Ludwig Andreas von Khevenhüller,

Graf (; feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility and later also of the Russian nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title ...

von Frankenburg-Aichleberg (en: Louis Andrew of Khevenhüller, Count of Aichelberg-Frankenburg) (30 November 1683 – 26 January 1744) was a prominent Austrian

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 ...

Early life

Andreas was born into an ancient House of Khevenhüller, a German noble family that was originally from

Franconia Franconia ( ; ; ) is a geographical region of Germany, characterised by its culture and East Franconian dialect (). Franconia is made up of the three (governmental districts) of Lower Franconia, Lower, Middle Franconia, Middle and Upper Franco ...

and settled in

Carinthia Carinthia ( ; ; ) is the southernmost and least densely populated States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The Lake Wolayer is a mountain lake on the Carinthian side of the Carnic Main ...

. He was the second surviving son of Count Franz Christoph von Khevenhüller-Frankenberg-Aichleberg (1634-1684) and his wife, Countess Faustina Barbara Montecuccoli (1663-1701), thus he was a grandson of

Raimondo Montecuccoli Raimondo Montecuccoli (; 21 February 1609 – 16 October 1680) was an Italian-born professional soldier, military theorist, and diplomat, who served the Habsburg monarchy. Experiencing the Thirty Years' War from scratch as a simple footsoldier, ...

Career

He first saw active service under

Prince Eugene of Savoy Prince Eugene Francis of Savoy-Carignano (18 October 1663 – 21 April 1736), better known as Prince Eugene, was a distinguished Generalfeldmarschall, field marshal in the Army of the Holy Roman Empire and of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty durin ...

in the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...

and by 1716 had been given command of Prince Eugene's own regiment of dragoons. He distinguished himself at the Battles of Peterwardein (5 August 1716) and

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

(1717) and became in 1723 '' General-Feldwachtmeister'' (equivalent to major general), in 1726 Colonel-

Proprietor Ownership is the state or fact of legal possession and control over property, which may be any asset, tangible or intangible. Ownership can involve multiple rights, collectively referred to as ''title'', which may be separated and held by diffe ...

a Dragoon regiment and in 1733 ''Feldmarschalleutnant'' (equivalent to lieutenant-general). In 1734 the

War of the Polish Succession The War of the Polish Succession (; 1733–35) was a major European conflict sparked by a civil war in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth over the succession to Augustus II the Strong, which the other European powers widened in pursuit of ...

brought him into the field again. He was present at the Battle of Parma (29 June 1734), where Count

Mercy Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French , from Medieval Latin , "price paid, wages", from Latin , "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, religious, social, and legal contexts. In the social and le ...

, the Austrian commander, was killed, and after Mercy's death he held the chief command of the army in Italy until the arrival of Field Marshal Königsegg under whom he again distinguished himself at the Battle of Guastalla (19 September 1734). He was once more in command during the operations which followed the battle, and his skillful generalship won for him the grade of General of Cavalry. He continued in military and diplomatic employment in Italy to the close of the war. In 1737 Khevenhüller was made Field Marshal, Prince Eugene recommending him to his sovereign as the best general in the service. His chief exploit in the Turkish War, which soon followed his promotion, was at the Battle of Radojevatz (28 September 1737), where he cut his way through a greatly superior Turkish army. In 1738/9 Khevenhüller met severe budgetary restrictions with an elaborate army reduction scheme. This was successful, and led to his appointment as commander-in-chief of the Vienna garrison. Khevenhüller surpassed himself in the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...

. As commander-in-chief of the army on the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

he not only drove out the French and Bavarian invaders of Austria in a few days of rapid marching and sharp engagements (January 1742), but overran southern Bavaria, captured

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, and forced a large French corps in

Linz Linz (Pronunciation: , ; ) is the capital of Upper Austria and List of cities and towns in Austria, third-largest city in Austria. Located on the river Danube, the city is in the far north of Austria, south of the border with the Czech Repub ...

to surrender. Later in the summer of 1742, owing to the inadequate forces at his disposal, he had to evacuate his conquests, but in the following campaign, though now subordinated to Prince Charles of Lorraine, Khevenhüller reconquered southern Bavaria, and in June forced the emperor to conclude the unfavourable Convention of Nieder-Schönfeld. He disapproved of the advance beyond the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

which followed these successes, and events showed that his fears were justified, for the Austrians had to fall back from the Rhine through Franconia and the

Breisgau The Breisgau () is an area in southwest Germany extending along the Rhine River and enveloping portions of the Black Forest. Part of the state of Baden-Württemberg, it centers on the city of Freiburg im Breisgau. The district of Breisgau-Hoch ...

. Khevenhüller, however, conducted the retreat with admirable skill. On his return to Vienna,

Maria Theresa Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position suo jure, in her own right. She was the ...

decorated the field marshal with the

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece (, ) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in 1430 in Brugge by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, to celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy, Isabella of Portugal. T ...

. He died suddenly at Vienna on 26 January 1744.

Personal life

On 29 September 1719 he was married to Countess Philippina von

Lamberg The House of Lamberg is the name of an ancient Austrian noble family, whose members occupied significant positions within the Holy Roman Empire and later in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. History The family name first appeared during the 14th ce ...

(1695-1762), daughter 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. The ...

Leopold Mathias Sigismund von Lamberg (1667-1711) and his wife, Countess Maria Claudia Künigl von Ehrenburg und Warth (1669-1710). They had two daughters: * Countess Marie Antoinette von Khevenhüller-Frankenberg (1726-1746), married to Count Leopold Karl von

Windisch-Graetz The House of Windisch-Graetz, also spelled Windischgrätz, is an ancient Austrian aristocratic family, descending from Windischgrätz in Lower Styria (present-day Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia). The noble dynasty serving the House of Habsburg achieve ...

(1718-1746) * Countess Maria Theresia von Khevenhüller-Frankenberg (1728-1815), married to Count Gottlieb von Windisch-Graetz (1715-1784)

Military instruction manual

Khevenhüller wrote various instructional works for officers and soldiers: (''Des G. F. M. Grafen von Khevenhüller Observationspunkte für sein Dragoner-Regiment'' (1734 and 1748) and a ''règlement'' for the infantry (1737)), and two important works on war in general, ''Kurzer Begriff aller militärischen Operationen'' (Vienna, 1756; French version, ''Maximes de guerre'', Paris, 1771); and "Ideen vom Kriege," posthumously published in _Mittheilungen des k. und k. Kriegsarchiv_, Neue Folge 7--8 (1893—4): 286—441 and 319—97.

Notes

Ancestry

References

Constantin von Wurzbach Constantin Wurzbach Ritter von Tannenberg (11 April 1818 – 17 August 1893) was an Austrian biographer, lexicographer and author. Biography He was born in Laibach, Carniola (present-day Ljubljana, Slovenia).He later went on to complete a cou ...

: ''Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich''. Vienna 1856 - 1891. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Khevenhuller, Ludwig Andreas 1683 births 1744 deaths Military personnel from Linz Field marshals of Austria German Roman Catholics Austrian Roman Catholics Counts of Austria Austrian military personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria Khevenhüller