Charles Joseph, Prince de Ligne
Encyclopedia
Charles-Joseph Lamoral, 7th Prince de Ligne in French
, Charles Joseph Lamoral 7te Fürst von Ligne (or Fürst de Ligne, in German
): (Brussels
, 23 May 1735 – Vienna
, 13 December 1814) was a Field marshal
and writer, and member of the princely family of Ligne
.
and Elisabeth Alexandrine de Salm.
As an Austria
n subject he entered the imperial army at an early age. He distinguished himself by his valour in the Seven Years' War
, notably at Breslau, Leuthen
, Hochkirch
and Maxen
, and after the war rose rapidly to the rank of lieutenant field marshal. He became the intimate friend and counsellor of the emperor Joseph II
, and, inheriting his father's vast estates, lived in the greatest splendour and luxury till the War of the Bavarian Succession brought him again into active service.
This war was short and uneventful, and the prince then travelled in England
, Germany
, Italy
, Switzerland
and France
, devoting himself impartially to the courts, the camps, the salons and the learned assemblies of philosophers and scientists in each country. He developed a great admiration for Frederick the Great, even to the point of justifying his seizure of Silesia
.
In 1784 he was again employed in military work, and was promoted to Feldzeugmeister. In 1787 he was with Catherine II
in Russia and accompanied her in her journey to the Crimea. In 1788 he was present at the siege of Belgrade.
Shortly after the siege of Belgrade he was invited to place himself at the head of the Belgian revolutionary movement, in which one of his sons and many of his relatives were prominent, but declined with great courtesy, saying that "he never revolted in the winter." Though suspected by Joseph of collusion with the rebels, the two friends were not long estranged, and after the death of the emperor the prince remained in Vienna
. His Brabant estates were overrun by the French in 1792-1793, and his eldest son killed in action at La Croix-du Bois in the Argonne (September 14, 1792). He was given the rank of field marshal (1809) and an honorary command at court.
with the famous mot: "Le Congrès danse mais ne marche pas." He has been described as one of the most charming men who ever lived.
The most important of his numerous works on all military subjects is the Fantaisies et préjuge's militaires, which originally appeared in 1780. A modern edition is that published by J Dumaine (Paris, 1879). A German version (Miltarische Vorurtheile und Phantasien, etc.) appeared as early as 1783. This work, though it deals lightly and cavalierly with the most important subjects (the prince even proposes to found an international academy of the art of war, wherein the reputation of generals could be impartially weighed), is a military classic, and indispensable to the students of the post. Frederician period. On the whole, it may be said that the prince adhered to the school of Guibert
, and a full discussion will be found in Max Jahns' Gesch. d. Kriegswissenschaften. Another very celebrated work by the prince is the mock autobiography of Prince Eugène of Savoy
(1809).
Other works of his include:
or Feldsberg, Charles-Joseph married Princess Franziska Xaveria Maria of Liechtenstein
(Vienna
, 27 November 1739 - Vienna
, 17 May 1821), sister of Franz Joseph I, Prince of Liechtenstein. The couple had 7 children.
He also had an illegitimate daughter by Adelaide Fleury;
His grandson, Eugene Lamoral de Ligne (1804–1880), was a distinguished Belgian statesman, and another grandson, Count Maximilian Karl Lamoral O'Donnell von Tyrconnell
(1812–1895), helped save the life of Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria in 1853.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Charles Joseph Lamoral 7te Fürst von Ligne (or Fürst de Ligne, in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
): (Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, 23 May 1735 – Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, 13 December 1814) was a Field marshal
Generalfeldmarschall
Field Marshal or Generalfeldmarschall in German, was a rank in the armies of several German states and the Holy Roman Empire; in the Austrian Empire, the rank Feldmarschall was used...
and writer, and member of the princely family of Ligne
Prince of Ligne
Prince of Ligne is one of the most prestigious Belgian noble titles. It goes back to the eleventh century and owes its name at the village in which it originated, between Ath and Tournai. The lords of Ligne belong to the entourage of the Count of Hainaut at the time of the crusades...
.
Military service
He was the son of Field Marshal Claude Lamoral, 6th Prince of LigneClaude Lamoral, 6th Prince of Ligne
Claude Lamoral II, Prince of Ligne was a Field marshal and sixth Prince in the House of Ligne....
and Elisabeth Alexandrine de Salm.
As an Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n subject he entered the imperial army at an early age. He distinguished himself by his valour in the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
, notably at Breslau, Leuthen
Battle of Leuthen
In the Battle of Leuthen or Lissa, fought on 5 December 1757, Frederick the Great's Prussian army used maneuver and terrain to decisively defeat a much larger Austrian army under Charles of Lorraine, thus ensuring Prussian control of Silesia during the Seven Years' War.- Background :While Frederick...
, Hochkirch
Battle of Hochkirch
The Battle of Hochkirch was a battle fought on October 14, 1758 during the Seven Years' War between a Prussian army of 30,000-36,000 commanded by Frederick the Great and an Austrian army of 80,000 commanded by Marshal Leopold Josef Graf Daun...
and Maxen
Battle of Maxen
The Battle of Maxen was a battle at Maxen, Saxony in present-day Germany during the Seven Years' War. It resulted in surrender of prussian corps....
, and after the war rose rapidly to the rank of lieutenant field marshal. He became the intimate friend and counsellor of the emperor Joseph II
Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I...
, and, inheriting his father's vast estates, lived in the greatest splendour and luxury till the War of the Bavarian Succession brought him again into active service.
This war was short and uneventful, and the prince then travelled in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, devoting himself impartially to the courts, the camps, the salons and the learned assemblies of philosophers and scientists in each country. He developed a great admiration for Frederick the Great, even to the point of justifying his seizure of Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
.
In 1784 he was again employed in military work, and was promoted to Feldzeugmeister. In 1787 he was with Catherine II
Catherine II of Russia
Catherine II, also known as Catherine the Great , Empress of Russia, was born in Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia on as Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg...
in Russia and accompanied her in her journey to the Crimea. In 1788 he was present at the siege of Belgrade.
Shortly after the siege of Belgrade he was invited to place himself at the head of the Belgian revolutionary movement, in which one of his sons and many of his relatives were prominent, but declined with great courtesy, saying that "he never revolted in the winter." Though suspected by Joseph of collusion with the rebels, the two friends were not long estranged, and after the death of the emperor the prince remained in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. His Brabant estates were overrun by the French in 1792-1793, and his eldest son killed in action at La Croix-du Bois in the Argonne (September 14, 1792). He was given the rank of field marshal (1809) and an honorary command at court.
Later life
Despite the loss of his estates, Charles-Joseph lived in comparative luxury in his later life, and devoted himself to his literary work. He lived long enough to characterize the proceedings of the Congress of ViennaCongress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September, 1814 to June, 1815. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars,...
with the famous mot: "Le Congrès danse mais ne marche pas." He has been described as one of the most charming men who ever lived.
Collected Works
His collected works appeared in thirty-four volumes at Vienna during the last years of his life (Mélanges militaires, littéraires, sentimentaires), and he bequeathed his manuscripts to the emperor's Trabant Guard, of which he was captain (Œuvres posthumes, Dresden and Vienna, 1817). Selections were published in French and German:- Œuvres choisies de M. le prince de Ligne (Paris, 1809)
- Lettres et pensées du Maréchal Prince de Ligne, ed. by Madame de Staël (1809)
- (Brussels, 1859)
- Des Prinzen Karl von Ligne militärische Werke, ed. Count Pappenheim (Sulzbach, 1814)
The most important of his numerous works on all military subjects is the Fantaisies et préjuge's militaires, which originally appeared in 1780. A modern edition is that published by J Dumaine (Paris, 1879). A German version (Miltarische Vorurtheile und Phantasien, etc.) appeared as early as 1783. This work, though it deals lightly and cavalierly with the most important subjects (the prince even proposes to found an international academy of the art of war, wherein the reputation of generals could be impartially weighed), is a military classic, and indispensable to the students of the post. Frederician period. On the whole, it may be said that the prince adhered to the school of Guibert
Jacques Antoine Hippolyte, Comte de Guibert
Jacques-Antoine-Hippolyte, Comte de Guibert was a French general and military writer. Born at Montabaun, he accompanied his father in wars before he became a general himself...
, and a full discussion will be found in Max Jahns' Gesch. d. Kriegswissenschaften. Another very celebrated work by the prince is the mock autobiography of Prince Eugène of Savoy
Prince Eugene of Savoy
Prince Eugene of Savoy , was one of the most successful military commanders in modern European history, rising to the highest offices of state at the Imperial court in Vienna. Born in Paris to aristocratic Italian parents, Eugene grew up around the French court of King Louis XIV...
(1809).
Other works of his include:
- Lettres à EugénieEugénie D'HannetaireMarie-Louis-Philippine-Eugénie Servandoni , stage name Eugénie D'Hannetaire, was a French actress. She was the daughter of the actor-director D'Hannetaire and the actress Marguerite Huet . She made her debut at the Théâtre de la Monnaie aged 8, in child roles, then from 15 as a dancer...
sur les spectacles (1774) - Céphalide, ou les Autres mariages samnites, comédie en musique (1777)
- Préjugés et Fantaisies militaires (1780)
- Colette et Lucas, comédie en musique (1781)
- Coup d'œil sur Belœil (1781)
- Fantaisies militaires (1783)
- L'Amant ridicule, proverbe en prose (1787)
- Mélanges militaires, littéraires et sentimentaires (1795–1811)
- Mémoires sur les Juifs (1795–1811)
- Les Embarras, pièce en un acte (manuscrit)
- Contes immoraux
Marriage and issue
On 6 August 1755, in ValticeValtice
The town of Valtice in the Czech Republic contains one of the most impressive Baroque residences of Central Europe. It was designed as the seat of the ruling princes of Liechtenstein by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach in the early 18th century. Construction was supervised by Domenico...
or Feldsberg, Charles-Joseph married Princess Franziska Xaveria Maria of Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
(Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, 27 November 1739 - Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, 17 May 1821), sister of Franz Joseph I, Prince of Liechtenstein. The couple had 7 children.
- Prince Charles Antoine Joseph Emanuel (25 September 1759 BrusselsBrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
- 14 September 1792) - Prince Francois Leopold (3 November 1764 - 6 January 1771)
- Prince Louis Eugene Marie Lamoral (7 May 1766 BrusselsBrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
- 10 May 1813 BrusselsBrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
) - Prince Adalbert Xavier (26 August 1767 - 23 May 1771)
- Princess Marie Christine Leopoldine (25 May 1757 BrusselsBrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
- 13 September 1830 TepliceTepliceTeplice , Teplice-Šanov until 1948 is a town in the Czech Republic, the capital of the Teplice District in the Ústí nad Labem Region. It is the state's second largest spa town ....
) - Princess Euphemie Christine Philippine (18 July 1773 BrusselsBrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
- 30 March 1834 ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
) - Princess Flore Adeleide Caroline (8 November 1775 BrusselsBrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
- 9 December 1851 ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
)
He also had an illegitimate daughter by Adelaide Fleury;
- Christine (4 January 1788-19 May 1867); married Maurice O'Donnell von TyrconnellMaurice O’DonnellComte Maurice O'Donnell de Tyrconnell , also known as Moritz Graf O’Donnell von Tyrconnell, was born in Vienna, and was a Austro-Irish Count.-Family background:...
(1780–1843)
His grandson, Eugene Lamoral de Ligne (1804–1880), was a distinguished Belgian statesman, and another grandson, Count Maximilian Karl Lamoral O'Donnell von Tyrconnell
Maximilian Karl Lamoral O'Donnell
Maximilian Karl Lamoral Graf O’Donnell von Tyrconnell was an Austrian officer and civil servant who became famous when he saved the life of Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria...
(1812–1895), helped save the life of Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria in 1853.
Ancestry
Further reading
- Mansel, Philip. The Prince of Europe: The Life of Charles-Joseph De Ligne, 1735–1814. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2003 (hardcover, ISBN 0-297-82922-X); 2004 (hardcover, ISBN 1-84212-731-4); London: Phoenix House, 2005 (paperback, ISBN 0-7538-1855-8).