Adam Albert von Neipperg

Adam Albert von Neipperg was born on 8 April 1775 in Vienna and died on 22 February 1829 in Parma. He was an Austrian field marshal lieutenant, diplomat, and count from an old Württemberg noble family documented since the 13th century. His father was Leopold Joseph von Neipperg, and his mother was Countess Ludwiga von Natzfeld-Wildenbruch. His grandfather, Wilhelm Reinhard von Neipperg, a field marshal of the Holy Roman Empire, had been elevated to the rank of Imperial count in 1726. After completing his education at the higher school in Stuttgart in 1789 and 1790, Neipperg entered military service. In the winter of 1790–1791, he became a cadet in a hussar regiment stationed in the Netherlands and fought against the so-called Brabant Patriots. When France declared war on Austria in 1792, he transferred to an infantry regiment as an ensign and took part in the campaign in Champagne and the Battle of Jemappes. The following year, he fought at Neerwinden and Famars, among other places, and participated in the siege of Valenciennes. After being promoted to second lieutenant, Neipperg returned to the hussars. He distinguished himself in several cavalry engagements, including those at Jouy, the capture of Caesar’s Camp, and Hondschoote. At the Battle of Wattignies, he recaptured a battery that had been taken by the French. In 1794, he was to join an Austrian hussar force assigned to a British expedition to the Vendée. The undertaking did not take place, and Neipperg used the opportunity to travel to London. He was subsequently assigned to the Quartermaster General’s Staff. During the fighting in the Netherlands, he took part in numerous engagements along the Sambre and at Charleroi, Tournai, and Erquelinnes. He was wounded in the leg at Erquelinnes. After recovering, he led a successful surprise attack on French troops near Elderen and captured 400 soldiers. He was later ordered to deliver secret instructions to the commanders of several Dutch fortresses. When French troops under Pichegru advanced unexpectedly, Neipperg was placed in great danger on his return. On 14 September 1794, near Dolen, he encountered a superior French cavalry detachment. After fierce resistance, during which he received eight wounds and lost his right eye, he was taken prisoner. Neipperg remained in France until January 1795. After returning to Austria, he resumed the war against France once the period of his imposed restriction had expired, and was promoted to captain after the Battle of Mainz. In 1796, he fought in Italy in several engagements connected with the Austrian efforts to relieve Mantua. The following year, he served in Laudon’s corps, which defended Tyrol. There he demonstrated not only military courage but also diplomatic skill in negotiations over a demarcation line. After the Peace of Campo Formio, he increasingly devoted himself to duties on the Quartermaster General’s Staff. During the War of the Second Coalition, Neipperg contributed to the Austrian success at Cassano in 1799 and was involved in the capture of the French general Sérurier. On Suvorov’s recommendation, he was promoted to major and helped establish a Piedmontese militia. In 1800, he took part in the capture of Mont Cenis, the Battle of Marengo, and negotiations for an armistice. For his achievements, he received the Knight’s Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa. In the following years, Neipperg served in various staffs and regiments. In 1804, he became lieutenant colonel; in 1805, he transferred to a hussar regiment and fought in that year’s campaign at Caldiero, on the Isonzo, and at Idria. He was promoted to colonel in 1806. From 1806 to 1808, he served in a cuirassier regiment along the line of the Vistula. In 1809, he became adjutant general of Archduke Ferdinand’s army and took part in the war against the Duchy of Warsaw; during this period, he was promoted to major general. In 1810, Neipperg was a member of the Austrian embassy in Paris and attended the wedding of Napoleon and Marie Louise, the daughter of Emperor Francis II. France awarded him the Cross of the Legion of Honour. From 1811, he served as Austria’s envoy and plenipotentiary minister in Stockholm. There, he successfully worked to bring Sweden closer to the anti-French coalition. In 1813, King Charles XIII of Sweden awarded him the Order of the Sword. When the Swedish Crown Prince crossed into Germany with his troops in 1813, Neipperg returned to Austria. He took command of a brigade and, temporarily, of an entire light division assigned to secure the Bohemian border. He fought at Reichenberg, Stolpen, Wilsdruff, Wurzen, and Leipzig. For his service, Emperor Alexander I of Russia awarded him the Order of Saint Anne, First Class, and the Order of Saint George, Fourth Class. In October 1813, Neipperg was promoted to field marshal lieutenant and brought Vienna the news of the allied victory at Leipzig. He later received important diplomatic assignments in Naples, where he signed a peace and alliance treaty with Joachim Murat and mediated an armistice between Murat and the British. After the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Neipperg was entrusted with accompanying the former Empress Marie Louise. At the Congress of Vienna, in 1815, he was appointed her chief equerry and commander-in-chief of the troops of the Duchy of Parma. During the war against Murat, he led the Austrian advance guard and entered Naples in May 1815, where he served as military governor until June. After returning to Parma, Marie Louise, by then Duchess of Parma, awarded him the Constantinian Order of Saint George and appointed him foreign minister of the duchy. In 1817, he became a Privy Councillor. Neipperg was married twice. In 1806, he married Countess Theresia von Pola, with whom he had four sons: Alfred, Ferdinand, Gustav, and Erwin. Alfred became an Austrian officer, later a Württemberg major general, and a member of the First Chamber of Württemberg. Erwin also rose to the rank of field marshal lieutenant in the Austrian army and later inherited his elder brother’s property, including Neipperg Castle. In 1821, Neipperg entered into a morganatic marriage with Marie Louise of Austria. They had three children: Albertina, Wilhelm Albrecht, and Mathilde; Mathilde died in childhood. In the same year, during the unrest in Piedmont, Neipperg received command of the troops on the right bank of the Po. The uprising was soon brought to an end. In 1825, he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold. While returning from Vienna to Parma, Neipperg fell ill in September 1828. His condition later worsened at Allie Castle near Turin. After suffering for several months, he died in Parma on 22 February 1829. Several European states honored his military and diplomatic achievements with high orders.