Count Wilhelm Reinhard von Neipperg (27 May 1684 – 26 May 1774) was an

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 ...

n general.

Biography

Born in Schwaigern, the residence of the Lordship, from 1766

County of Neipperg County of Neipperg was a county of southeastern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Barony of Neipperg-Schwaigern was created in 1520 as a baronial partition of the Barony of Neipperg, It was renamed from Neipperg-Schwaigern in 1726, and raised to a ...

, he descended from an ancient

comital 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: ...

family from

Swabia Swabia ; german: Schwaben , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of ...

, his father Count Eberhard Friedrich von Neipperg (1655–1725) having been an

Imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texas ...

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 ...

. He spent his boyhood in Vienna and in 1702 joined the Imperial service. He was a ''Obristlieutnant'' in his father's regiment in 1709, and by 1715 was a colonel. He distinguished himself at Temesvar in 1716 and at

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; names in other languages) is the capital and largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. Nearly 1,166,763 mi ...

in 1717. After fighting against the Turks, he renounced his military career in order to attend to the education of Prince Francis of Lorraine, the future

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...

. He was elevated to the rank of count in 1726. Neipperg was with Fieldmarshal Wallis at the Battle of Grocka and negotiated the Peace of Belgrade (1739). Two years later, during the

War of Austrian Succession War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

, he commanded the Austrian Army which was defeated at the

Battle of Mollwitz The Battle of Mollwitz was fought by Prussia and Austria on 10 April 1741, during the First Silesian War (in the early stages of the War of the Austrian Succession). It was the first battle of the new Prussian King Frederick II, in which both s ...

Frederick II of Prussia Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the S ...

.Jones, Archer, ''The art of war in the Western world'', (University of Illinois Press, 1987), 295. Nonetheless he became an Imperial field marshal later that year. His daughter,

Maria Wilhelmina von Neipperg Countess Maria Wilhelmina von Neipperg (later Princess of Auersperg) (30 April 1738 - 21 October 1775) was an Austrian noble and court official, known as the mistress of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor. By birth, she was member of an ancient House ...

, became mistress of

Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor Francis I (Francis Stephen; french: François Étienne; german: Franz Stefan; 8 December 1708 – 18 August 1765) was Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria, Duke of Lorraine and Duchy of Bar, Bar, and Grand Duke of Tuscany. He became the rule ...

. His grandson

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 ...

married

Napoleon 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 wh ...

's widow Marie Louise. He died at

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

in 1774, just one day before his 90th birthday.

Notes

References

* Ingrao, Charles W., ''The Habsburg Monarchy, 1618-1815'',

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambridge University Pr ...

, 1994. * Jones, Archer, ''The art of war in the Western world'',

University of Illinois Press The University of Illinois Press (UIP) is an American university press and is part of the University of Illinois system. Founded in 1918, the press publishes some 120 new books each year, plus 33 scholarly journals, and several electronic proje ...

, 1987. * Wheatcroft, Andrew, ''The Enemy at the Gate: Habsburgs, Ottomans, and the Battle for Europe'', Bodley Head Random House, 2008.

External link

{{Austria-mil-bio-stub 1684 births 1774 deaths People from Heilbronn (district) Field marshals of Austria Austrian military personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession People of the Silesian Wars