Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen

Archduke Charles
Duke of Teschen
Portrait by Anton Einsle
Born	Charles Louis John Joseph Laurentius 5 September 1771 Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany
Died	30 April 1847(1847-04-30) (aged 75) Vienna, Austrian Empire
Burial	Imperial Crypt, Vienna
Spouse	Henrietta of Nassau-Weilburg
Issue Detail	Maria Theresa, Queen of the Two Sicilies Archduke Albrecht, Duke of Teschen Archduke Karl Ferdinand Archduke Frederick Ferdinand Archduchess Maria Karoline Archduke Wilhelm Franz
Names Karl Ludwig Johann Josef Lorenz
House	Habsburg-Lorraine
Father	Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor
Mother	Maria Luisa of Spain
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Holy Roman Empire  Austrian Empire
Branch/service	Imperial Army Imperial and Royal Army
Years of service	1792–1809
Rank	Lieutenant Field Marshal
Commands	Imperial and Royal Army
Battles/wars	French Revolutionary Wars Battle of Jemappes Battle of Neerwinden Battle of Fleurus Battle of Aldenhoven Battle of Wetzlar (1796) Battle of Kehl (1796) Battle of Ettlingen Battle of Neresheim Battle of Amberg Battle of Würzburg Battle of Limburg (1796) Battle of Emmendingen Battle of Schliengen Battle of Ostrach Battle of Stockach First Battle of Zurich Battle of Mannheim (1799) Napoleonic Wars Battle of Caldiero Battle of Abensberg Battle of Eckmühl Battle of Aspern-Essling Battle of Wagram Battle of Znaim

Coat of Arms of Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen
Coat of Arms of Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen, showing the batons of a field marshal of the Austrian Army and the black cross of the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order (1801-1804)

Archduke Charles Louis John Joseph Laurentius of Austria, Duke of Teschen (German: Erzherzog Karl Ludwig Johann Josef Lorenz von Österreich, Herzog von Teschen; 5 September 1771 – 30 April 1847) was an Austrian field-marshal, the third son of Emperor Leopold II and his wife, Maria Luisa of Spain. He was also the younger brother of Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor. He was epileptic, but achieved respect both as a commander and as a reformer of the Austrian army. He was considered one of Napoleon's more formidable opponents and one of the greatest generals of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.

He began his career fighting the revolutionary armies of France. Early in the wars of the First Coalition, he saw victory at Neerwinden in 1793, before being defeated at Wattignies in 1793 and Fleurus in 1794. In 1796, as chief of all Austrian forces on the Rhine, Charles defeated Jean-Baptiste Jourdan at Amberg, Würzburg and Limburg, and then won victories at Wetzlar, Emmendingen and Schliengen that forced Jean Victor Marie Moreau to withdraw across the Rhine. He also defeated opponents at Zürich, Ostrach, Stockach, and Mannheim in 1799. He reformed Austria's armies to adopt the nation-at-arms principle. In 1809, he entered the War of the Fifth Coalition and inflicted Napoleon's first major setback at Aspern-Essling, before suffering a defeat at the bloody Battle of Wagram. After Wagram, Charles saw no more significant action in the Napoleonic Wars.

As a military strategist, Charles was able to successfully execute complex and risky manoeuvres of troops. However, his contemporary Carl von Clausewitz criticised his rigidity and adherence to "geographic" strategy. Many Austrians nevertheless remember Charles as a hero of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.