Franz Moritz Von Lacy continued from the previous page....
The Flight Of The Wild Geese & The Irish Brigades
But his self imposed work broke down Lacy's health, and in 1773, in spite of his remonstrances of Maria Theresa and of the Emperor, he laid down all of his offices and went to southern France. On returning he was still unable to resume office, though as an unofficial adviser in political and military matters he was far from idle.
In the brief but uneventful War of the Bavarian Succession, Lacy and Laudon were the chief Austrian Commanders against the King of Prussia, and when Joseph II at Maria Theresa's deathbecame the sovereign of the Austrian dominions as well as Emperor, Lacy remained his most trusted friend. More serious than the Bavarian Succession was the Turkish War which presently broke out. Lacy was now old and worn out, and his tenure of command therein was not marked by any greater measure of success than in the case of the other Austrian Generals. His active career was at an end, although he continued his effective interest in the affairs of the state and the army throughout the reign of Joseph's successor, Leopold II. His last years were spent in retirement at his castle of Neuwaldegg near Vienna.
In the brief but uneventful War of the Bavarian Succession, Lacy and Laudon were the chief Austrian Commanders against the King of Prussia, and when Joseph II at Maria Theresa's deathbecame the sovereign of the Austrian dominions as well as Emperor, Lacy remained his most trusted friend. More serious than the Bavarian Succession was the Turkish War which presently broke out. Lacy was now old and worn out, and his tenure of command therein was not marked by any greater measure of success than in the case of the other Austrian Generals. His active career was at an end, although he continued his effective interest in the affairs of the state and the army throughout the reign of Joseph's successor, Leopold II. His last years were spent in retirement at his castle of Neuwaldegg near Vienna.
The Tomb of Count Lacy in the Schwarzenbergpark in Neuwaldegg, Vienna.
Maximilian Ulysses, Reichsgraf von Browne, Baron de Camus and Mountany
23rd October 1705 - 26th June 1757, was an Austrian military leader during the middle of the 18th century, and a scion of the Irish ' Wild Geese '
Born in Basel, von Browne was the son of Count Ulysses von Browne, Limerick, Ireland, by his wife Annabella Fitzgerald, a daughter of the House of Desmond. Both families had been exiled from Ireland in the aftermath of Tyrone's Rebellion. Von Browne's early career was helped by family and marital connections. His father and his father's brother, George ( also from Limerick ) were created Counts of the Holy Roman Empire by Emperor Charles VI in 1716. The brothers enjoyed a lengthy, close friendship with John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, who was primarily responsible for their establishment in the Imperial Service of Austria. His wife, Countess Marie Philippine von Martinitz had valuable connections at court and his sister, Barbara, also born in Limerick was married to Freiherr ( Baron )
23rd October 1705 - 26th June 1757, was an Austrian military leader during the middle of the 18th century, and a scion of the Irish ' Wild Geese '
Born in Basel, von Browne was the son of Count Ulysses von Browne, Limerick, Ireland, by his wife Annabella Fitzgerald, a daughter of the House of Desmond. Both families had been exiled from Ireland in the aftermath of Tyrone's Rebellion. Von Browne's early career was helped by family and marital connections. His father and his father's brother, George ( also from Limerick ) were created Counts of the Holy Roman Empire by Emperor Charles VI in 1716. The brothers enjoyed a lengthy, close friendship with John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, who was primarily responsible for their establishment in the Imperial Service of Austria. His wife, Countess Marie Philippine von Martinitz had valuable connections at court and his sister, Barbara, also born in Limerick was married to Freiherr ( Baron )
Francis Patrick O' Neillan, from Dysert, Ireland, a Major General in the Austrian Service. So by the age of 29 von Browne was already a Colonel of an Infantry regiment. But he justified his early promotion in the field, and in the Italian campaign of 1734 he greatly distinguished himself, in the Tirolese fighting of 1735, and in the Turkish War, he won further distinction as a general officer.
He was a Lieutenat Field Marshal in command of the Silesian garrisons when in 1740, Frederick II and the Prussian Army overran the province. His careful employment of such resources as he possessed materially hindered the King in his conquest and gave time for Austria to collect a field army. He was present at Mollwitz, where he received a severe wound. His vehement opposition to all half-hearted measures brought frequently into conflict with his superiors, but contributed materially to the unusual energy displayed by the Austrian armies in 1742 and 1743. In the following campaigns von Browne exhibited the same qualities of generalship and the same impatience of control. In 1745 he served under Count Traun, and was promoted to the rank of Feldzeugmeister. In 1746 he was present in the Italian campaign and the battles of Piacenza and Rottofreddo. Von Browne himself with the advanced guard forced his way across the Appennines and entered Genoa. he was thereafter placed in command of the army intended for the invasion of France, and early in 1747 of all the imperial forces in Italy instead of Antoniotto Botta Adorno. At the end of the war, von Browne was engaged in the negotiations on troop withdrawls from Italy, which led to the convention of Nice ( January 21st, 1749 ). He became Commander-in-Chief in Bohemia in 1751, and Field Marshal ( Generalfeldmarschall ) two years later. He was still in Bohemia when the Seven Year's War opened with Frederick's invasion of Saxony ( 1756 ). Von Browne's army, advancing to the relief of Pirna, was met, and, after a hard struggle, defeated by the King at Lobositz, but he withdrew in excellent order, and soon made another attempt with a picked force to reach Pirna, by wild mountain tracks. The Field Marshal never spared himself, bivouacking in the snow with his men, and it is reported that private soldiers made rough shelters over him as he slept. He actually reached the Elbe at Schandau, but as the Saxons were unable to break out, von Browne retired, having succeeded, however, in delaying the development of Frederick's operations for a whole campaign. In the campaign of 1757 he voluntarily served under Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine who was made Commander-in-Chief, and on the 6th May in that year, while leading a bayonet charge at the Battle of Prague, von Browne met his death. He was carried mortally wounded into Prague, and there died on the 26th June 1757, his last days embittered by the knowledge that he was unjustly held responsible for the failure of the campaign.
Many more Irishmen served with great honour and distinction within the ranks of the Austrian Army. I have only mentioned a few, but even today there are strong ties between both countries.
He was a Lieutenat Field Marshal in command of the Silesian garrisons when in 1740, Frederick II and the Prussian Army overran the province. His careful employment of such resources as he possessed materially hindered the King in his conquest and gave time for Austria to collect a field army. He was present at Mollwitz, where he received a severe wound. His vehement opposition to all half-hearted measures brought frequently into conflict with his superiors, but contributed materially to the unusual energy displayed by the Austrian armies in 1742 and 1743. In the following campaigns von Browne exhibited the same qualities of generalship and the same impatience of control. In 1745 he served under Count Traun, and was promoted to the rank of Feldzeugmeister. In 1746 he was present in the Italian campaign and the battles of Piacenza and Rottofreddo. Von Browne himself with the advanced guard forced his way across the Appennines and entered Genoa. he was thereafter placed in command of the army intended for the invasion of France, and early in 1747 of all the imperial forces in Italy instead of Antoniotto Botta Adorno. At the end of the war, von Browne was engaged in the negotiations on troop withdrawls from Italy, which led to the convention of Nice ( January 21st, 1749 ). He became Commander-in-Chief in Bohemia in 1751, and Field Marshal ( Generalfeldmarschall ) two years later. He was still in Bohemia when the Seven Year's War opened with Frederick's invasion of Saxony ( 1756 ). Von Browne's army, advancing to the relief of Pirna, was met, and, after a hard struggle, defeated by the King at Lobositz, but he withdrew in excellent order, and soon made another attempt with a picked force to reach Pirna, by wild mountain tracks. The Field Marshal never spared himself, bivouacking in the snow with his men, and it is reported that private soldiers made rough shelters over him as he slept. He actually reached the Elbe at Schandau, but as the Saxons were unable to break out, von Browne retired, having succeeded, however, in delaying the development of Frederick's operations for a whole campaign. In the campaign of 1757 he voluntarily served under Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine who was made Commander-in-Chief, and on the 6th May in that year, while leading a bayonet charge at the Battle of Prague, von Browne met his death. He was carried mortally wounded into Prague, and there died on the 26th June 1757, his last days embittered by the knowledge that he was unjustly held responsible for the failure of the campaign.
Many more Irishmen served with great honour and distinction within the ranks of the Austrian Army. I have only mentioned a few, but even today there are strong ties between both countries.
Swedish Service
In 1609, Arthur Chichester, then Lord Deputy of Ireland, who persued a scorched earth policy against Irish Catholics in Ireland, deported 1300 former rebel Irish soldiers from Ulster to serve in the Swedish Army. However, under the influence of Catholic clergy, many of them deserted to Spanish service.
Italian Service
Despite being less studied the ancient and traditional ' mestiere delle armi ' in Italy was also a well known profession by the Irish. The ' tercio ' of Lucas Taf ( around 500 men ) served in Milan towards 1655. The Army of Saboya also included Irishmen, but in Italy the Irish were organised basically by the Spanish Administration. In 1694 another regiment in Milan was exclusively composed by Irishmen. Around 3-4 % of a total of 20,000 men were Irish in the Spanish Army of Milan. It is not a high figure, but it was important as regards quality. In this context, Jacobo Francisco Fitz-James Stuart ( 1696-1739 ), Duke of Berwick and of Liria is just one example of this success. He began to serve the Monarchy in 1711 and succeeded in becoming General Lieutenat ( 1732 ), ambassador in Russia, in Austria and in Naples, where he died.
Irish recruitment for continental armies dried up after it was made illegal in 1745. In 1732 Sir Charles Wogan indicated in a letter to Dean Swift that 120,000 Irishmen had been killed and wounded serving in foreign service
" within these forty years ", with Swift later replying " I cannot but highly esteem those gentlemen of Ireland who, with all the disadvantages of being exiles and strangers, have been able to distinguish themselves by their valour and conduct in so many parts of Europe, i think above all other nations ".
It was some time before the British armed forces began to tap into Irish Catholic manpower. In the late eighteenth century, the Penal Laws were gradually relaxed and in the 1790s the laws prohibiting Catholics bearing arms were abolished. Thereafter the British began recruiting Irish regiments for the Crown Forces - including such famous regiments as the Connaught Rangers. It has been estimated that up to forty percent of Arthur Wellesley's army in the Peninsular War was Irish. By 1830 over 42% of the British Army was Irish ( 41% were English ) The British Army would rely heavily on these incredibly brave men from Ireland and they would fight in nearly every corner of the globe. The reputation they earned was second to none.
" within these forty years ", with Swift later replying " I cannot but highly esteem those gentlemen of Ireland who, with all the disadvantages of being exiles and strangers, have been able to distinguish themselves by their valour and conduct in so many parts of Europe, i think above all other nations ".
It was some time before the British armed forces began to tap into Irish Catholic manpower. In the late eighteenth century, the Penal Laws were gradually relaxed and in the 1790s the laws prohibiting Catholics bearing arms were abolished. Thereafter the British began recruiting Irish regiments for the Crown Forces - including such famous regiments as the Connaught Rangers. It has been estimated that up to forty percent of Arthur Wellesley's army in the Peninsular War was Irish. By 1830 over 42% of the British Army was Irish ( 41% were English ) The British Army would rely heavily on these incredibly brave men from Ireland and they would fight in nearly every corner of the globe. The reputation they earned was second to none.
