Prince Karl (Karl Borromäus) Michael Joseph of Liechtenstein (29 September 1730 – 21 February 1789) was an 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 ...

and courtier, a member of the

House of Liechtenstein The House of Liechtenstein (), from which the principality takes its name, is the family which reigns by hereditary right over the principality of Liechtenstein. Only Dynasty#Dynast, dynastic members of the family are eligible to inherit the thro ...

. He was the 805th

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

of 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 ...

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 ...

in 1772.

Life

Born 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. ...

, the second son of Emanuel, Prince of Liechtenstein (1700–1771) and Maria Anna Antonia, Countess of Dietrichstein-Weichselstädt, Baroness of Hollenburg and Finkenstein, he was the younger brother of Franz Joseph I, Prince of Liechtenstein. In his youth, Liechtenstein was commissioned into an Austrian cavalry regiment. In 1747 he served in a campaign in the Netherlands, part of 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 ...

, and was promoted quickly, especially during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

, becoming a colonel in 1757, during which year he was seriously wounded near Reichenberg. He distinguished himself in the conquest of Schweidnitz and was among the first to enter the city. As a reward he was sent to

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 ...

in Vienna with the news of the victory and was awarded the

. He became owner of the 1st Dragoon Regiment and commander of the garrison of Vienna. In 1758, Liechtenstein was promoted to general and in 1760 to lieutenant field marshal. In 1765 he was Inspector General of the Cavalry, in 1771 was commanding general in

Pressburg 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. ...

, and in 1775 held general command in

Lower Austria Lower Austria ( , , abbreviated LA or NÖ) is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Major cities are Amstetten, Lower Austria, Amstetten, Krems an der Donau, Wiener Neustadt and Sankt Pölten, which ...

. During the

War of the Bavarian Succession The War of the Bavarian Succession (; 3 July 1778 – 13 May 1779) was a dispute between the Austrian Habsburg monarchy and an alliance of Electorate of Saxony, Saxony and Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia over succession to the Electorate of Bavaria ...

of 1778–1779 he was a cavalry general. At the beginning of the war, he commanded 28,000 men, who initially stood near Leitmeritz, blocking access to Bavaria. As the Austrian situation became more problematic, he carried out a series of successful manoevres. Along with his wife, Liechtenstein was one of Joseph II's closest courtiers and rose to field marshal and chamberlain. In the

Russo-Turkish War The Russo-Turkish wars ( ), or the Russo-Ottoman wars (), began in 1568 and continued intermittently until 1918. They consisted of twelve conflicts in total, making them one of the longest series of wars in the history of Europe. All but four of ...

, in 1788, he was given command of an army of 36,000 men in

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

and took part in the siege of Dubitza. However, he fell seriously ill and was treated in the spa town of Petrinia, where his condition worsened. Returning home to Vienna, he died there in February 1788. He was buried in the newly-built mausoleum of the younger line of the House of Liechtenstein, at the Church of All Saints in Kromau.

Family

On 30 March 1761, in

, he married Maria Eleonore Prinzessin zu Oettingen-Oettingen und Oettingen-Spielberg ( Oettingen, 7 July 1745 -

, 26 November 1812). They had seven children: * Princess Maria Josepha Eleonore Nicolaus (born Vienna, 4 December 1763, died 23 September 1833), married in Vienna on 29 January 1782 Johann Nepomuck Graf von Harrach zu Rohrau und Thannhausen (1756–1829), without issue. * Prince Karl Joseph Emanuel Albinus (born 2 March 1765, killed in

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people with matched weapons. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and later the small sword), but beginning in ...

in Vienna 24 December 1795), married in Vienna on 28 September 1789 Marianne Josepha Gräfin von Khevenhüller-Metsch (1770-1849), and had issue. * Prince Joseph Wenzel Franz Anastasius (born 21 August 1767, died 30 July 1842), a

Priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

, and later a military figure. * Prince Emanuel Joseph Kaspar Melchior Balthasar (born 6 January 1770, died 20 February 1773). * Prince Moritz Joseph Johann Baptist Viktor (21 July 1775 - 24 March 1819), married in

Eisenstadt Eisenstadt (; ; ; or ; ) is the capital city of the Provinces of Austria, Austrian state of Burgenland. With a population of 15,074 (as of 2023), it is the smallest state capital and the 38th-largest city in Austria overall. It lies at the foot o ...

on 13 April 1806 Marie Leopoldine Princess Esterházy of Galántha (1788-1846),and had issue: * Prince Franz de Paula Joseph Aloys Crispin (born 26 October 1776, died in Brussels of wounds received in battle on 23 June, 27 June 1794), unmarried and without issue. * Prince Aloys Gonzaga Joseph Franz de Paula Theodor (1 April 1780 - 4 November 1833), died in Prague unmarried and without issue.http://w.genealogy.euweb.cz/liecht/liecht4.html

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karl Borromaus, Prince of Liechtenstein 1802 births 1887 deaths 19th-century Austrian people Liechtenstein princes Nobility from Vienna Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria