Radetzky, Josef

Born in the castle Trebnice (now in the city of Sedlcany ). Early became an orphan and raised by his grandfather. He studied in Teresianume . In 1784 he became a cadet of the 2nd Cuirassier Regiment of the Imperial Army . Under the leadership of field marshals Lassi and Laudon he participated in the Austro-Turkish war of 1787-1791 .

Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars

In 1792-1795 he took part in battles with the French in the Netherlands and on the Rhine. In 1794, at the Battle of Flerius, he led a cavalry detachment through the French battle formations, in order to clarify the fate of the city of Charleroi , besieged and taken by the French.

Since 1796 he has served in Italy . With the rank of captain he became aide-de-camp of feldzheimer Beaulieu . When Valedzho with a detachment of hussars, he saved Beaulieu from the French. As a major, he participated in the defense of Mantua . In 1799, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, under the command of Field Marshal Suvorov , he participated in the battles of Trebbia and Novi . Got the rank of colonel. In 1800, in the battle of Marengo , being an officer of the General’s headquarters from the cavalry of Mélas , he received 5 bullet wounds. In the same year participated in the Battle of Hohenlinden . In 1801 he was awarded the Order of Maria Theresa of the 3rd degree. Already during his service in Italy he demonstrated the ability of a strategist. He was an opponent of an indecisive “ cordon system ”.

In the campaign of 1805 with the rank of Major General, he again served in Italy under the command of Archduke Charles .

In 1809, he commanded a brigade of the 5th Corps at the Battle of Ekmühle . After the battle of Aspern and Essling, promoted to field marshal lieutenant . In the Battle of Wagram, he commanded a division of the 4th Corps. In 1810, he was awarded the Order of Maria Theresa of the 2nd degree and was appointed chief of the 5th Hussar Regiment (Hussars of Radetzky).

From 1809 to 1812, Radetzky, as Chief of the General Staff, tried to reorganize the Austrian army and its tactics, but, faced with resistance to its reforms from the treasury, resigned. Appointed in 1813 as a member of the Gofkrygsrat , the court military council, he again actively worked on the reorganization of the army, paying particular attention to sending young officers abroad to complete military education.

In the campaign of 1813-1814, he was Chief of Staff of Field Marshal Schwarzenberg . He had a significant influence on decision-making in the Leipzig campaign and in the battles of Leipzig , Brienne and Arsis-sur-Haute . April 12, 1814, as part of the retinue of the allied monarchs, participated in the triumphal entrance to Paris . At the Congress of Vienna he served as mediator between Foreign Minister Metternich and the Russian Emperor Alexander I.

Peaceful years

After the war, Radetsky was again appointed chief of the General Staff and resumed attempts at reform, but only made himself new enemies. To a large extent, this was facilitated by the fact that he always criticized everyone, regardless of posts. In 1818-1828 he served under the command of the Archduke Ferdinand Karl Joseph Este . In 1829, it was proposed to send Radetzky to resign. But the emperor made him a cavalry general and appointed Olmutz as commandant.

At this time, the order in Europe after the Napoleonic wars was shaken by revolutions. Radetsky was again in demand. In 1831, sent to serve in Italy. In the same year, under the command of the general from the cavalry of Freemont , participated in the intervention, in order to suppress the revolutionary actions in the Papal States . At the end of the year, he replaced Fremon as commander-in-chief of Austrian troops in Italy. He gained fame, on the one hand, as an exemplary army organizer and strategist, and on the other, as a cruel and cold reactionary. In 1836 he was promoted to field marshal. Despite the years, showed energy in the preparation and training of his army. But the Austrian government continued to ignore its proposals, warnings and financial requirements.

Italian campaign

The revolution in Italy that flared up in 1848 found Radetzky at a disadvantage compared to the insurgents and the Sardinian army of King Carl Albert . He tried to suppress the uprising by force, but after a 5-day battle on the streets of Milan he had to retreat to Verona on the night of March 23 with a 15-thousand army. There he strengthened, waited for reinforcements and, taking advantage of the inactivity of the enemy, in the beginning of May launched an offensive. Having smashed the Sardinians at Santa Lucia on May 6, he boldly and skillfully flank the movement across the Mincho River near Mantua and on May 29 won a new victory at Kurtaton , but did not achieve his goal of liberating Peschiera besieged by the Sardinians , who surrendered on May 30.

On July 25, Radetzky defeated the Sardinians under Kustozze and occupied Milan on August 6, for which he subsequently received the Order of St. George of the First Class, and on August 9 imposed a truce on the Sardinian king. On March 10, 1849, hostilities resumed, and on March 23, Radetzky inflicted a new defeat on Novara on the Sardinians who decided the outcome of the war. After the fall of Venice in late August, Radetzky, as viceroy of the Lombardo-Venetian kingdom, established calm in Italy with the help of tough measures.

On March 25 ( April 6 ), 1849 , Russian Emperor Nicholas I assigned Radetsky the honorary rank of Field Marshal of the Russian Imperial Army and appointed the Chief of the Belarusian Hussar Regiment , commanded to be called the Hussar General Field Marshal Graph Radetsky .

• In 1848, Johann Strauss the Father wrote in honor of Joseph Radetzky " Radetzky March " (op. 228). Later, this music became a regimental march of the 5th hussar regiment of Radetzky. This regiment exists today (as a tank ), with the same regimental march.
• In 1851, the passenger ship “ Radetsky ” was named after the commander.
• In 1858, a monument was erected to Field Marshal Radetsky in Prague (dismantled in 1918), in 1892 - in Vienna .
• In 1907, the newest squadron battleship of the Austro-Hungarian fleet was given the name "Radetsky" , later also becoming the name of this project of battleships .

• Strack, "Graf R." (Vienna, 1849).
• Schneidawind, Feldmarschall Graf R. (Augsburg, 1851).
• Schönhals, “Der Feldmarschall Gr. R. ”(Stuttgart, 1858).
• "Denkschriften militärischen Inhalts aus dem Nachlass R's" (Stuttgart, 1859).
• Troubetzkoi, Campagnes du comte R. dans le nord de l'Italie en 1848 et 49 (Lpc., 1860).
• H. Kunz . “Die Feldzüge des Feldmarschalls R. in Oberitalien 1848 u. 49 "(Berl., 1890).

• Radetsky, John-Joseph-Wenzel-Anton-Franz-Karl // Encyclopedic dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron : in 86 tons (82 tons and 4 extra). - SPb. , 1890-1907.