Friedrich von Österreich-Teschen

Archduke Friedrich of Austria-Teschen was born on June 4, 1856, in Gross-Seelowitz and died on December 30, 1936, in Magyaróvár. He came from the Teschen branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine and was an Austrian archduke, Hungarian and Bohemian royal prince, and later Duke of Teschen. From 1914 to 1917, he served as commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Austria-Hungary, making him one of the most powerful military figures in the monarchy. His father was Archduke Karl Ferdinand, and his mother was Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska Maria, a daughter of Archduke Joseph, the Hungarian palatine. His parents were first cousins. Friedrich had five siblings, among them Maria Christina, the future queen of Spain, and the Archdukes Karl Stephan and Eugen, who reached adulthood. After his father’s death in 1874, Friedrich and his brothers Karl Stephan and Eugen were taken in by their childless uncle, Archduke Albrecht, Duke of Teschen and a prominent military commander who embodied the family’s military tradition. On October 8, 1878, Friedrich married Princess Isabella of Croÿ-Dülmen at Ermitage Castle in Belgium. They had nine children, including eight daughters and one son; two of the children died young. The daughters later married members of European princely families or the high nobility. One of them, Maria Anna, became connected through her marriage to Prince Elias of Parma with the family from which Empress Zita came. Their only son, Archduke Albrecht Franz Joseph, was the designated heir of the House of Teschen. Friedrich began his military career unusually early. At the age of fourteen, on March 14, 1871, he entered service as a lieutenant in a Tyrolean Kaiserjäger regiment. He attended the War School, learned Hungarian, Czech, and Polish, and also spoke French fluently. He rose rapidly through the ranks, becoming captain, major, lieutenant colonel, and colonel. He later commanded brigades and divisions and eventually took over the V Army Corps stationed in Pressburg. For his military and dynastic services, he received numerous Austrian and foreign decorations. After Archduke Albrecht’s death on February 18, 1895, Friedrich inherited the title of third Duke of Teschen and his extensive estates. These included properties in Silesia, Bohemia, Moravia, and Magyaróvár in Hungary, as well as valuable palaces and real estate in Vienna and Pressburg. The Albertina, with its important art collection, was also part of his inheritance. Friedrich had already studied agriculture and viticulture so that he could manage his estates and promote their industrial development. He enlarged his holdings through further purchases. The products of his estates, including dairy goods, spirits, and sugar, were sold throughout the monarchy, making Friedrich one of the richest men in the empire. His military position continued to grow. In 1905, Emperor Franz Joseph appointed him inspector general of the troops. Friedrich then moved with his family from Pressburg to Vienna, taking up residence in Palais Albrecht, now the Albertina. In 1907, he became commander-in-chief of the Austrian Landwehr, and in 1910 he was appointed general of infantry. Before the First World War, he was regarded as the highest-ranking Habsburg general. Franz Joseph trusted him more than the emperor’s nephew, the seven-years-younger Crown Prince Franz Ferdinand, and considered Friedrich the natural commander-in-chief in wartime. Friedrich and Franz Ferdinand nevertheless had serious differences. The heir to the throne wanted to modernize the army, whereas Friedrich represented a more traditional outlook. Their conflict was also intensified by a personal dispute. Friedrich’s wife, Isabella, hoped that Franz Ferdinand would favor one of her daughters. When he instead married Sophie Chotek, Isabella took this as a personal insult and developed a deep hatred of the couple. She even urged Friedrich to leave the service of the future ruler. In the spring of 1914, he was considering retirement, but after Franz Ferdinand and Sophie were assassinated in Sarajevo, he remained in office. On July 11, 1914, Emperor Franz Joseph transferred command of the imperial and royal armed forces to Friedrich. This was an unprecedented decision, since the emperor himself had exercised supreme command in his previous wars. In practice, Friedrich’s role alongside the influential Chief of the General Staff, Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf, was mainly formal and mediating. He was informed of all plans and decisions but rarely intervened in operational matters. He supported Conrad and defended him against political and military attacks. Through his personal relationship with Emperor Wilhelm II, Friedrich also tried to ease tensions between the German and Austro-Hungarian military leaderships. Friedrich regularly visited the front, presented decorations, and encouraged the soldiers. He was promoted to field marshal on December 12, 1914. The military reverses of the following years, however, damaged the reputation of the Austro-Hungarian army. After the Brusilov Offensive of 1916, Friedrich had to surrender command on the Eastern Front to Paul von Hindenburg, and the monarchy’s forces there increasingly came under German leadership. Friedrich nevertheless continued to defend Conrad against his critics. After Franz Joseph’s death in November 1916, the new emperor, Charles I, assumed supreme command himself and made Friedrich his deputy. On February 11, 1917, Charles dismissed him from this position and placed him at the disposal of the army. Friedrich spent the final years of the war at Weilburg Castle near Baden, while the monarchy’s headquarters operated there after being moved from Teschen. After the collapse of Austria-Hungary, Friedrich withdrew to his estate at Magyaróvár. In 1920, Austria and Czechoslovakia expropriated most of his palaces, estates, and businesses located in their territories; only his Hungarian properties remained largely undisturbed. Friedrich also felt responsible for the many former employees who had fled to Hungary and stipulated in his will that his heirs should provide for those who had been left without means. His wife Isabella died on September 5, 1931. Friedrich died in Magyaróvár at the age of eighty. His funeral in 1937 became one of the largest royal events in interwar Hungary. Representatives of several European ruling houses, governments, armies, and diplomatic missions attended. With him died the last Duke of Teschen and one of the most influential military figures of the late Habsburg monarchy.