Raimondo Montecuccoli

Raimondo Montecuccoli
Portrait by Elias Grießler [de], c. 1650
Born	(1609-02-21)21 February 1609 Pavullo nel Frignano, Duchy of Modena and Reggio
Died	16 October 1680(1680-10-16) (aged 71) Linz, Archduchy of Austria
Buried	Vienna
Allegiance	Holy Roman Empire
Service/branch	Imperial Army
Years of service	1625–1675
Rank	Generalfeldmarschall
Battles/wars	Thirty Years' War Battle of Breitenfeld Battle of Lützen Battle of Nördlingen Battle of Wittstock Battle of Chemnitz Battle of Jüterbog Battle of Triebl Battle of Zusmarshausen First War of Castro Second Northern War Austro-Turkish War Battle of Saint Gotthard Dutch War Rhineland Campaign Battle of Salzbach Battle of Altenheim
Awards	Order of the Golden Fleece

Raimondo Montecuccoli (Italian pronunciation: [raiˈmondo monteˈkukkoli]; 21 February 1609 – 16 October 1680) was an Italian-born professional soldier, military theorist, and diplomat, who served the Habsburg monarchy.

Experiencing the Thirty Years' War from scratch as a simple footsoldier, he rose through the ranks into a regiment holder and became an important cavalry commander in the late stages. Serving the Habsburgs as war counsellor and envoy, he commanded their troops in the Second Northern War and the Austro-Turkish War of 1663–64 where he scored an impressive victory in the Battle of Saint Gotthard. Afterwards, he became president of the Hofkriegsrat and briefly returned as supreme commander of the Imperial forces during the Franco-Dutch War.

Montecuccoli was considered the only commander able to compete with the French general Turenne (1611–1675), and like him, was closely associated with the post-1648 development of linear infantry tactics.^[1]