Rudolf Hieronymus Eusebius von Colloredo-Waldsee, born 2 November 1585 in
České Budějovice
České Budějovice (; german: Budweis ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 93,000 inhabitants. It is located in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše.
České Budějovice is t ...
, Kingdom of
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
(now in the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
), was a Bohemian nobleman and the brother of
Hieronymus von Colloredo-Waldsee. A member of the
Colloredo Colloredo is a surname that may refer to:
*Colloredo-Mansfeld, German Princely family which was based in Austria
*Rudolf von Colloredo (1585–1657), Field Marshal of the Holy Roman Empire, who fought in the Thirty Years' War
*Count Hieronymus von ...
family, he distinguished himself in 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 ...
, especially at the Battles of Mantua and
Lützen
is a town in the Burgenlandkreis district of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.
Geography
Lützen is situated in the Leipzig Bay, approximately southwest of the Leipzig city limits and northeast of Weißenfels. The town has access to the Bundesstraße 8 ...
. Emperor
Ferdinand III appointed him to the Imperial Privy Council and named him a
Field Marshal
Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...
. Although unable to prevent
Prague Castle
Prague Castle ( cs, Pražský hrad; ) is a castle complex in Prague 1 Municipality within Prague, Czech Republic, built in the 9th century. It is the official office of the President of the Czech Republic. The castle was a seat of power for kin ...
from falling to Sweden's
Hans Christoff von Königsmarck
Count Hans Christoff von Königsmarck, of Tjust (4 March 1600 – 8 March 1663), son of Conrad von Königsmarck and Beatrix von Blumenthal, was a German soldier who commanded Sweden's legendary flying column, a force which played a key role i ...
, Colloredo-Waldsee's bold defense of
Prague's old town halted the Swedish invasion of Bohemia on 26 July 1648 and saved 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 ...
's ancestral lands in Austria. After the war, he built
the Schönborn Palace in Prague home to the
United States Embassy to the Czech Republic. He died in Prague on 24 February 1657.
[Wilhelm Edler von Janko: Colloredo-Waldsee, Rudolf Graf von. In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Band 4, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1876, S. 420.]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colloredo-Waldsee, Rudolf Hieronymus Eusebius Von
1585 births
1657 deaths
People from České Budějovice
People from the Kingdom of Bohemia
Bohemian nobility
Bohemian people of the Thirty Years' War
16th-century Bohemian people
Field marshals of the Holy Roman Empire
17th-century Bohemian people