William Albert, 1st Prince of Montenuovo (8 August 18197 April 1895) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

and

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 ...

of the

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, ...

Early life

Count William Albert of Neipperg was born in 1819 at

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...

Duchy of Parma The Duchy of Parma and Piacenza ( it, Ducato di Parma e Piacenza, la, Ducatus Parmae et Placentiae), was an Italian state created in 1545 and located in northern Italy, in the current region of Emilia-Romagna. Originally a realm of the Farnese ...

. He was the son of

Adam Albert, Count of Neipperg Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...

(1775–1829), illegitimately (prior to his marriage in 1821) by his second wife,

Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma french: Marie-Louise-Léopoldine-Françoise-Thérèse-Josèphe-Lucie it, Maria Luigia Leopoldina Francesca Teresa Giuseppa Lucia , house = Habsburg-Lorraine , father = Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor , mother = Maria Theresa of ...

(1791–1847). She was the daughter of

Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor Francis II (german: Franz II.; 12 February 1768 – 2 March 1835) was the last Holy Roman Emperor (from 1792 to 1806) and the founder and Emperor of the Austrian Empire, from 1804 to 1835. He assumed the title of Emperor of Austria in response ...

, and Princess Maria Teresa of Naples and Sicily. His mother Marie Louise was the second wife and Empress consort of

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 ...

from 1810 to 1814. She subsequently reigned in her own right as

Duchess of Parma Duchess consort of Parma House of Farnese, 1545–1731 House of Bourbon-Anjou, 1731–1735 :None House of Habsburg, 1735–1748 House of Bourbon-Parma, 1748–1802 House of Habsburg-Lorraine, 1814–1847 House of Bourbon-Parma ...

from 1817 onward. After the death of her husband Napoleon I, who died on St. Helena in 1821, she married

morganatically Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spou ...

Adam Albert von Neipperg Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...

. As a result, William Albert was the half-brother of

Napoleon II , house = Bonaparte , father = Napoleon I, Emperor of the French , mother = Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma , birth_date = , birth_place = Tuileries Palace, Paris, French Empire ...

Military career

In 1838, he joined the ranks of the

Austrian army The Austrian Armed Forces (german: Bundesheer, lit=Federal Army) are the combined military forces of the Republic of Austria. The military consists of 22,050 active-duty personnel and 125,600 reservists. The military budget is 0.74% of nati ...

and took part in the counterinsurgency battles of 1848 in Italy and Hungary, earning in 1854 the title of Second

Lieutenant field marshal 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 ...

. In 1859, he took part in the disastrous

Battle of Magenta The Battle of Magenta was fought on 4 June 1859 during the Second Italian War of Independence, resulting in a French-Sardinian victory under Napoleon III against the Austrians under Marshal Ferencz Gyulai. It took place near the town of Magenta ...

, where the Austrian army was defeated by the Franco-Sardinian army. In 1860, he became commander of a regiment, and he was moved in 1866 to

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 ...

. In 1867, he was promoted to General of Cavalry, remaining in office until 1878.

Prince of Montenuovo

In 1864, he was elevated to the status of

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

of Montenuovo in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, which is the

translation of Neipperg.

Marriage

William Albert married on 22 February 1851 in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

to Countess Juliana von Batthyány-Strattmann (10 June 1827 – 19 November 1871), youngest daughter of Count János Baptist von Batthyány-Strattmann (1784-1865) and his wife, Countess Marie Esterházy von Galántha (1791-1830). They had three children: *Princess Albertine of Montenuovo (30 June 1853 – 13 November 1895), married in 1873 to Count Zygmunt

Wielopolski The House of Wielopolski (plural: Wielopolscy, feminine form: Wielopolska) was a Polish szlachta family, magnates in the 17th and 18th centuries. Coat of arms The Wielopolski family used the Starykoń coat of arms. Notable members * Elżbiet ...

, Marquis Gonzaga-Myszkowski, had issue. *

Alfred, 2nd Prince of Montenuovo Alfred, 2nd Prince of Montenuovo and Grandee of Spain (16 September 18546 September 1927) was one of the highest court officials of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. Among his ancestors were members of the House of Habsburg and the Medici family. ...

(16 September 1854 – 6 September 1927), married in 1879 to Countess Franziska Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau, had issue. *Princess Marie of Montenuovo (10 September 1859 – 2 March 1911), married in 1878 to Count Antal Apponyi de Nagy-Appony, had issue.

Honours

Parma * Knight Grand Cross of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George * Commander Order of Merit under the title of St. Louis Austria *

Knight of the Golden Fleece This article contains a list of knights of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Knights of the Burgundian Golden Fleece 15th Century !Year of Induction!!Name!!Born!!Died!!Notes , - , rowspan=25, 1430, , Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, , 1396, , ...

, ''1867'' * Knight of the Military Order of Maria Theresa, ''1848'' * Knight of the Imperial Order of Leopold, ''1849'' *Medal of War Other * Grand Cross of the Order of the Red Eagle, ''25 September 1877'' * Knight of the Order of St. Anna * Knight of the Order of Saint Stanislaus * Knight 3rd class of the Order of St. Vladimir * Knight of the Nichan Iftikhar * Knight of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta

Ancestry

Notes and sources

*The Royal House of Stuart, London, 1969, 1971, 1976, Addington, A. C., Reference: 60 ; III 10 *Jaromir Shepherd Field: The Military Maria Theresia Order and its members, Vienna 1857, S.1672-1676 *P. Broucek: Montenuovo Wilhelm Albrecht Fürst von . P. Broucek: Monte Nuovo Wilhelm Albrecht Fürst von . In: Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon 1815–1950 (ÖBL). In: Austrian Biographical Dictionary 1815-1950 (ÖBL). Band 6, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wien 1975, , S. 361 f. Volume 6, published by the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 1975, , p. 361 f. (Direktlinks auf S. 361, S. 362 ) (Direct-on p. 361, p. 362 ) *Montenuovo, Wilhelm Albrecht Fürst von . Monte Nuovo, Wilhelm Albrecht Fürst von . In Constantin von Wurzbach : Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich, 19. In Constantin von Wurzbach : Biographical Encyclopedia of the Empire of Austria, 19 Band, 1868 Band, 1868 *Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon, Sechste Auflage, 1904–1911 Meyers Big Conversation Dictionary, Sixth Edition, 1904–1911 {{DEFAULTSORT:William Albert 01, Prince of Montenuovo Italian princes Italian military personnel in Austrian armies 1819 births 1895 deaths Nobility from Parma Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria Knights Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa Military personnel from Parma