Franz Freiherr von der Trenck
Encyclopedia
Baron Franz von der Trenck (German
: Franz Freiherr
von der Trenck, Croatian
: Barun Franjo Trenk) (Reggio di Calabria. January 1, 1711 – Brno
. October 4, 1749) was an Austria
n soldier. He is also considered to be the father of military music
.
Trenck was born into a military family on 1 January 1711, in Reggio
in south Italy
, where his father Ivan Trenk served as an Austrian
officer. Although born in Italy, Trenk was actually a Prussian with Austrian citizenship, and with large estates in Croatia
, more precisely Slavonia
. He spent his childhood mostly in Italy, Croatia and Hungary
, which was not unusual since his father's job required frequent relocation. He was educated by the Jesuits at Oedenburg, and entered the Imperial army in 1728 but resigned in disgrace three years later and decided to live peacefully in Požega
, Slavonia. He married and lived on his estate for a few years. Upon the death of his wife who had perished in the black plague of 1737, he offered to raise an irregular
corps of pandurs
for service against the Turks, but this offer was refused, after which he entered the Russian army as a mercenary
. But after serving against the Turks for a short time as captain and major of cavalry he was accused of bad conduct, brutality and disobedience and condemned to death. Despite showing insubordination he had gained popularity for defying an order to retreat. His sentence was commuted by Field Marschal Münnich to degradation and imprisonment.
After a time Trenck returned to Austria
, where his father was governor of a small fortress, but there he came into conflict with everyone and actually took sanctuary in a convent in Vienna
. Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine
, interesting himself in this strange man, obtained for him an amnesty and a commission in a corps of irregulars. In this command, besides his usual truculence and bad manners, he displayed conspicuous personal bravery, and in spite of the general dislike into which his vices brought him his services were so valuable that he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel (1743) and colonel (1744).
Trenck earned most of his fame during the War of the Austrian Succession
, as the leader and commander of a unit of pandurs
, or paramilitary troops in the Austrian army which specialized in frontier warfare, guerrilla tactics and surprise hit-and-run actions, into which he recruited mostly Croatian mercenaries, experienced fighters from the Austro-Ottoman border. The Pandur soon became infamous for the atrocities they committed on the civilian population, some actions deemed brutal even by the standards of the day.
When the War of the Austrian Succession
broke out Trenck rallied volunteers and marched for Vienna
to assist Maria Theresa of Austria
. While in Vienna, Trenck's Pandurs marched the streets before invading Prussia. At the battle of Soor
he and his irregulars plundered when they should have been fighting and Trenck was accused of having allowed the king of Prussia himself to escape.
After a time he was brought before a court-martial in Vienna
, which convicted him of having sold and withdrawn commissions to his officers without the permission of the empress, having punished his men without heed of the military code, and having drawn pay and allowance for fictitious men. Much was allowed to an irregular officer in all these respects, but Trenck had far outrun the admitted limits, and above all his brutalities and robberies had made him detested throughout Austria and Silesia. A death sentence followed, but the composition of the court-martial
and its proceedings were thought to have been such as from the first forbade a fair trial, and the sentence was commuted by the Empress into one of cashiering and imprisonment. The rest of his life was spent in mild captivity in the fortress of Spielberg
(Špilberk in Czech) in Brno
, where he died on October 4, 1749. In his last will he left the sum of 30000 Gulden to the small town of Marienburg
which had been sacked, burned and razed to the ground by his troops.
Trenck's mummified remains can presently be seen on display in the crypt of Brno's Capuchin Monastery.
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....
: Franz Freiherr
Freiherr
The German titles Freiherr and Freifrau and Freiin are titles of nobility, used preceding a person's given name or, after 1919, before the surname...
von der Trenck, Croatian
Croatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
: Barun Franjo Trenk) (Reggio di Calabria. January 1, 1711 – Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
. October 4, 1749) was 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 soldier. He is also considered to be the father of military music
Military band
A military band originally was a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the title of Bandmaster or Director of Music...
.
Trenck was born into a military family on 1 January 1711, in Reggio
Reggio Calabria
Reggio di Calabria , commonly known as Reggio Calabria or Reggio, is the biggest city and the most populated comune of Calabria, southern Italy, and is the capital of the Province of Reggio Calabria and seat of the Council of Calabrian government.Reggio is located on the "toe" of the Italian...
in south 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 his father Ivan Trenk served as an Austrian
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
officer. Although born in Italy, Trenk was actually a Prussian with Austrian citizenship, and with large estates in 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 ...
, more precisely Slavonia
Slavonia
Slavonia is a geographical and historical region in eastern Croatia...
. He spent his childhood mostly in Italy, Croatia and Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, which was not unusual since his father's job required frequent relocation. He was educated by the Jesuits at Oedenburg, and entered the Imperial army in 1728 but resigned in disgrace three years later and decided to live peacefully in Požega
Požega, Croatia
Požega is a city in western Slavonia, eastern Croatia, with a total population of 26,403 . It is the administrative center of the Požega-Slavonia County.-Geography:...
, Slavonia. He married and lived on his estate for a few years. Upon the death of his wife who had perished in the black plague of 1737, he offered to raise an irregular
Irregular military
Irregular military refers to any non-standard military. Being defined by exclusion, there is significant variance in what comes under the term. It can refer to the type of military organization, or to the type of tactics used....
corps of pandurs
Pandurs
The Pandurs were Croatian Austrian frontier soldiers, who inhabited the areas of the Kingdom of Croatia and Military Frontier, and fought not only in the East-Turkish front, but also in the West-European front. They were a non-linear army, made out mainly of Croats...
for service against the Turks, but this offer was refused, after which he entered the Russian army as a mercenary
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
. But after serving against the Turks for a short time as captain and major of cavalry he was accused of bad conduct, brutality and disobedience and condemned to death. Despite showing insubordination he had gained popularity for defying an order to retreat. His sentence was commuted by Field Marschal Münnich to degradation and imprisonment.
After a time Trenck returned to 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...
, where his father was governor of a small fortress, but there he came into conflict with everyone and actually took sanctuary in a convent 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...
. Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine
Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine
Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine was a Lorraine-born Austrian soldier.-Background:Charles was the son of Leopold Joseph, Duke of Lorraine and Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans...
, interesting himself in this strange man, obtained for him an amnesty and a commission in a corps of irregulars. In this command, besides his usual truculence and bad manners, he displayed conspicuous personal bravery, and in spite of the general dislike into which his vices brought him his services were so valuable that he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel (1743) and colonel (1744).
Trenck earned most of his fame during 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...
, as the leader and commander of a unit of pandurs
Pandurs
The Pandurs were Croatian Austrian frontier soldiers, who inhabited the areas of the Kingdom of Croatia and Military Frontier, and fought not only in the East-Turkish front, but also in the West-European front. They were a non-linear army, made out mainly of Croats...
, or paramilitary troops in the Austrian army which specialized in frontier warfare, guerrilla tactics and surprise hit-and-run actions, into which he recruited mostly Croatian mercenaries, experienced fighters from the Austro-Ottoman border. The Pandur soon became infamous for the atrocities they committed on the civilian population, some actions deemed brutal even by the standards of the day.
When 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...
broke out Trenck rallied volunteers and marched for 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...
to assist Maria Theresa of Austria
Maria Theresa of Austria
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina was the only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions and the last of the House of Habsburg. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands and Parma...
. While in Vienna, Trenck's Pandurs marched the streets before invading Prussia. At the battle of Soor
Battle of Soor
The Battle of Soor saw Frederick the Great's Prussian army defeat an Austro-Saxon army led by Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine during the War of the Austrian Succession...
he and his irregulars plundered when they should have been fighting and Trenck was accused of having allowed the king of Prussia himself to escape.
After a time he was brought before a court-martial 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...
, which convicted him of having sold and withdrawn commissions to his officers without the permission of the empress, having punished his men without heed of the military code, and having drawn pay and allowance for fictitious men. Much was allowed to an irregular officer in all these respects, but Trenck had far outrun the admitted limits, and above all his brutalities and robberies had made him detested throughout Austria and Silesia. A death sentence followed, but the composition of the court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
and its proceedings were thought to have been such as from the first forbade a fair trial, and the sentence was commuted by the Empress into one of cashiering and imprisonment. The rest of his life was spent in mild captivity in the fortress of Spielberg
Špilberk Castle
Špilberk Castle is an old castle on the hilltop in Brno, Southern Moravia. It began to be built as early as the first half of the 13th century by the Přemyslid kings and complete by King Přemyslid Otakar of Bohemia...
(Špilberk in Czech) in Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
, where he died on October 4, 1749. In his last will he left the sum of 30000 Gulden to the small town of Marienburg
Marienburg
-The historical German names of these places:*Ordensburg Marienburg , the large brick castle built by the Teutonic Knights**Malbork, Poland, site of the Ordensburg Marienburg, formerly Marienburg in Westpreußen and during World War II, Nazi Stalag XX-B for enlisted men*Alūksne, Latvia*Feldioara,...
which had been sacked, burned and razed to the ground by his troops.
Trenck's mummified remains can presently be seen on display in the crypt of Brno's Capuchin Monastery.