Christian August, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont
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Christian August, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont ' onMouseout='HidePop("20150")' href="/topics/Sintra">Sintra
, near Lisbon
) was a general in the Austrian service, and last commander and Field Marshal of the Portuguese land army.
of Waldeck and Pyrmont and his wife Christiane of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld
.
He was a friend of the arts, and how his parents he was inspired by antiquity. Therefore, his Grand Tour
brought him to Italy
where he was one of the temporary companions of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
on his Italian Journey. Goethe spoke approvingly of a common trip to Pozzuoli
and "the company of such a perfect and well educated prince". Waldeck suggested to Goethe to travel together to Croatia
and Greece
. Goethe declined: "If one looks out into the world and enters the world enters, then one should be wary, so one is isn't carried away or perhaps even goes crazy". Christian August later contributed significantly to the large collection of antiques in the Waldecker Arolsen Castle
.
Like his father, the last commander of the Dutch army in the War of the Austrian Succession
, Christian August also entered into the military service. In 1770 he was made a lieutenant colonel in the Austrian Dragoon Regiment No. 39 Karl August, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld. A year later he became commander of that unit. He fought as a volunteer on the Russian side if the Russo-Turkish War (1768-1774) against the Ottoman Empire. In 1773 he returned with the rank of Colonel
back to his Austrian regiment and the Emperor appointed him to be its keeper. Henceforth it was called Dragoon Regiment No. 39 Prince Waldeck. In 1781, he published his ("Small corrections to an attempt to describe the history of the Bavarian War of Succession"). In the Russo-Turkish War (1787-1792)
, he served under Field Marshal Ernst Gideon von Laudon . He won some battles and was promoted to the Lieutenant Field Marshal.
As such, Christian August of Waldeck commanded a division against the French troops at the beginning of the War of the First Coalition in 1792. He was wounded while exploring the fortress Thionville
and lost his left arm.
He was summoned to Vienna and was commissioned by Emperor Francis II
to write a plan of operations for the joint Austro-Prussian army in the Rhineland, which was however not accepted by Prussia.
After painstaking negotiations, he succeeded to persuade the Prussian king to start an offensive in the Alsace
. Christian August of Waldeck was in command of an Austrian corps, part of an army commanded by General Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser
. At the conquest of Wissembourg
, he commanded the first column to attack. With his troops he crossed the Rhine at Selz
on 13 October 1793 and attacked the French defenders in the back while general Wurmser opened frontal attack on a the enemy at Wissembourg. Waldeck thus contributed to the decisive victory at Wissembourg. He also distinguished himself in subsequent battles. When general Wurmser retired in 1794, Christian August took command of he Austrian Army on the Rhine, until he had to hand over command to Imperial Count Johann Georg von Browne. He was awarded the Commander's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa
for his achievements at Wissembourg and promoted to general of cavalry.
In 1794, he succeeeded Karl Mack von Leiberich
as quartermaster general of the Austrian army in the Austrian Netherlands under Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. A short time later he became a member of the War Council
in Vienna. In 1796, he received in 1796 the general command over Bohemia
.
In 1797 he was asked to take over command of the Land Army of Portugal
. With the consent of the Emperor, he took on this job. However, he was unable to reorganize the army, because some influential personalities opposed his plan. He died soon afterwards, on August 25th, 1798.
Christian August von Waldeck-Pyrmont was buried in the cemetery of the English in Lisbon
. The king of Portugal himself donated a tomb monument in the form of a marble pyramid.
Sintra
Sintra is a town within the municipality of Sintra in the Grande Lisboa subregion of Portugal. Owing to its 19th century Romantic architecture and landscapes, becoming a major tourist centre, visited by many day-trippers who travel from the urbanized suburbs and capital of Lisbon.In addition to...
, near Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
) was a general in the Austrian service, and last commander and Field Marshal of the Portuguese land army.
Life
Christian August was the son of Prince Karl AugustKarl August, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Karl August Friedrich of Waldeck and Pyrmont was Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont and Commander of the Dutch forces in the War of Austrian Succession.-Royal life and military career:...
of Waldeck and Pyrmont and his wife Christiane of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld
Christiane Henriette, Countess Palatine of Zweibrücken
Christiane Henriette of Palatinate-Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld was a Countess of Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld by birth and by marriage a Princess of Waldeck-Pyrmont.- Life :...
.
He was a friend of the arts, and how his parents he was inspired by antiquity. Therefore, his Grand Tour
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the traditional trip of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary. It served as an educational rite of passage...
brought him to 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...
where he was one of the temporary companions of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long...
on his Italian Journey. Goethe spoke approvingly of a common trip to Pozzuoli
Pozzuoli
Pozzuoli is a city and comune of the province of Naples, in the Italian region of Campania. It is the main city of the Phlegrean peninsula.-History:Pozzuoli began as the Greek colony of Dicaearchia...
and "the company of such a perfect and well educated prince". Waldeck suggested to Goethe to travel together to Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
and Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. Goethe declined: "If one looks out into the world and enters the world enters, then one should be wary, so one is isn't carried away or perhaps even goes crazy". Christian August later contributed significantly to the large collection of antiques in the Waldecker Arolsen Castle
Arolsen Castle
Arolsen Castle is a baroque styled Schloss in Bad Arolsen, Hesse, Germany. It has served as the family home of the Waldeck and Pyrmont family. It was birthplace of Queen consort Emma of the Netherlands.-History:...
.
Like his father, the last commander of the Dutch army in the War of the Austrian Succession
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession – including King George's War in North America, the Anglo-Spanish War of Jenkins' Ear, and two of the three Silesian wars – involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg.The...
, Christian August also entered into the military service. In 1770 he was made a lieutenant colonel in the Austrian Dragoon Regiment No. 39 Karl August, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld. A year later he became commander of that unit. He fought as a volunteer on the Russian side if the Russo-Turkish War (1768-1774) against the Ottoman Empire. In 1773 he returned with the rank of Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
back to his Austrian regiment and the Emperor appointed him to be its keeper. Henceforth it was called Dragoon Regiment No. 39 Prince Waldeck. In 1781, he published his ("Small corrections to an attempt to describe the history of the Bavarian War of Succession"). In the Russo-Turkish War (1787-1792)
Russo-Turkish War (1787-1792)
The Russo–Turkish War of 1787–1792 involved a futile attempt by the Ottoman Empire to regain lands lost to Russia in the course of the previous Russo–Turkish War, 1768–1774. It took place concomitantly with the Austro-Turkish War of 1787-1791....
, he served under Field Marshal Ernst Gideon von Laudon . He won some battles and was promoted to the Lieutenant Field Marshal.
As such, Christian August of Waldeck commanded a division against the French troops at the beginning of the War of the First Coalition in 1792. He was wounded while exploring the fortress Thionville
Thionville
Thionville , is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. The city is located on the left bank of the river Moselle, opposite its suburb Yutz.-Demographics:...
and lost his left arm.
He was summoned to Vienna and was commissioned by Emperor Francis II
Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis II was the last Holy Roman Emperor, ruling from 1792 until 6 August 1806, when he dissolved the Empire after the disastrous defeat of the Third Coalition by Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz...
to write a plan of operations for the joint Austro-Prussian army in the Rhineland, which was however not accepted by Prussia.
After painstaking negotiations, he succeeded to persuade the Prussian king to start an offensive in the Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
. Christian August of Waldeck was in command of an Austrian corps, part of an army commanded by General Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser
Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser
Dagobert Sigismund, Count Wurmser was an Austrian field marshal during the French Revolutionary Wars. Although he fought in the Seven Years War, the War of the Bavarian Succession, and mounted several successful campaigns in the Rhineland in the initial years of the French Revolutionary Wars, he...
. At the conquest of Wissembourg
Wissembourg
Wissembourg is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in northeastern France.It is situated on the little River Lauter close to the border between France and Germany approximately north of Strasbourg and west of Karlsruhe. Wissembourg is a sub-prefecture of the department...
, he commanded the first column to attack. With his troops he crossed the Rhine at Selz
Selz
The Selz is a river in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, a left tributary to the Rhine. It flows through the biggest German wine region, which is called Rheinhessen....
on 13 October 1793 and attacked the French defenders in the back while general Wurmser opened frontal attack on a the enemy at Wissembourg. Waldeck thus contributed to the decisive victory at Wissembourg. He also distinguished himself in subsequent battles. When general Wurmser retired in 1794, Christian August took command of he Austrian Army on the Rhine, until he had to hand over command to Imperial Count Johann Georg von Browne. He was awarded the Commander's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa
Military Order of Maria Theresa
The Military Order of Maria Theresa was an Order of the Austro-Hungarian Empire founded on June 18, 1757, the day of the Battle of Kolin, by the Empress...
for his achievements at Wissembourg and promoted to general of cavalry.
In 1794, he succeeeded Karl Mack von Leiberich
Karl Mack von Leiberich
Karl Mack von Leiberich, Freiherr was an Austrian soldier. He is best remembered as the commander of the Austrian forces that capitulated to Napoleon's Grande Armée in the Battle of Ulm in 1805. Historians of the late 20th century widely agree that he was among the poorest of the commanders of the...
as quartermaster general of the Austrian army in the Austrian Netherlands under Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. A short time later he became a member of the War Council
Hofkriegsrat
The Hofkriegsrat was the Court Council of War of the Habsburg Monarchy. Founded in 1556 in the reign of Emperor Ferdinand I, it was a council of men with military experience who could take charge of the army and its needs, in both war and peacetime...
in Vienna. In 1796, he received in 1796 the general command over Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
.
In 1797 he was asked to take over command of the Land Army of Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. With the consent of the Emperor, he took on this job. However, he was unable to reorganize the army, because some influential personalities opposed his plan. He died soon afterwards, on August 25th, 1798.
Christian August von Waldeck-Pyrmont was buried in the cemetery of the English in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
. The king of Portugal himself donated a tomb monument in the form of a marble pyramid.