Ignaz Gyulai
Encyclopedia
Ignaz Gyulai von Máros-Nemeth und Nádaska, Ignácz Gyulay, Ignác Gyulay, or Ignjat Đulaj born 11 September 1763 – died 11 November 1831, joined the army of Habsburg Austria, fought against Ottoman Turkey, and became a general officer during the French Revolutionary Wars
. From 1806 he held the title of Ban of Croatia
. In the struggle against the First French Empire
during Napoleonic Wars
, he commanded army corps. At the time of his death, he presided over the Hofkriegsrat
, the Austrian Council of War.
While fighting against the Turks, Gyulai rose in rank to become a field officer. From 1793 to 1796, he served on the upper Rhine in combat with the armies of the First French Republic. In 1799 he led a brigade in Germany and the following year he commanded a division. From 1801 until 1831, he was Proprietor (Inhaber)
of a Hungarian infantry regiment.
During the Napoleonic Wars
, Gyulai fought in the 1805 campaign against the First French Empire
and later served his emperor as a negotiator in the peace talks. He commanded an Austrian army corps in the 1809 campaign in Italy. Again leading a corps, he fought at the decisive Battle of the Nations in 1813. During the subsequent French campaign in 1814, he led one of the corps in the victorious Allied armies.
(Hermannstadt) in the region of Transylvania
in modern-day Romania
on 11 September 1763, Gyulai was the oldest son of the Austrian Feldmarschallleutnant Samuel Gyulai. In 1781 he joined his father's unit, the Gyulai Infantry Regiment # 32, as a Fahnrich
(cadet). He fought in the Austro-Turkish War (1787-1791)
, becoming a Major
in the 2nd Banal Grenz Infantry
Regiment # 70 on 25 March 1789. Within a year he earned promotion to Oberst-Leutnant
and commanded a battalion of the Gyulai Freikorps
. He led this unit in the storm of Cetin Castle on 20 July 1790.
. On 13 October that year, he led a brigade under Friedrich von Hotze
in the First Battle of Wissembourg
. In November, he held the village of Merzweiler for three weeks in the face of French attacks before the Second Battle of Wissembourg
. This action earned him the Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa
in 1794.
In 1793-1794, his younger brother Albert Gyulai
served in the Flanders Campaign
. In 1794, Ignaz Gyulai married Maria Freiin von Edelsheim (d. 1814). Their son Ferencz Gyulai
was born in 1798 and went on to become a high-ranking Austro-Hungarian general.
Gyulai fought on the upper Rhine in 1794 and 1795. On 8 April 1795, he became Oberst
(colonel
) of the Benjowsky Infantry Regiment # 31. However, he continued to lead the Gyulai Freikorps. In 1796, he served under Michael Fröhlich in Maximilian Baillet de Latour's
Army of the Upper Rhine. He fought at Renchen
on 28 June and helped cover the subsequent retreat of the Imperial troops. Archduke Charles
ordered him to command a force linking the Army of the Upper Rhine and Fröhlich's corps. After the Battle of Ettlingen
, Gyulai led Fröhlich's rearguard, earning praise from his superior as a skillful commander of outposts. Later that fall, he greatly distinguished himself in action at Memmingen
. For eight hours on 22 September, he held up the advance 6,000 French with only 1,200 soldiers. On 16 May 1797 he was elevated in rank to General-Major
.
division at the Battle of Ostrach
. He also fought at the First Battle of Stockach on 25 March. Soon afterward, he ambushed three battalions and four squadrons of French troops and chased them into Breisach
.
The following year, Gyulai fought at the Second Battle of Stockach on 3 May 1800 and the Battle of Messkirch
on 5 May. After the latter action, he led the rearguard and won a skirmish at Günzburg
on 24 May, taking 250 French prisoners. He captured 156 enemy troops in another skirmish at Krumbach on 11 June. These successes led to Gyulai being awarded the Commander's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa and promoted to Feldmarschallleutnant on 29 October.
When the truce ended that fall, Gyulai found himself leading a division in Johann Riesch's
corps, which was part of Archduke John's main army. He fought at the Battle of Ampfing
on 1 December. Two days later at the Battle of Hohenlinden, Antoine Richepanse
's division marched in front of Riesch's slow-moving left column to envelop the Austrian left-center column. Instead of attacking with crushing strength, Riesch erred by breaking up his two divisions into five small task forces while retaining three battalions and 17 squadrons in reserve. The corps commander then sent each task force along separate forest trails to attack the French. Gyulai fought well, but he had too few troops under his orders to influence the outcome of the battle, which ended in a decisive French victory.
In April 1801, he became the proprietor of Ignaz Gyulai Infantry Regiment # 60, a Hungarian unit formed in 1798. He held this post for 30 years until his death.
, commanding the Danube
army's grenadier reserve in Franz von Werneck
's corps. At the Battle of Günzburg
on 9 October he commanded a division of seven battalions and 14 squadrons. Ordered to rebuild a bridge across the Danube
, he did so but was surprised when a French infantry regiment suddenly appeared and seized the span. Later, he escaped from Ulm with Archduke Ferdinand Karl Joseph of Austria-Este
and others. On 4 November, Gyulai served on a council of war convened by Emperor Francis II to determine how to save Vienna
. Soon afterward, the emperor ordered him to negotiate secretly with Emperor Napoleon I of France
.
On 25 November, Gyulai accompanied Johann Philipp Stadion, Count von Warthausen
on a mission to negotiate a treaty with Emperor Napoleon I of France
. During the talks Gyulai demanded that France compensate Austria for the loss of Venetia
. A frustrated Napoleon wrote to Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord that Gyulai, "talked to me of the Teutonic Order, of the Diet in Ratisbonne, and I don't know what else". Though the discussions continued with Talleyrand, Napoleon became more focused on defeating his enemies and nothing came out of the peace talks. After the disaster at the Battle of Austerlitz
, at which Gyulai was not present, he and Johann I Josef, Prince of Liechtenstein
negotiated the Peace of Pressburg
with the First French Empire
. Emperor Francis II appointed Gyulai the Ban of Croatia
in 1806, a position he held throughout his lifetime.
, Gyulai led the IX Armeekorps in Archduke John's army in Italy. As originally organized, the corps consisted of three divisions under Franz Gorup von Bessanez, Christian Wolfskeel von Reichenberg, and Vinzenz Knesevich von Saint Helena. Gyulai commanded 22,290 infantry, 2,400 cavalry, and 86 artillery pieces. The IX Armeekorps fought at the Battle of Sacile
on 16 April 1809. During the fighting, the surprise intervention of the IX Armeekorps on the right flank was important in securing the Austrian victory over the Franco-Italian army of Eugène de Beauharnais
. Interestingly, his brother Albert led VIII Armeekorps in the same battle.
When Emperor Napoleon I
defeated Archduke Charles at the Battle of Eckmuhl
on the Danube
, Archduke John was thrown on the defensive. The archduke assigned elements of Gyulai's corps to defend Dalmatia
and other places. At the Battle of the Piave
on 8 May, Gyulai led a considerably reduced IX Armeekorps of 12,720 men. As at Sacile, his brother Albert Gyulai led the VIII Armeekorps. Later, he defended Kranj
in Carniola
with 14,880 soldiers. After Eugène's army passed to the east in pursuit of Archduke John's army, Gyulai operated against Graz
. On 25 June, his 22,000 troops attacked Jean-Baptiste Broussier's division which was besieging Graz. Broussier retreated into the hills and successfully defended himself until the arrival of Auguste Marmont
's corps on the 27th. Gyulai was able to reprovision the Graz garrison before he withdrew. In the fighting, many of the hastily-raised Austrian Landwehr
and Hungarian insurrections militia
fled the field. However, Gyulai's Austrian line infantry fought hard and suffered 164 dead and 816 wounded and captured. Reports of French casualties range from 263 to 900.
, Gyulai was appointed commander of the Left Wing. His forces included the infantry divisions of Nikolaus Weissenwolf and Alois Liechtenstein, plus the mixed infantry-cavalry division of Karl Folliot de Crenneville. This organization fought at the Battle of Dresden
on 26–27 August 1813, where it fought on the left flank and suffered serious losses.
After a reorganization, Gyulai's formation became known as III Armeekorps, with each infantry division consisting of two, rather than three brigades. The new division commanders were Crenneville, Albrecht Murray de Melgum, and Prince Philipp of Hessen-Homburg. This was the organization used at the Battle of Leipzig
on 16–19 October. Before the battle, Gyulai's corps reached a position to the west of Napoleon's Grand Army, potentially cutting off the retreat of the French and their allies. On the 16th, he attacked the suburb of Lindenau and had success at first, forcing Marshal Michel Ney
to divert Henri Gatien Bertrand's IV Corps to hold the position. Without this important reinforcement, Napoleon's attacks on the main Austro-Russian army failed. On the 18th, Bertrand drove Gyulai away from Lindenau, clearing the way for Napoleon's retreat.
Gyulai continued to lead the III Armeekorps in the 1814 campaign. He fought at the Battle of La Rothière
on 1 February and defeated the French at the Battle of Bar-sur-Aube
on 27 February. On 20–21 March, he led his corps in action at the Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube
. He participated in the Battle of Paris
when the Allied armies captured the French capital, compelling Napoleon to abdicate in the Treaty of Fontainebleau
on 11 April. He received numerous awards, including the Austrian Order of Leopold
and the Military Honor Cross, the Russian Order of St. Alexander Nevsky
, the Prussian Order of the Red Eagle
- 1st Class, and the Bavarian Military Order of Max Joseph
.
and received the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary
, both in 1830. He briefly sat as president of the Hofkriegsrat
(Aulic Council
) from 7 October 1830 until his death on 11 November 1831 in Vienna
.
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
. From 1806 he held the title of Ban of Croatia
Ban of Croatia
Ban of Croatia was the title of local rulers and after 1102 viceroys of Croatia. From earliest periods of Croatian state, some provinces were ruled by Bans as a rulers representative and supreme military commander. In the 18th century, Croatian bans eventually become chief government officials in...
. In the struggle against the First French Empire
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
during Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, he commanded army corps. At the time of his death, he presided over the Hofkriegsrat
Hofkriegsrat
The Hofkriegsrat was the Court Council of War of the Habsburg Monarchy. Founded in 1556 in the reign of Emperor Ferdinand I, it was a council of men with military experience who could take charge of the army and its needs, in both war and peacetime...
, the Austrian Council of War.
While fighting against the Turks, Gyulai rose in rank to become a field officer. From 1793 to 1796, he served on the upper Rhine in combat with the armies of the First French Republic. In 1799 he led a brigade in Germany and the following year he commanded a division. From 1801 until 1831, he was Proprietor (Inhaber)
Proprietor (Inhaber)
A Proprietor, or Inhaber, was a term used in the Habsburg military to denote special honors extended to a noble or aristocrat. The Habsburg army was organized on principles developed for the feudal armies in which regiments were raised by a wealthy noble, called the Inhaber who also acted as...
of a Hungarian infantry regiment.
During the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, Gyulai fought in the 1805 campaign against the First French Empire
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
and later served his emperor as a negotiator in the peace talks. He commanded an Austrian army corps in the 1809 campaign in Italy. Again leading a corps, he fought at the decisive Battle of the Nations in 1813. During the subsequent French campaign in 1814, he led one of the corps in the victorious Allied armies.
Early career
Born in SibiuSibiu
Sibiu is a city in Transylvania, Romania with a population of 154,548. Located some 282 km north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the river Olt...
(Hermannstadt) in the region of Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
in modern-day Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
on 11 September 1763, Gyulai was the oldest son of the Austrian Feldmarschallleutnant Samuel Gyulai. In 1781 he joined his father's unit, the Gyulai Infantry Regiment # 32, as a Fahnrich
Fähnrich
Fähnrich is a German and Austrian military rank in armed forces which translates as "Ensign" in English. The rank also exists in a few other European military organizations, often with historical ties to the German system. Examples are Sweden, Norway and Finland . The French Army has a similar...
(cadet). He fought in the Austro-Turkish War (1787-1791)
Austro-Turkish War (1787-1791)
The Austro-Turkish War of 1787 was an inconclusive struggle between the Austrian and Ottoman Empires. It took place concomitantly with the Russo-Turkish War of 1787-1792.-History:...
, becoming a Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in the 2nd Banal Grenz Infantry
Grenz infantry
Grenz infantry or Grenzers were light infantry troops who came from the Croatian and Transylvanian Military Frontier in Habsburg Monarchy . This borderland formed a buffer zone between Christian Europe and the Ottoman Empire, and the troops were originally raised to defend Austria against the...
Regiment # 70 on 25 March 1789. Within a year he earned promotion to Oberst-Leutnant
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
and commanded a battalion of the Gyulai Freikorps
Freikorps
Freikorps are German volunteer military or paramilitary units. The term was originally applied to voluntary armies formed in German lands from the middle of the 18th century onwards. Between World War I and World War II the term was also used for the paramilitary organizations that arose during...
. He led this unit in the storm of Cetin Castle on 20 July 1790.
War of the First Coalition
In 1793, the army assigned Gyulai to the Army of the Upper Rhine under the command of Dagobert von WurmserDagobert Sigmund von Wurmser
Dagobert Sigismund, Count Wurmser was an Austrian field marshal during the French Revolutionary Wars. Although he fought in the Seven Years War, the War of the Bavarian Succession, and mounted several successful campaigns in the Rhineland in the initial years of the French Revolutionary Wars, he...
. On 13 October that year, he led a brigade under Friedrich von Hotze
Friedrich Freiherr von Hotze
Friedrich Hotze, also known as Friedrich Freiherr von Hotze , a Swiss-born field marshal in the Austrian army during the French Revolutionary Wars, campaigned in the Rhineland during the War of the First Coalition and in Switzerland in the War of the Second Coalition, notably at Battle of...
in the First Battle of Wissembourg
First Battle of Wissembourg (1793)
In the First Battle of Wissembourg on 13 October 1793, an Allied army commanded by Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser attacked and defeated Jean Pascal Carlenc's French army defending behind the Lauter River...
. In November, he held the village of Merzweiler for three weeks in the face of French attacks before the Second Battle of Wissembourg
Second Battle of Wissembourg (1793)
The Second Battle of Wissembourg from 6 December 1793 to 9 February 1794 saw an army of the First French Republic under General Lazare Hoche fight a series of clashes against an army of Austrians, Prussians, Bavarians, and Hessians led by General Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser. There were significant...
. This action earned him the Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa
Military Order of Maria Theresa
The Military Order of Maria Theresa was an Order of the Austro-Hungarian Empire founded on June 18, 1757, the day of the Battle of Kolin, by the Empress...
in 1794.
In 1793-1794, his younger brother Albert Gyulai
Albert Gyulai
Albert Gyulai von Máros-Németh und Nádaska or Albert Gyulay, born 12 September 1766 – died 27 April 1835, a Hungarian, joined the army of Habsburg Austria and fought against Ottoman Turkey. He served against the First French Republic in the Flanders Campaign and on the Rhine...
served in the Flanders Campaign
Flanders Campaign
This feature refers to the conflict that took place during the Wars of the French Revolution 1792–1801.For the Low Countries campaigns of the War of the Grand Alliance 1688–97 see Nine Years' War...
. In 1794, Ignaz Gyulai married Maria Freiin von Edelsheim (d. 1814). Their son Ferencz Gyulai
Ferencz Gyulai
Count Ferencz Gyulai de Marosnémethi et Nádaska , also known as Ferenc Gyulai, Ferencz Gyulaj, or Franz Gyulai, was a Hungarian nobleman who served as Austrian Governor of Lombardy-Venetia and commanded the losing Austrian army at the Battle of Magenta.-Biography:Gyulai was born on 1 September 1798...
was born in 1798 and went on to become a high-ranking Austro-Hungarian general.
Gyulai fought on the upper Rhine in 1794 and 1795. On 8 April 1795, he became Oberst
Oberst
Oberst is a military rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway. The Swedish rank överste is a direct translation, as are the Finnish rank eversti...
(colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
) of the Benjowsky Infantry Regiment # 31. However, he continued to lead the Gyulai Freikorps. In 1796, he served under Michael Fröhlich in Maximilian Baillet de Latour's
Maximilian Anton Karl, Count Baillet de Latour
Count Maximilian Anton Karl Baillet de Latour was a general in Austrian service during the French Revolutionary Wars.- Biography :...
Army of the Upper Rhine. He fought at Renchen
Renchen
Renchen is a small city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, part of the district of Ortenau.-Geography:Renchen is located in the foothills of the northern Black Forest at the entrance to the Rench valley at the edge of the Upper Rhine River Plains....
on 28 June and helped cover the subsequent retreat of the Imperial troops. Archduke Charles
Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen
Archduke Charles of Austria, Duke of Teschen was an Austrian field-marshal, the third son of emperor Leopold II and his wife Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain...
ordered him to command a force linking the Army of the Upper Rhine and Fröhlich's corps. After the Battle of Ettlingen
Battle of Ettlingen
The Battle of Ettlingen on 9 July 1796 was fought during the French Revolutionary Wars between the armies of the First French Republic and Habsburg Austria near the town of Malsch, 9 km southwest of Ettlingen. The Austrians under Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen tried to halt the eastward...
, Gyulai led Fröhlich's rearguard, earning praise from his superior as a skillful commander of outposts. Later that fall, he greatly distinguished himself in action at Memmingen
Memmingen
Memmingen is a town in the Bavarian administrative region of Swabia in Germany. It is the central economic, educational and administrative centre in the Danube-Iller region. To the west the town is flanked by the Iller, the river that marks the Baden-Württemberg border...
. For eight hours on 22 September, he held up the advance 6,000 French with only 1,200 soldiers. On 16 May 1797 he was elevated in rank to General-Major
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
.
War of the Second Coalition
On 20–21 March 1799, Gyulai led a brigade in Friedrich Nauendorf'sFriedrich Joseph, Count of Nauendorf
Friedrich Joseph of Nauendorf, a general and field marshal in Habsburg service during the French Revolutionary Wars, was noted for his intrepid and daring raids....
division at the Battle of Ostrach
Battle of Ostrach
The Battle of Ostrach, also called the Battle by Ostrach, occurred on 20–21 March 1799. It was the first battle of the War of the Second Coalition. The battle resulted in the victory of the Austrian forces, under the command of Archduke Charles, over the French forces, commanded by Jean...
. He also fought at the First Battle of Stockach on 25 March. Soon afterward, he ambushed three battalions and four squadrons of French troops and chased them into Breisach
Breisach
Breisach is a town with approximately 16,500 inhabitants, situated along the Rhine in the Rhine Valley, in the district Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about halfway between Freiburg and Colmar — 20 kilometres away from each — and about 60 kilometres north of Basel near the...
.
The following year, Gyulai fought at the Second Battle of Stockach on 3 May 1800 and the Battle of Messkirch
Battle of Messkirch
The Battle of Meßkirch was fought on 4 and 5 May 1800 and resulted the victory of French army against the Austrians.-Overview:On 25 April 1800 the French Armée d'Allemagne, under Jean Victor Marie Moreau, crossed the Rhine River at Kehl and Schaffhausen. The 1st Demi-Brigade, of the Corps led by...
on 5 May. After the latter action, he led the rearguard and won a skirmish at Günzburg
Günzburg
Günzburg is a Große Kreisstadt and capital of the district of Günzburg in Swabia, Bavaria. This district was constituted in 1972 by combining the city of Günzburg—which had not previously been assigned to a Kreis —with the district of Günzburg and the district of Krumbach.Günzburg lies...
on 24 May, taking 250 French prisoners. He captured 156 enemy troops in another skirmish at Krumbach on 11 June. These successes led to Gyulai being awarded the Commander's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa and promoted to Feldmarschallleutnant on 29 October.
When the truce ended that fall, Gyulai found himself leading a division in Johann Riesch's
Johann Sigismund Riesch
Johann Sigismund Graf von Riesch joined the army of Habsburg Austria as a cavalry officer and, during his career, fought against the Kingdom of Prussia, Ottoman Turkey, Revolutionary France, and Napoleon's French Empire...
corps, which was part of Archduke John's main army. He fought at the Battle of Ampfing
Battle of Ampfing (1800)
The Battle of Ampfing on 1 December 1800 saw Paul Grenier's two divisions of the First French Republic defending against the Austrian army southwest of the town of Ampfing during the French Revolutionary Wars. The Austrians, under the leadership of Archduke John of Austria, forced their enemies to...
on 1 December. Two days later at the Battle of Hohenlinden, Antoine Richepanse
Antoine Richepanse
Antoine Richepanse was a French revolutionary general and colonial administrator.-Military career:Richepanse was born in Metz as the son of an officer of the Regiment of Conti...
's division marched in front of Riesch's slow-moving left column to envelop the Austrian left-center column. Instead of attacking with crushing strength, Riesch erred by breaking up his two divisions into five small task forces while retaining three battalions and 17 squadrons in reserve. The corps commander then sent each task force along separate forest trails to attack the French. Gyulai fought well, but he had too few troops under his orders to influence the outcome of the battle, which ended in a decisive French victory.
In April 1801, he became the proprietor of Ignaz Gyulai Infantry Regiment # 60, a Hungarian unit formed in 1798. He held this post for 30 years until his death.
War of the Third Coalition
In 1805, Gyulai fought in the Ulm CampaignUlm Campaign
The Ulm Campaign consisted of a series of French and Bavarian military maneuvers and battles to outflank and capture an Austrian army in 1805 during the War of the Third Coalition. It took place in the vicinity of and inside the Swabian city of Ulm...
, commanding the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
army's grenadier reserve in Franz von Werneck
Franz von Werneck
Franz Freiherr von Werneck, born 13 October 1748 – died 17 January 1806, enlisted in the army of Habsburg Austria and fought in the Austro-Turkish War, the French Revolutionary Wars, and the Napoleonic Wars. He enjoyed a distinguished career until 1797, when he lost a battle and was dismissed...
's corps. At the Battle of Günzburg
Battle of Günzburg
The Battle of Günzburg on 9 October 1805 saw General of Division Jean-Pierre Firmin Malher's French division attempt to seize a crossing over the Danube River at Günzburg in the face of a Habsburg Austrian army led by Feldmarschall-Leutnant Karl Mack von Lieberich. Malher's division managed to...
on 9 October he commanded a division of seven battalions and 14 squadrons. Ordered to rebuild a bridge across the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
, he did so but was surprised when a French infantry regiment suddenly appeared and seized the span. Later, he escaped from Ulm with Archduke Ferdinand Karl Joseph of Austria-Este
Archduke Ferdinand Karl Joseph of Austria-Este
Archduke Ferdinand Karl Joseph of Austria-Este was the third son of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este and of his wife Princess Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este, last member and heiress of the house of Este. For much of the Napoleonic Wars he was in command of the Austrian army.Ferdinand was born...
and others. On 4 November, Gyulai served on a council of war convened by Emperor Francis II to determine how to save Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. Soon afterward, the emperor ordered him to negotiate secretly with Emperor Napoleon I of France
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
.
On 25 November, Gyulai accompanied Johann Philipp Stadion, Count von Warthausen
Johann Philipp Stadion, Count von Warthausen
Johann Philipp Carl Joseph, Graf von Stadion-Warthausen . Born in Mainz, he was a statesman, foreign minister, and diplomat who served the Habsburg empire during the Napoleonic Wars. He was also founder of the Austrian National Bank...
on a mission to negotiate a treaty with Emperor Napoleon I of France
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
. During the talks Gyulai demanded that France compensate Austria for the loss of Venetia
Venetia
Venetia is a name used mostly in a historical context for the area of Northeast Italy, corresponding approximately to the present-day Italian administrative regions of the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia...
. A frustrated Napoleon wrote to Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord that Gyulai, "talked to me of the Teutonic Order, of the Diet in Ratisbonne, and I don't know what else". Though the discussions continued with Talleyrand, Napoleon became more focused on defeating his enemies and nothing came out of the peace talks. After the disaster at the Battle of Austerlitz
Battle of Austerlitz
The Battle of Austerlitz, also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of Napoleon's greatest victories, where the French Empire effectively crushed the Third Coalition...
, at which Gyulai was not present, he and Johann I Josef, Prince of Liechtenstein
Johann I Josef, Prince of Liechtenstein
Johann I Joseph, Prince of Liechtenstein, born Johann Baptist Joseph Adam Johann Nepomuk Aloys Franz de Paula was the Prince of Liechtenstein between 1805 and 1806 and again from 1814 until 1836...
negotiated the Peace of Pressburg
Peace of Pressburg
The Peace of Pressburg refers to four peace treaties concluded in Pressburg . The fourth Peace of Pressburg of 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars is the best-known.-First:...
with the First French Empire
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
. Emperor Francis II appointed Gyulai the Ban of Croatia
Ban of Croatia
Ban of Croatia was the title of local rulers and after 1102 viceroys of Croatia. From earliest periods of Croatian state, some provinces were ruled by Bans as a rulers representative and supreme military commander. In the 18th century, Croatian bans eventually become chief government officials in...
in 1806, a position he held throughout his lifetime.
War of the Fifth Coalition
At the outset of the War of the Fifth CoalitionWar of the Fifth Coalition
The War of the Fifth Coalition, fought in the year 1809, pitted a coalition of the Austrian Empire and the United Kingdom against Napoleon's French Empire and Bavaria. Major engagements between France and Austria, the main participants, unfolded over much of Central Europe from April to July, with...
, Gyulai led the IX Armeekorps in Archduke John's army in Italy. As originally organized, the corps consisted of three divisions under Franz Gorup von Bessanez, Christian Wolfskeel von Reichenberg, and Vinzenz Knesevich von Saint Helena. Gyulai commanded 22,290 infantry, 2,400 cavalry, and 86 artillery pieces. The IX Armeekorps fought at the Battle of Sacile
Battle of Sacile
The Battle of Sacile on 16 April 1809 and its companion Clash at Pordenone on 15 April saw an Austrian army commanded by Archduke John of Austria defeat a Franco-Italian army led by Eugène de Beauharnais and force it to retreat. Sacile proved to be the most notable victory of John's career...
on 16 April 1809. During the fighting, the surprise intervention of the IX Armeekorps on the right flank was important in securing the Austrian victory over the Franco-Italian army of Eugène de Beauharnais
Eugène de Beauharnais
Eugène Rose de Beauharnais, Prince Français, Prince of Venice, Viceroy of the Kingdom of Italy, Hereditary Grand Duke of Frankfurt, 1st Duke of Leuchtenberg and 1st Prince of Eichstätt ad personam was the first child and only son of Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais and Joséphine Tascher de la...
. Interestingly, his brother Albert led VIII Armeekorps in the same battle.
When Emperor Napoleon I
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
defeated Archduke Charles at the Battle of Eckmuhl
Battle of Eckmühl
The Battle of Eckmühl fought on 21 April – 22 April 1809, was the turning point of the 1809 Campaign, also known as the War of the Fifth Coalition...
on the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
, Archduke John was thrown on the defensive. The archduke assigned elements of Gyulai's corps to defend Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
and other places. At the Battle of the Piave
Battle of Piave River (1809)
The Battle of Piave River was fought on 8 May 1809 between the Franco-Italian army under the command of Eugène de Beauharnais and an Austrian army led by Archduke John of Austria. The Austrian commander made a stand behind the Piave River but he suffered a defeat at the hands of his numerically...
on 8 May, Gyulai led a considerably reduced IX Armeekorps of 12,720 men. As at Sacile, his brother Albert Gyulai led the VIII Armeekorps. Later, he defended Kranj
Kranj
' is the third largest municipality and fourth largest city in Slovenia, with a population of 54,500 . It is located approximately 20 km north-west of Ljubljana...
in Carniola
Carniola
Carniola was a historical region that comprised parts of what is now Slovenia. As part of Austria-Hungary, the region was a crown land officially known as the Duchy of Carniola until 1918. In 1849, the region was subdivided into Upper Carniola, Lower Carniola, and Inner Carniola...
with 14,880 soldiers. After Eugène's army passed to the east in pursuit of Archduke John's army, Gyulai operated against Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
. On 25 June, his 22,000 troops attacked Jean-Baptiste Broussier's division which was besieging Graz. Broussier retreated into the hills and successfully defended himself until the arrival of Auguste Marmont
Auguste Marmont
Auguste Frédéric Louis Viesse de Marmont, 1st Duke of Ragusa was a French General, nobleman and Marshal of France.-Biography:...
's corps on the 27th. Gyulai was able to reprovision the Graz garrison before he withdrew. In the fighting, many of the hastily-raised Austrian Landwehr
Landwehr
Landwehr, or Landeswehr, is a German language term used in referring to certain national armies, or militias found in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Europe. In different context it refers to large scale, low strength fortifications...
and Hungarian insurrections militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
fled the field. However, Gyulai's Austrian line infantry fought hard and suffered 164 dead and 816 wounded and captured. Reports of French casualties range from 263 to 900.
War of the Sixth Coalition
When Austria entered the War of the Sixth CoalitionWar of the Sixth Coalition
In the War of the Sixth Coalition , a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, Spain and a number of German States finally defeated France and drove Napoleon Bonaparte into exile on Elba. After Napoleon's disastrous invasion of Russia, the continental powers...
, Gyulai was appointed commander of the Left Wing. His forces included the infantry divisions of Nikolaus Weissenwolf and Alois Liechtenstein, plus the mixed infantry-cavalry division of Karl Folliot de Crenneville. This organization fought at the Battle of Dresden
Battle of Dresden
The Battle of Dresden was fought on 26–27 August 1813 around Dresden, Germany, resulting in a French victory under Napoleon I against forces of the Sixth Coalition of Austrians, Russians and Prussians under Field Marshal Schwartzenberg. However, Napoleon's victory was not as complete as it could...
on 26–27 August 1813, where it fought on the left flank and suffered serious losses.
After a reorganization, Gyulai's formation became known as III Armeekorps, with each infantry division consisting of two, rather than three brigades. The new division commanders were Crenneville, Albrecht Murray de Melgum, and Prince Philipp of Hessen-Homburg. This was the organization used at the Battle of Leipzig
Battle of Leipzig
The Battle of Leipzig or Battle of the Nations, on 16–19 October 1813, was fought by the coalition armies of Russia, Prussia, Austria and Sweden against the French army of Napoleon. Napoleon's army also contained Polish and Italian troops as well as Germans from the Confederation of the Rhine...
on 16–19 October. Before the battle, Gyulai's corps reached a position to the west of Napoleon's Grand Army, potentially cutting off the retreat of the French and their allies. On the 16th, he attacked the suburb of Lindenau and had success at first, forcing Marshal Michel Ney
Michel Ney
Michel Ney , 1st Duc d'Elchingen, 1st Prince de la Moskowa was a French soldier and military commander during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one of the original 18 Marshals of France created by Napoleon I...
to divert Henri Gatien Bertrand's IV Corps to hold the position. Without this important reinforcement, Napoleon's attacks on the main Austro-Russian army failed. On the 18th, Bertrand drove Gyulai away from Lindenau, clearing the way for Napoleon's retreat.
Gyulai continued to lead the III Armeekorps in the 1814 campaign. He fought at the Battle of La Rothière
Battle of La Rothiere
The Battle of La Rothière was fought on 1 February 1814 between the French Empire and allied army of Austria, Prussia, Russia, and German States previously allies with France. The French were led by Emperor Napoleon and the coalition army was under the command of Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher...
on 1 February and defeated the French at the Battle of Bar-sur-Aube
Battle of Bar-sur-Aube
The Battle of Bar-sur-Aube was fought on February 27, 1814, between the First French Empire and the Austrian Empire. The French were led by Nicolas Oudinot, while the Austrians and their Bavarian allies, forming the Army of Bohemia, were led by Karl Philipp Fürst zu Schwarzenberg...
on 27 February. On 20–21 March, he led his corps in action at the Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube
Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube
The Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube was Napoleon’s penultimate battle before his abdication and exile to Elba...
. He participated in the Battle of Paris
Battle of Paris (1814)
The Battle of Paris was fought during the Napoleonic Wars in 1814. The French defeat led directly to the abdication of Napoleon I.-Background:...
when the Allied armies captured the French capital, compelling Napoleon to abdicate in the Treaty of Fontainebleau
Treaty of Fontainebleau (1814)
The Treaty of Fontainebleau was an agreement established in Fontainebleau on 11 April 1814 between Napoleon Bonaparte and representatives from Austria, Hungary and Bohemia , as well as Russia and Prussia. The treaty was signed at Paris on 11 April by the plenipotentiaries of both sides, and...
on 11 April. He received numerous awards, including the Austrian Order of Leopold
Order of Leopold (Austria)
The Imperial Austrian Order of Leopold was founded by Franz I of Austria on 8 January 1808. The order's statutes stipulated only three grades: Grand Cross, Commander and Knight. During the war, in common with the other Austro-Hungarian decorations Crossed Swords were instituted to reward bravery in...
and the Military Honor Cross, the Russian Order of St. Alexander Nevsky
Order of St. Alexander Nevsky
The Imperial Order of St. Alexander Nevsky was an order of chivalry of the Russian Empire.-History:The introduction of the Imperial Order of St. Alexander Nevsky was planned by Emperor Peter I of Russia...
, the Prussian Order of the Red Eagle
Order of the Red Eagle
The Order of the Red Eagle was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful service to the kingdom, or other achievements...
- 1st Class, and the Bavarian Military Order of Max Joseph
Military Order of Max Joseph
The Military Order of Max Joseph was the highest purely military order of the Kingdom of Bavaria. It was founded on 1 January 1806 by Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, the first king of Bavaria...
.
Later career
From 1814 to 1823, Gyulai commanded the Banal Military Border with Turkey. He became proprietor of the 1st Banal Grenz Regiment # 10 and the 2nd Banal Grenz Regiment # 11 in 1823, and held these titles for the rest of his life. He was made a Knight of the Order of the Golden FleeceOrder of the Golden Fleece
The Order of the Golden Fleece is an order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Infanta Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King John I of Portugal. It evolved as one of the most prestigious orders in Europe...
and received the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary
Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary
The Royal Hungarian Order of Saint StephenThe Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary, the royal Hungarian order, founded in 1764 by the empress Maria Theresa of Austria, consisted of the grand master , 20 knights grand cross, 30 knights commanders and 50 knights...
, both in 1830. He briefly sat as president of the Hofkriegsrat
Hofkriegsrat
The Hofkriegsrat was the Court Council of War of the Habsburg Monarchy. Founded in 1556 in the reign of Emperor Ferdinand I, it was a council of men with military experience who could take charge of the army and its needs, in both war and peacetime...
(Aulic Council
Aulic Council
The Aulic Council was originally an executive-judicial council for the Holy Roman Empire....
) from 7 October 1830 until his death on 11 November 1831 in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
.
Printed materials
- Bowden, Scotty & Tarbox, Charlie. Armies on the Danube 1809. Arlington, Texas: Empire Games Press, 1980.
- Chandler, David. The Campaigns of Napoleon. New York: Macmillan, 1966.
- Chandler, David. Dictionary of the Napoleonic Wars. New York: Macmillan, 1979. ISBN 0-02-523670-9
- Kagan, Frederick W. The End of the Old Order: Napoleon and Europe, 1801-1805. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 2006. ISBN 0-306-81137-5
- Operational Studies Group, "Napoleon at Leipzig" Wargame Study Folder.
- Pivka, Otto von. Armies of the Napoleonic Era. New York: Taplinger Publishing, 1979. ISBN 0-8008-5471-3
- Rothenberg, Gunther E. Napoleon's Great Adversaries, The Archduke Charles and the Austrian Army, 1792-1814. Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press, 1982 ISBN 0-253-33969-3
- Schneid, Frederick C. Napoleon's Italian Campaigns: 1805-1815. Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers, 2002. ISBN 0-275-96875-8
- Smith, Digby. The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill, 1998. ISBN 1-85367-276-9