Olivier, Count of Wallis
Encyclopedia
Oliver Remigius, Count von Wallis Baron von Carrighmain, the scion of a distinguished Irish family in Austrian military service, served in Austria's wars with the Ottoman Empire (1787–1791), and in the French Revolutionary Wars
(1791–1800). He died of wounds received in action at the First Battle of Zürich
.
introduced in Ireland limited, and eventually removed, authority from the Catholic aristocracy, preventing Catholics from inheriting land, sitting in Parliament, and holding office. Many immigrated to Central Europe and sought service in the Habsburg military. One ancestor, Richard Wallis, or Walsh, as he had been known in Ireland, emigrated with his family in 1612, and was a colonel
in the Habsburg military. He was killed at the Battle of Lützen
in 1632. Another ancestor of Oliver Remigius, George Olivier, Count von Wallis
(son of Richard), also served in the Habsburg military during the Thirty Years War under Wallenstein.
Wallis and his older brother Michael Johann Ignaz were both intended for military service. As a young man, Wallis entered his father's regiment, the 11th Infantry, and from 1769–1777, he commanded it. On 26 November 1777, he was promoted to major general
. In the wars against the Turks (1787–92) he served under Field Marshal
Ernst Gideon von Laudon and, later, Count von Charles Joseph de Croix, Count of Clerfayt. In 1787, he was promoted to Lieutenant Field Marshal, and in 1791, as Colonel-Proprietor of the 29th Infantry Regiment, which bore his name until 1802.
on the upper Rhine and the Moselle, stationed on the Rhine river between Basel
and Strassburg. On 21 May 1794, he received his promotion to Feldzeugmeister
, or Field Marshal of Artillery. In late 1795, he was transferred to northern Italy. On 22 November, he assumed command of the Army of Lombardy from Joseph Nikolaus De Vins
, on the eve of the Battle of Loano
. On 24 November, he lost all his artillery and wagon train in the clash of San Giacomo. In April 1796, he was relieved of his command of the Austrian army in Lombardy by Johann Peter Beaulieu
.
In 1798, Wallis was commanding General of Venetia
. The following year, during the War of the Second Coalition
, he commanded part of the Habsburg army in Swabia
under Archduke Charles
. He led the third column in its assault on the French positions in the Austrian victory over General of Division Jordan's Army of the Danube
at the Battle of Ostrach
on 21 March. A week later, and in the French defeat at Stockach
on 25 March, he commanded the right wing. From 14–25 April, while Archduke Charles was indisposed, Wallis assumed command of the main Austrian army quartered on the shore of the Rhine River. A few weeks later, he commanded the reserve in the First Battle of Zürich
on 4 June, where General of Division André Masséna
, now commanding the Army of the Danube and the Army of Switzerland, was defeated and forced to withdraw across the Limmat
river. During the battle, Wallis led five battalions of grenadiers in storming the French positions on Mount Zürich. He was badly wounded, and died five weeks later, on 19 July 1799.
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
(1791–1800). He died of wounds received in action at the First Battle of Zürich
First Battle of Zürich
The Helvetic Republic in 1798 became a battlefield of the French Revolutionary Wars. In the First Battle of Zurich on 4 – 7 June 1799, French general André Masséna was forced to yield the city to the Austrians under Archduke Charles and retreated beyond the Limmat, where he managed to fortify his...
.
Family and youth
Oliver Remigius was born on 1 October 1742 into an Irish emigrant family living in the Habsburg empire. During the 17th century, lawsPenal Laws (Ireland)
The term Penal Laws in Ireland were a series of laws imposed under English and later British rule that sought to discriminate against Roman Catholics and Protestant dissenters in favour of members of the established Church of Ireland....
introduced in Ireland limited, and eventually removed, authority from the Catholic aristocracy, preventing Catholics from inheriting land, sitting in Parliament, and holding office. Many immigrated to Central Europe and sought service in the Habsburg military. One ancestor, Richard Wallis, or Walsh, as he had been known in Ireland, emigrated with his family in 1612, and was a 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...
in the Habsburg military. He was killed at the Battle of Lützen
Battle of Lützen (1632)
The Battle of Lützen was one of the most decisive battles of the Thirty Years' War. It was a Protestant victory, but cost the life of one of the most important leaders of the Protestant alliance, Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, which caused the Protestant campaign to lose direction.- Prelude to the...
in 1632. Another ancestor of Oliver Remigius, George Olivier, Count von Wallis
George Olivier, count of Wallis
George Olivier, Count of Wallis was a field marshal of Irish descent in the service of the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and last regent of the Habsburg Kingdom of Serbia . Born into an Irish family, he distinguished himself in Sicily by his capture of Messina. He then...
(son of Richard), also served in the Habsburg military during the Thirty Years War under Wallenstein.
Wallis and his older brother Michael Johann Ignaz were both intended for military service. As a young man, Wallis entered his father's regiment, the 11th Infantry, and from 1769–1777, he commanded it. On 26 November 1777, he was promoted to major general
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
. In the wars against the Turks (1787–92) he served under Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
Ernst Gideon von Laudon and, later, Count von Charles Joseph de Croix, Count of Clerfayt. In 1787, he was promoted to Lieutenant Field Marshal, and in 1791, as Colonel-Proprietor of the 29th Infantry Regiment, which bore his name until 1802.
French Revolutionary Wars
In the 1792 campaign of the War of the First Coalition, Wallis commanded a mixed division in the corps of Friedrich Wilhelm, Fürst zu Hohenlohe-KirchbergFriedrich Wilhelm, Fürst zu Hohenlohe-Kirchberg
Friedrich William, Fürst zu Hohenlohe-Kirchberg was born in Kirchberg, Hohenlohe, on 2 December 1732...
on the upper Rhine and the Moselle, stationed on the Rhine river between Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
and Strassburg. On 21 May 1794, he received his promotion to Feldzeugmeister
Feldzeugmeister
Feldzeugmeister was a military rank in various European armies , especially in the artillery. It was commonly used in the 16th or 17th century, but could even be found in the beginning of the 20th century in some European countries...
, or Field Marshal of Artillery. In late 1795, he was transferred to northern Italy. On 22 November, he assumed command of the Army of Lombardy from Joseph Nikolaus De Vins
Joseph Nikolaus De Vins
Joseph Nikolaus Freiherr De Vins or Joseph De Wins , joined the army of Habsburg Austria and fought in the Seven Years War where he was decorated for bravery. By 1773 he earned promotion to general officer. From 1783 he held important posts on the Military Frontier and led an independent corps in...
, on the eve of the Battle of Loano
Battle of Loano
The Battle of Loano occurred on 23-24 November 1795 during the War of the First Coalition. The French Army of Italy led by Barthélemy Schérer defeated the combined Austrian and Sardinian forces under Olivier, Count of Wallis. -Context:...
. On 24 November, he lost all his artillery and wagon train in the clash of San Giacomo. In April 1796, he was relieved of his command of the Austrian army in Lombardy by Johann Peter Beaulieu
Johann Peter Beaulieu
Johann Peter Beaulieu de Marconnay, also Jean Pierre Beaulieu de Marconnay, born 26 October 1725 – died 22 December 1819, was an Austrian military officer. He joined the Austrian army and fought against the Prussians during the Seven Years War. A cultured man, he later battled Belgian rebels...
.
Promotions
|
In 1798, Wallis was commanding General of Venetia
Venetia
Venetia is a name used mostly in a historical context for the area of Northeast Italy, corresponding approximately to the present-day Italian administrative regions of the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia...
. The following year, during the War of the Second Coalition
War of the Second Coalition
The "Second Coalition" was the second attempt by European monarchs, led by the Habsburg Monarchy of Austria and the Russian Empire, to contain or eliminate Revolutionary France. They formed a new alliance and attempted to roll back France's previous military conquests...
, he commanded part of the Habsburg army in Swabia
Swabia
Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...
under Archduke Charles
Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen
Archduke Charles of Austria, Duke of Teschen was an Austrian field-marshal, the third son of emperor Leopold II and his wife Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain...
. He led the third column in its assault on the French positions in the Austrian victory over General of Division Jordan's Army of the Danube
Army of the Danube
The Army of the Danube was a field army of the French Directory in the 1799 southwestern campaign in the Upper Danube valley. It was formed on 2 March 1799 by the simple expedient of renaming the Army of Observation, which had been observing Austrian movements on the border between First...
at the Battle of Ostrach
Battle of Ostrach
The Battle of Ostrach, also called the Battle by Ostrach, occurred on 20–21 March 1799. It was the first battle of the War of the Second Coalition. The battle resulted in the victory of the Austrian forces, under the command of Archduke Charles, over the French forces, commanded by Jean...
on 21 March. A week later, and in the French defeat at Stockach
Battle of Stockach (1799)
On 25 March 1799, French and Austrian armies fought for control of the geographically strategic Hegau region in present day Baden-Württemberg. The battle has been called by various names: First Battle of Stockach, the Battle by Stockach, and, in French chronicles, the Battle of Liptingen...
on 25 March, he commanded the right wing. From 14–25 April, while Archduke Charles was indisposed, Wallis assumed command of the main Austrian army quartered on the shore of the Rhine River. A few weeks later, he commanded the reserve in the First Battle of Zürich
First Battle of Zürich
The Helvetic Republic in 1798 became a battlefield of the French Revolutionary Wars. In the First Battle of Zurich on 4 – 7 June 1799, French general André Masséna was forced to yield the city to the Austrians under Archduke Charles and retreated beyond the Limmat, where he managed to fortify his...
on 4 June, where General of Division André Masséna
André Masséna
André Masséna 1st Duc de Rivoli, 1st Prince d'Essling was a French military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....
, now commanding the Army of the Danube and the Army of Switzerland, was defeated and forced to withdraw across the Limmat
Limmat
The Limmat is a river in Switzerland. It is the continuation of the Linth river, known as Limmat from the point of effluence from Lake Zurich, in the city of Zurich. From Zurich it flows in a northwesterly direction, after 35 km reaching the river Aare...
river. During the battle, Wallis led five battalions of grenadiers in storming the French positions on Mount Zürich. He was badly wounded, and died five weeks later, on 19 July 1799.