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The Austrian Empire and its predecessor, the Archduchy of Austria, was one of the most prevalent states in Europe throughout its history. The following is Austria's military history from the 18th century.
After a series of impressive victories in the Great Turkish War, Austria found itself at war with France again along the Grand Alliance. Still, Austria and its allies managed to win impressive victories like Turin and Blenheim, plus the Austrians successfully crushed uprisings in Hungary and Bavaria. However, the French victory at Denain secured the Bourbon throne in Spain. Still, the Austrians fought well and enjoyed great territorial gains in the Treaty of Rastatt.
In 1716 the Ottomans once again invaded Austria, but the military genius Prince Eugene of Savoy outmatched them in the battles of Petrovaradin and Belgrade, expanding Austria to its greatest territorial extent. Meanwhile, the Spanish wanted to recapture their lost territories, but Austria and its allies stopped them.
In the 1730s the skill of Austrian soldiers & generals would temporarily decline. Crushing defeats against the French and Ottomans at Guastalla & Grocka caused the Austrians to lose most of their previously gained territories.
Worse, in 1740 Prussia invaded Silesia to become a great power. Austria's defeat against a tiny country convinced many other countries to finally partition it. Prussia, France, Spain, Bavaria, Saxony, Naples, Sardinia and Modena then created an alliance to finally wipe out Austria from the European map. At first, the invasion of Austria went well: The Franco-Bavarian armies quickly invaded Upper Austria and then took Bohemia along with Saxony. Meanwhile, Maria Theresa called the Hungarians for her help and appointed Ludwig Andreas von Khevenhüller as commander-in-chief. Despite not getting help from Britain, Russia and the Netherlands or the promised 60,000 Hungarian troops (only 1/3 of them were ready for combat) yet, Khevenhüller was able to launch a massive offensive that annihilated huge parts of the Franco-Bavarian armies (alone in Linz 10,000 French surrendered). Munich was taken. However, Prussia was still able to take Silesia and leave the war. Meanwhile, Modena was occupied, Sardinia switched sides, and Spain & Naples were unable to control entire North Italy thanks to Otto Ferdinand von Abensperg und Traun. Saxony switched sides as well in 1743. In 1744 Frederick the Great even tried to conquer Bohemia, but Austro-Saxon forces harassed his supply lines and forced him to retreat. His victory at Hohenfriedberg however allowed him to keep Silesia, despite the decisive Bavarian defeat. The war ended in 1748.
Maria Theresa then began massive military reforms. When the Seven Years' War started, Prussia enjoyed initial success by conquering Saxony and Prague. However, the Austrians took advantage of their poor performance and defeated the Prussians at Kolín & Hochkirch. After Kunersdorf the Prussians were so close to defeat that only the Miracle of the House of Brandenburg saved them from certain destruction. In a last-ditch effort, Prussia beat Austria at Torgau and so the war became an inconclusive stalemate, which was arguably still more satisfactory for Prussia.
After that, Austria didn't see so many military actions. It joined the Polish partitions, fought another inconclusive struggle against Prussia, and beat the Ottomans along with Russia in the Austro-Turkish War.
Austria entered the French Revolutionary Wars with a rough start after France had declared war on Austria. Although Austria was successfully able to defend the German territories, the young Napoleon Bonaparte crushed the Austrians in North Italy. The 2nd Coalition War went no better, with humiliating defeats at Marengo and Hohenlinden taking place.
The Napoleonic Wars greatly became unpopular in Austria, but Britain constantly convinced Austria to join it. When Austria finally joined in 1805, its army capitulated at Ulm and was together defeated with the Russians at Austerlitz. Francis I's brother Archduke Charles basically then tried to make reforms to make the Austrian army more effective. Although not completed yet, the Austrians, after some early setbacks inflicted Napoleon's first major defeat at Aspern-Essling. However, Napoleon was still able to defeat Archduke Charles at Wagram and force him to sue for peace despite the heavy French casualties. Austria then practiced in the French invasion of Russia with no significant fighting, but after the French disaster finally rejoined the Coalition again. The Austrians took part in the German & Italian campaigns and forced Napoleon to surrender along the other great powers. Austria played a decisive role in dethroning Murat after beating him at Tolentino. Napoleon's fate was finally sealed at Waterloo.
Austria enjoyed a quite peaceful period from 1816 and 1847. It only put down some minor rebellions and naval expeditions in Morocco and Egypt. Austrian admiral Archduke Friedrich led the Anglo-Austrian-Ottoman troops ahead of all others against the Bergcastell and by 6 o'clock in the afternoon Sidon was taken. [1] 1,500 men of the crew were taken prisoner. Following the bombardment of Acre on 3-4 November 1840, he then decided to attack the citadel that night and personally led a small landing party of Austrian, British, and Ottoman troops and took the citadel of Acre after the Egyptian garrison had fled. They hoisted the Ottoman, British and Austrian flags over the citadel.
In 1848 Austria faced two dangerous revolutions and the army was once needed again. While Joseph Radetzky von Radetz beat the Italians at Custoza and Novara, Austrian commanders in Hungary needed Russian help.
The revolutions significantly weakened Austria, plus it became isolated after the Crimean War in order to avoid another Hungarian revolution. Sardinia then successfully provoked Austria to declare war on them, resulting in France intervening and decisively defeating Austria at Solferino.
Then Austria joined the Second Schleswig War to defeat Denmark. While Prussia suffered initial defeats against tiny Denmark at Mysunde and Jasmund, Austria on the other hand beat them at Königshügel, Sankelmark, Vejle and Heligoland. However, Prussia managed to secure a decisive victory against Denmark at Dybbøl.
Still, Austria & Prussia quickly broke their alliance and fought against each other for German leadership. Due to superior Prussian leadership, better-trained troops, a more developed economy, faster railways, and faster rifles, the Prussians decisively won at Königgrätz. Although Austria was successful against Italy, they were unable to stop the Prussian advance. This war not only caused Austria to lose German leadership, but it was also the beginning of Austria's permanent military decline.
From 1867 to 1918, the Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was composed of the common army (recruited from anywhere), the Austrian Landwehr (recruited only from Cisleithania), and the Hungarian Honvéd (recruited only from Transleithania).
These are official names in German:
The Austro-Hungarian Navy was the naval force of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Its official name in German was the Kaiserlich und königliche Kriegsmarine ("Imperial and Royal Navy", also known by the acronym k.u.k.).
This army existed from the establishment of the Dual Monarchy in 1867 until the end of World War I in 1918. The army first saw action in the Austro-Hungarian campaign in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878 and Boxer Rebellion.
In 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by a Serbo-Bosnian student named Gavrilo Princip. [2] The Austro-Hungarian military leader Conrad von Hötzendorf saw it finally as a chance to attack Serbia. [3] When Serbia failed to accept all ultimatum terms, Austria-Hungary struck.
Serbian Front: Although Austria-Hungary had slightly more troops and significant technological advances, the Serbs had more experienced generals and highly motivated troops. The whole Serbian campaign ended in failure for Austria-Hungary and German & Bulgarian help was required in 1915. However, Austria-Hungary successfully took Montenegro in 1916.
Despite early victories at Kraśnik & Komarów, the Austro-Hungarians quickly lost the entirety of Galicia. With German help, the Russians were repelled in from most of the region. However, the Brusilov offensive utterly mauled the Austro-Hungarian army, becoming completely dependent on the Germans for the rest of the war.
Italian Front: This was probably the only front where the Austro-Hungarians were partially effective by holding back multiple Isonzo offensives for over 2 years. In 1917 Austro-German forces finally broke the stalemate at Caporetto until they were stopped at the Piave River. The Danube Monarchy finally collapsed at Vittorio Veneto.
Between 1918 and 1921, the military forces were known as Volkswehr (people's defense).
From 1921 to the present (except World War II, (1938–1945)), the name of the military of Austria is Bundesheer ("Federal Army"). The branches are Land Forces (KdoLdSK) and Air Forces (KdoLuSK).
In 1955, Austria declared its neutrality and made neutrality a constitutional law. The main purpose of the Austrian military, since then, has been the protection of Austria's neutrality.
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of conflicts fought between the First French Empire under Napoleon (1804–1815) and a fluctuating array of European coalitions. The wars originated in political forces arising from the French Revolution (1789–1799) and from the French Revolutionary Wars (1792–1802), and produced a period of French domination over Continental Europe. The wars are categorised as seven conflicts, five named after the coalitions that fought Napoleon, plus two named for their respective theatres; the War of the Third Coalition, War of the Fourth Coalition, War of the Fifth Coalition, War of the Sixth Coalition, War of the Seventh Coalition, the Peninsular War, and the French invasion of Russia.
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his death in 1916. In the early part of his reign, his realms and territories were referred to as the Austrian Empire, but were reconstituted as the dual monarchy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1867. From 1 May 1850 to 24 August 1866, he was also president of the German Confederation.
The Austro-Prussian War, also by many variant names such as Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as Deutscher Krieg, Deutscher Bruderkrieg and by a variety of other names, was fought in 1866 between the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia, with each also being aided by various allies within the German Confederation. Prussia had also allied with the Kingdom of Italy, linking this conflict to the Third Independence War of Italian unification. The Austro-Prussian War was part of the wider rivalry between Austria and Prussia, and resulted in Prussian dominance over the German states.
The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a multinational European great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, it was the third most populous monarchy in Europe after the Russian Empire and the United Kingdom. Along with Prussia, it was one of the two major powers of the German Confederation. Geographically, it was the third-largest empire in Europe after the Russian Empire and the First French Empire.
In the War of the Sixth Coalition, sometimes known in Germany as the Wars of Liberation, a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, Spain, Great Britain, Portugal, Sweden, Sardinia, and a number of German States defeated France and drove Napoleon into exile on Elba. After the disastrous French invasion of Russia of 1812 in which they had been forced to support France, Prussia and Austria joined Russia, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Portugal, and the rebels in Spain who were already at war with France.
The Silesian Wars were three wars fought in the mid-18th century between Prussia and Habsburg Austria for control of the Central European region of Silesia. The First (1740–1742) and Second (1744–1745) Silesian Wars formed parts of the wider War of the Austrian Succession, in which Prussia was a member of a coalition seeking territorial gain at Austria's expense. The Third Silesian War (1756–1763) was a theatre of the global Seven Years' War, in which Austria in turn led a coalition of powers aiming to seize Prussian territory.
Prince Friedrich Karl Nikolaus of Prussia was the son of Prince Charles of Prussia (1801–1883) and his wife, Princess Marie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1808–1877). Prince Friedrich Karl was a grandson of King Frederick William III of Prussia and a nephew of Frederick William IV and William I.
The War of the Fourth Coalition was a war spanning 1806-1807 that saw a multinational coalition fight against Napoleon's French Empire, subsequently being defeated. The main coalition partners were Prussia and Russia with Saxony, Sweden, and Great Britain also contributing. Excluding Prussia, some members of the coalition had previously been fighting France as part of the Third Coalition, and there was no intervening period of general peace. On 9 October 1806, Prussia declared war on France and joined a renewed coalition, fearing the rise in French power after the defeat of Austria and establishment of the French-sponsored Confederation of the Rhine in addition to having learned of French plans to cede Prussian-desired Hanover to Britain in exchange for peace. Prussia and Russia mobilized for a fresh campaign with France, massing troops in Saxony.
Archduke Albrecht Friedrich Rudolf Dominik of Austria, Duke of Teschen, was an Austrian Habsburg general. He was the grandson of Emperor Leopold II and one of the chief military advisors of Emperor Francis Joseph I. As Inspector General for 36 years, he was an old-fashioned bureaucrat who largely controlled the Austro-Hungarian Army and delayed modernization. He was honored with the rank of Field Marshal in the armies of Austria-Hungary (1863) and Germany (1893).
The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army, was the principle ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army, the Imperial-Royal Landwehr and the Royal Hungarian Honvéd.
Austria and Prussia were the most powerful states in the Holy Roman Empire by the 18th and 19th centuries and had engaged in a struggle for supremacy among smaller German kingdoms. The rivalry was characterized by major territorial conflicts and economic, cultural, and political aspects. Therefore, the rivalry was an important element of the so-called German question in the 19th century.
The Royal Saxon Army was the military force of the Electorate (1682–1807) and later the Kingdom of Saxony (1807–1918). A regular Saxon army was first established in 1682 and it continued to exist until the abolition of the German monarchies in 1918. With the formation of the Confederation of the Rhine by Napoleon the Royal Saxon Army joined the French "Grande Armée" along with 37 other German states.
The Austro-Hungarian Armed Forces or Imperial and Royal Armed Forces were the military forces of Austria-Hungary. It comprised two main branches: The Army (Landstreitkräfte) and the Navy (Kriegsmarine). Both of them organised their own aviation branches – the Army's Aviation Troops and the Navy's Naval Aviation. The Army in turn consisted of its own three branches: The Common Army, the Imperial-Royal Landwehr and the Royal Hungarian Honvéd.
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict involving most of the European great powers, fought primarily in Europe and the Americas. One of the opposing alliances was led by Great Britain, primarily supported by Prussia. The other alliance was led by France, backed by Spain, Saxony, Sweden, and Russia. Related conflicts include the 1754 to 1763 French and Indian War, and 1762 to 1763 Anglo-Spanish War.
Foreign relations exist between Austria and France. Both countries have had diplomatic relations with each other since the Middle Ages. Both countries are full members of the Council of Europe and the European Union.
The Third Silesian War was a war between Prussia and Austria that lasted from 1756 to 1763 and confirmed Prussia's control of the region of Silesia. The war was fought mainly in Silesia, Bohemia and Upper Saxony and formed one theatre of the Seven Years' War. It was the last of three Silesian Wars fought between Frederick the Great's Prussia and Maria Theresa's Austria in the mid-18th century, all three of which ended in Prussian control of Silesia.
The Franco-Austrian Alliance was a diplomatic and military alliance between France and Austria that was first established in 1756 after the First Treaty of Versailles. It lasted for much of the remainder of the century until it was abandoned during the French Revolution.
Friedrich Joseph of Nauendorf, a general in Habsburg service during the French Revolutionary Wars, was noted for his intrepid and daring cavalry raids. Like most Austrian officers of the French Revolutionary Wars, he joined the military as a young man, and served in the War of Bavarian Succession. In the war's opening action, he successfully repelled a Prussian border raid, which earned him the admiration of the Empress Maria Theresa's son, Joseph. His continued success in the Habsburg border wars with the Ottoman Empire added to his reputation as a commander.
Prussia and its predecessor, Brandenburg-Prussia, were involved in numerous conflicts during their existence as nation-states. During their military engagements they often fulfilled the role of a supporting power, especially in the 17th century. In the 18th century Prussia began to adopt an independent role in the conflicts of that time; at the latest by the time of the Silesian Wars.
The Imperial Austrian Army formed the land forces of the Austrian Empire. It arose from the remains of the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Emperor after its dissolution and in 1867 was reformed into the Common Army of Austria-Hungary and the Imperial-Royal Landwehr after the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867. In addition to the army, there was also the Austrian Navy. The army took part in the Napoleonic Wars until 1815, the First Italian War of Independence, the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, the Second Italian War of Independence, the Second Schleswig War, the Third Italian War of Independence and the Austro-Prussian War. Notable generals were Josef Radetzky, Karl Philipp of Schwarzenberg, Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen, Frederick Bianchi and Julius von Haynau.