Alfred Josef Nikolaus Guntram, II Prince of Windisch-Grätz (28 March 1819 – 28 April 1876) was a Feldmarschall-Lieutenant in the Austrian Imperial army and a major landowner.

Early life

Alfred II was born on 28 March 1819 in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, into the House of Windisch-Graetz, one of the most prominent

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

. He was the eldest son of

Alfred I, Prince of Windisch-Grätz General Alfred Candidus Ferdinand, Prince of Windischgrätz (; 11 May 178721 March 1862), a member of an old Austro- Bohemian House of Windischgrätz, was a Field Marshal in the Austrian army. He is most noted for his service during the Napo ...

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

in the Imperial Austrian Army, and his wife, Princess Maria Eleonore of Schwarzenberg (1796–1848).

Biography

Like his 3 brothers, Alfred II joined the Austrian Army. During the

Prague Uprising of 1848 The Prague uprising (), also known as the Pentecostal Storm, was an armed conflict on 12–17 June 1848 in Prague, which culminated in the revolutionary process in the Czech lands. The uprising was a spontaneous unprepared uprising, which was suppr ...

, suppressed by his father, his mother was killed and he himself was wounded. As his father's wing adjutant, he accompanied him in all his military campaigns. When his father died in 1862, he became 2nd Prince of Windisch-Grätz. In the

Austro-Prussian War The Austro-Prussian War (German: ''Preußisch-Österreichischer Krieg''), also known by many other names,Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Second War of Unification, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), ''Deutsc ...

of 1866, he commanded two regiments in the decisive

Battle of Königgrätz The Battle of Königgrätz (or Sadowa) was the decisive battle of the Austro-Prussian War in which the Kingdom of Prussia defeated the Austrian Empire. It took place on 3 July 1866, near the Bohemian city of Hradec Králové (German: Königgrä ...

, which ended in defeat for Austria. He was seriously wounded by a stomach shot in the battle at Stresitz and taken prisoner. After his release, Alfred retired from active duty and received several military awards and the Golden Fleece in 1866. He became military commander in

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in 1869. Never fully recovered from his wounds, Alfred II died aged 57 at

Tachov Tachov (; ) is a town in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 14,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Mže River. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. Administrative division Tachov ...

Castle, the Bohemian family seat of the Windisch-Grätz.

Personal life

On 19 October 1850, he married his cousin Princess Hedwig of

Lobkowicz The House of Lobkowicz (''Lobkovicové'' in modern Czech, sg. ''z Lobkovic''; ''Lobkowitz'' in German) is an important Bohemian noble family that dates back to the 14th century and is one of the oldest noble families of the region. Over the ce ...

(1829–1852), the eldest daughter of Prince August Longin Josef of Lobkowicz (1797-1848),

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Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...

, and his wife, Princess Bertha of Schwarzenberg (1807-1883).http://w.genealogy.euweb.cz/lobkow/lobkow6.html#WIX She died 2 years after the marriage. Their only child was: *

Alfred III, Prince of Windisch-Grätz Alfred III, Prince of Windisch-Grätz (; 31 October 1851, Prague – 23 November 1927, Tachov) was a Bohemian and Austrian nobleman, an Austro-Hungarian statesman who served as 11th Minister-President of Austria between 1893 and 1895, replac ...

(1851–1927),

Minister-President of Austria The minister-president of Austria was the head of government of the Austrian Empire from 1848, when the office was created in the course of the March Revolution. Previously, executive power rested with an Austrian State Council, headed by the emp ...

Sources

BLKÖ
* * Hannes Stekl, Marija Wakounig: ''Windisch-Graetz. Ein Fürstenhaus im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert.'' Böhlau, Wien 1992, ISBN 3-205-05468-7. *Frank Raberg: Biographisches Handbuch der württembergischen Landtagsabgeordneten 1815–1933. Im Auftrag der Kommission für geschichtliche Landeskunde in Baden-Württemberg. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-17-016604-2, Page 1022. {{DEFAULTSORT:Alfred 02 of Windisch-Gratz, Prince 1819 births 1876 deaths Nobility from Vienna House of Windisch-Graetz Windisch-Gratz Windisch-Gratz Windisch-Gratz