Radetzky: Imperial Victor and Military Genius

303 Pages·2011·3.32 MB·English

by  Alan Sked

Alan Sked is Reader in International History at the London School of
Economics, where he has taught all his professional life. His books on
Habsburg history include: Th e Survival of the Habsburg Empire. Radetzky,
the Imperial Army and the Class War 1848; Th e Decline and Fall of the
Habsburg Empire 1815–1918, and Metternich and Austria: An Evaluation.
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A   A
Th e Decline and Fall of the Habsburg Empire 1815–1918.
Th e Survival of the Habsburg Empire. Radetzky, the Imperial Army and the Class War 1848.
Metternich and Austria: An Evaluation.
Europe’s Balance of Power, 1815–1848 (editor).
Crisis and Controversy: Essays in Honour of A. J. P. Taylor (co-editor).
Postwar Britain: A Political History, 1945–1992 (principal author).
Britain’s Decline: Problems and Perspectives.
An Intelligent Person’s Guide to Postwar Britain.
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Radetzky
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ALAN SKED
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Published in 2011 by I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd
6 Salem Road, London W2 4BU
175 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10010
www.ibtauris.com
Distributed in the United States and Canada Exclusively by Palgrave Macmillan
175 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10010
Copyright © 2011 Alan Sked
Th e right of Alan Sked to be identifi ed as the author of this work has been
asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents
Act 1988.
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or any
part thereof, may not be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of
the publisher.
ISBN: 978 1 84885 677 6

A full CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
A full CIP record is available from the Library of Congress
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: available
Printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Antony Rowe, Chippenham
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I dedicate this book with aff ection and respect to
István Deák, doyen of Habsburg studies in the
United States, whose work on Central European
military history has long been an inspiration to me.
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List of Illustrations ix
List of Maps xi
Chronology xiii
Introduction 1
1 Early Career 3
2 Saving Austria and Europe 29
3 Educator of Armies 73
4 Prelude to Revolution 115
5 Saving Austria and Europe Again 133
6 Ruling Italy 159
Conclusion 209
Notes 219
Concise Bibliography 253
Index 257

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(following page 104)
1 Radetzky by Josef Kriehuber, 1849
2 Schloss Trebnitz, Radetzky’s birthplace
3 F anny, Radetzky’s wife, Countess Franziska Romana Radetzky, born
Countess Strassoldo-Graff emberg
4 Radetzky as a young man, c.1801
5 Fritzi, Radetzky’s daughter, Countess Friederike von Wenckheim
6 Radetzky’s military colleagues during the revolutionary wars.
From top left clockwise: Field Marshal Wurmser; General
Melas; General Hiller; and General Zach
7 Archduke Charles
8 Th e Battle of Wagram 1809
9 Th e Aftermath of the Battle of Leipzig 1813, with
Blücher, Alexander I, Francis I, Frederick William III and
Schwarzenberg
10 Field Marshal Blücher
11 General Gneisenau
12 Metternich
13 Francis I as Emperor of Austria
14 Alexander I, Emperor of Russia
15 P rince Charles Schwarzenberg, allied supreme
commander, 1813–15
16 King Frederick William III of Prussia
17 Count Charles Clam-Martinitz
18 General Hess, Radetzky’s Chief of Staff in 1848–49
19 General Schönhals, Radetzky’s Adjutant in 1848–49
20 Battle of Custoza
21 Battle of Novara
22 Th e ceremonial marshal’s baton presented to Radetzky by
the Austrian army
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