at the battle of Leipzig
The Battle of Leipzig (french: Bataille de Leipsick; german: Völkerschlacht bei Leipzig, ); sv, Slaget vid Leipzig), also known as the Battle of the Nations (french: Bataille des Nations; russian: Битва народов, translit=Bitva ...
. He was then detailed to take part in the invasion of France and helped take the city of Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
, after the defeat of the French under 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 ...
Pierre Augereau
Charles Pierre François Augereau, 1st Duke of Castiglione (21 October 1757 – 12 June 1816) was a French military commander and a Marshal of the Empire who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. After serving in ...
. After the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Wimpffen was given several positions of ''General-Commandant'' and then, in 1824, the position of Chief of the Army Staff. He was also promoted to the top military rank of Field Marshal.[Hollins, 55.]
Described as a fearless and pugnacious soldier, wounded in battle eight times, Wimpffen was above all noted for his knowledge of military strategy and tactics, able battle dispositions and sanguine attitude in front of danger, which made him a key element of the Austrian General Staff during much of the Napoleonic Wars.[
]
References
Sources
* Hollins, David - "Austrian commanders of the Napoleonic Wars 1792-1815", Osprey Publishing, Elite 101. 2004.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wimpffen, Maximilian Von
1770 births
1854 deaths
Maximilian
Maximilian, Maximillian or Maximiliaan (Maximilien in French) is a male given name.
The name " Max" is considered a shortening of "Maximilian" as well as of several other names.
List of people
Monarchs
*Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (1459†...
18th-century Austrian military personnel
19th-century Austrian military personnel
Austrian generals
Austrian Empire military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars
Austrian Empire commanders of the Napoleonic Wars
Military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars
Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria
Commanders Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa
Theresian Military Academy alumni