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Franz von Weyrother (Wien, 1755 – Wien, 16 Februar 1806) var en østrigsk generel under den franske revolutionære Wars og Napoleonskrigene

Karriere

Weyrother blev født i Wien som søn af general kavaleri Adam von Weyrother. Efter studier ved det militære ingeniører akademi, trådte han Franz Moritz von Lacy infanteriregiment # 22 som en kadet i 1775. Han blev forfremmet til to år senere.

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Dopo gli studi all'accademia di ingegneria militare, nel 1775 entrò nel 22° reggimento di fanteria del maresciallo Franz Moritz von Lacy come cadetto. Fu promosso al grado di tenente due anni dopo. Nell'agosto del 1778 fu nominato aiutante di campo di Wenzel Colloredo carica che ricoprì sino al 1783.

Weirother partecipò alle guerre austro-turche tra il 1787 ed il 1791, fu agli ordini del maresciallo Maximilian Ulysses Browne, guadagnandosi nell'occasione il grado di capitano. Durante la prima fase della guerra della prima coalizione, Weirother serviva a Magonza. Promosso al grado di maggiore nel 1795, fu ferito a Weisenau. Dopo il suo recupero fu inviato nell'esercito del Reno sotto l'arciduca Carlo. Nel 1795 venne nominato cavaliere dell'Ordine Militare di Maria Teresa.

Italy and Bavaria

In September 1796, Weyrother transferred to Northern Italy where he fought in the Battle of Bassano under Field Marshal Dagobert von Wurmser. Later he served on the staff of Feldzeugmeister József Alvinczi. In this capacity, he helped plan the campaign that ended in a narrow defeat by Bonaparte at the Battle of Arcola. His plan for the Battle of Rivoli provided for three widely separated striking forces and unrealistically called for one flanking column to march across mountainous terrain in January. Rivoli ended in a decisive Austrian defeat and the consequent surrender of the fortress of Mantua.

During the campaign of 1799, Weyrother served as chief of staff to Feldzeugmeister Pál Kray, where he distinguished himself at Legnago (26 March), Magnano (5 April) and Novi (15 August). He also planned an epic march by Russian Field Marshal Alexander Suvorov across the Saint Gotthard Pass. For his conduct in these actions he was promoted to colonel (Oberst), given command of the Schröder Infantry Regiment # 7, and mentioned in dispatches to Kaiser Francis II of Austria by Suvorov. In the fall of 1800, Francis II assigned him to be chief-of-staff to the 18-year old Archduke John of Austria, the new commander of the army in Bavaria. Believing Jean Moreau's French army to be in retreat, Weyrother organized an aggressive pursuit through heavily forested terrain by four non-mutually-supporting columns. Instead, Moreau stood his ground, sprang an ambush, and enveloped the Austrian left flank. The resulting Battle of Hohenlinden turned out to be a catastrophe for the Austrians, effectively ending the War of the Second Coalition.

Napoleonic Wars

When the War of the Third Coalition broke out, Weyrother was promoted to General-Major and at the request of General Mikhail Kutusov he was made chief of staff of the Austro-Russian army. In this capacity he was responsible for the conception of the allied plan which was defeated by Emperor Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz. Two and a half months after the battle, Weyrother died aged 51 in Vienna.

References

• Arnold, James R. Marengo & Hohenlinden. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Pen & Sword, 2005. ISBN 1-84415-279-0
• Boycott-Brown, Martin. The Road to Rivoli. London: Cassell & Co., 2001. ISBN 0-304-35305-1
• Chandler, David. The Campaigns of Napoleon. New York: Macmillan, 1966.

External references

Weyrother by Digby Smith, compiled by Leopold Kudrna

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