Archduke Friedrich, Duke of Teschen (Friedrich Maria Albrecht Wilhelm Karl; 4 June 1856 – 30 December 1936) was a member of the

House of Habsburg-Lorraine The House of Habsburg-Lorraine () originated from the marriage in 1736 of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, Francis III, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, and Maria Theresa of Habsburg monarchy, Austria, later successively List of Bohemian monarchs, Queen ...

and the Supreme Commander of the Imperial and Royal Armed Forces of the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, having previously served as both commander-in-chief of the

Imperial-Royal Landwehr The Imperial-Royal Landwehr ( or ''k.k. Landwehr''), also called the Austrian Landwehr, was the territorial army of the Cisleithanian or Austrian half of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1869 to 1918. Its counterpart was the Royal Hungarian Land ...

and inspector-general of the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army,; was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army (, recruited from all parts of Austria-Hungary), ...

Early life

Friedrich was born at the castle of Gross Seelowitz in

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

(today Židlochovice near

Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...

in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

), the son of Karl Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria and his wife

Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska Maria of Austria (17 January 1831 – 14 February 1903) was born in Ofen ( Buda), Hungary. She was the daughter of Palatine Joseph of Hungary (1776–1847) and his third wife Maria Dorothea of Württemberg ...

. His siblings included Queen Maria Cristina of Spain, Archduke Charles Stephen of Austria, a candidate for the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385. Background The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...

, and

Archduke Eugen of Austria Archduke Eugen Ferdinand Pius Bernhard Felix Maria of Austria-Teschen (21 May 1863 – 30 December 1954) was an Archduke of Austria-Hungary, Austria and a Prince of Kingdom of Hungary, Hungary and Kingdom of Bohemia, Bohemia. He was the last Gra ...

, an Austrian officer. When Friedrich's uncle Archduke Albert, Duke of Teschen died in 1895, he and his brothers each inherited large estates. Friedrich owned properties at Ungarisch-Altenburg (now Mosonmagyaróvár in Hungary), Belleje, Saybusch (now

Żywiec Żywiec () is a town on the River Soła in southern Poland with 31,194 inhabitants (2019). It is situated within the Silesian Voivodeship, near the Żywiec Lake and Żywiec Landscape Park, one of the eight protected areas in the voivodeship. H ...

in Poland), Seelowitz (now Židlochovice) and Frýdek in the Czech Republic, and Pressburg (now

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

in Slovakia). His

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. ...

residence, the Palais-Albrecht, housed the Albertina art collection which he owned.

Marriage

On 8 October 1878 Friedrich married at Château de l'Hermitage in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, Princess Isabella of Croÿ (1856–1931), daughter of Rudolf, Duke of Croÿ, and his wife Princess Natalie of Ligne. They had nine children together. * Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria-Teschen (17 November 1879 - 6 August 1962) she married Emanuel, Hereditary Prince of Salm-Salm on 10 May 1902. They have four children. * Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria-Teschen (6 January 1882 - 25 February 1940) she married Elias, Duke of Parma on 25 May 1903. They have eight children. * Archduchess Maria Henrietta of Austria-Teschen (10 January 1883 - 2 September 1956) she married

Prince Gottfried von Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst Gottfried (Maximilian Maria) Prinz zu Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingfürst, Ratibor und Corvey (8 November 1867 – 7 November 1932), was an Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian army officer and diplomat during World War I. He was the grandson of Pr ...

(later Austro-Hungarian Ambassador to Germany) on 3 June 1908. They have three children. * Archduchess Natalie of Austria-Teschen (12 January 1884 - 23 March 1898) * Archduchess Stephanie of Austria-Teschen (1 May 1886 - 25 August 1890) * Archduchess Gabriele of Austria-Teschen (14 September 1887 - 15 November 1954) * Archduchess Isabella of Austria-Teschen (17 November 1888 - 6 December 1973) she married Prince Georg of Bavaria on 10 February 1912 (marriage dissolved). * Archduchess Maria Alice of Austria-Teschen (15 January 1893 - 1 July 1962) she married Friedrich Heinrich Carl Maria Baron Waldbott von Bassenheim, son of Friedrich Lothar Baron Waldbott von Bassenheim and Hedwig Baronin von Beust, on 8 May 1920. They have six children. * Albrecht Franz, Duke of Teschen (24 July 1897 - 23 July 1955) he married Irene Lelbach on 16 August 1930 and they were divorced on 1 June 1937. He then married Katalin Bocskay de Felsö-Banya on 9 May 1938 and they were divorced in 1951. They had two daughters. He remarried, again, Lydia Strauss-Dorner after 1951. They had one son.

Military career

Like most of the princes of the ruling house, Friedrich adopted a military career, and served creditably for many years as commandant of the V. ( Pressburg) Corps. Subsequently, commander-in-chief of the

(militia) and army inspector, he became, after the murder of the heir to the throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, inspector-general of the

. In

, he was —from the dynastic point of view —as grandson of the victor of the Battle of Aspern-Essling, Archduke

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

, and as nephew of the victor of the Battle of Custoza, Archduke Albrecht, the predestined head of the armed forces of Austria-Hungary; and on 11 July 1914 Friedrich was appointed supreme commander of the Austro-Hungarian Army by Emperor

Franz Joseph I Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...

. He thought it his duty to accept this heavy responsibility, but, modestly underestimating his own powers, left the actual exercise of the command to his chief of staff, Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf. In the performance of ceremonial duties, and as mediator for the settlement of the conflicting demands of the military, civil and allied elements, his services were undeniable. He was promoted to the rank of ''

Generalfeldmarschall ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (; from Old High German ''marahscalc'', "marshal, stable master, groom"; ; often abbreviated to ''Feldmarschall'') was a rank in the armies of several German states and the Holy Roman Empire, (''Reichsgeneralfeldmarsch ...

'' on 8 December 1914. In February 1917 Emperor Charles I himself took over the supreme command; the Archduke, although the Emperor's representative, no longer appeared in the foreground.

Retirement and death

After World War I the governments of

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

and

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

confiscated all of Friedrich's properties within their borders. These included his palaces in Pressburg and in Vienna and his art collection. He retained his properties in Hungary however. In 1929 he won a court case requiring compensation from the Czechoslovak government. Friedrich died at Ungarisch-Altenburg (Magyaróvár, now Mosonmagyaróvár) in 1936. His death was the biggest royal event for Hungary since the coronation of King Charles in 1916. The funeral and burial in the parish church in Mosonmagyaróvár was attended by his nephew, the exiled King of Spain; by numerous archdukes; by all the surviving Austro-Hungarian field marshals; by personal representatives of

Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

; by members of the

House of Savoy The House of Savoy (, ) is a royal house (formally a dynasty) of Franco-Italian origin that was established in 1003 in the historical region of Savoy, which was originally part of the Kingdom of Burgundy and now lies mostly within southeastern F ...

; by the diplomatic corps; by a son of exiled German Kaiser Wilhelm; by representatives of the governments of

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and

, and by Hungary's regent,

Miklós Horthy Miklós Horthy de Nagybánya (18 June 1868 – 9 February 1957) was a Hungarian admiral and statesman who was the Regent of Hungary, regent of the Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946), Kingdom of Hungary Hungary between the World Wars, during the ...

and his wife. There were members of the Hungarian government and delegates of the German and Austrian in attendance as well. Entire battalions of the

Royal Hungarian Army The Royal Hungarian Army (, ) was the name given to the land forces of the Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946), Kingdom of Hungary in the period from 1922 to 1945. Its name was inherited from the Royal Hungarian Honvéd which went under the same Hu ...

were present to pay their last respects to their former supreme commander.

Decorations and awards

Friedrich received the following decorations and awards:''Hof- und Staatshandbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie'' (1918), Genealogy p
11
/ref> ;National orders and decorations *

Knight of the Golden Fleece This article contains a list of knights of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Burgundian Golden Fleece 15th century !Year of induction!!Name!!Born!!Died!!Notes , - , rowspan=25, 1430, , Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, , 1396, , 1467, , Founde ...

, ''17 April 1873'' * Military Merit Cross, ''30 November 1892''; in Diamonds, ''30 November 1898''; 1st Class with War Decoration, ''9 May 1915'' * Grand Cross of St. Stephen, ''9 November 1893'' * Bronze Military Merit Medal ("Signum Laudis"), ''September 1899''; Gold Medal ("Großes Signum Laudis") on the ribbon of the Military Merit Cross, ''17 October 1916'' * Red Cross Merit Star, ''21 August 1914''; with War Decoration, ''15 February 1915'' * Grand Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa, ''25 November 1916'' * Long Service Cross for Officers, 2nd Class * Bronze Jubilee Medal for the Armed Forces * Military Jubilee Medal ;Foreign orders and decorations

Ancestry

Notes

References

* Heiszler, Vilmos. ''Photo Habsburg: Frederick Habsburg and his Family''. Budapest: Corvina, 1989. * Jewison, Glenn, and Jörg C. Steiner
"Erzherzog Friedrich"
(Austro-Hungarian Land Forces 1848–1918). * Palmer, Alan. ''Twilight of the Habsburgs: The Life and Times of Emperor Francis Joseph''.

Atlantic Monthly Press Grove Atlantic, Inc. is an American independent publisher, based in New York City. Formerly styled "Grove/Atlantic, Inc.", it was created in 1993 by the merger of Grove Press and Atlantic Monthly Press. As of 2018 Grove Atlantic calls itself " ...

; 1st Pbk. Ed edition. * Stefanovics, Glenn W
"Friedrich Maria Albrecht Wilhelm Karl von Österreich-Toskana, Herzog von Teschen"

External links

* * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Friedrich Of Austria, Archduke 1856 births 1936 deaths 19th-century House of Habsburg 20th-century House of Habsburg Austrian princes Dukes of Teschen Field marshals of Austria People from Židlochovice 19th-century Austrian people Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I