Joseph, Count Kinsky
Encyclopedia
Joseph, Count Kinsky, also known as Joseph, Count Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau, was a field marshal in imperial service of the House of Habsburg. He was born in Prague
, Bohemia
, on 22 February 1731 and died in Vienna
, Austria
, in 7 February 1804. He is one of four members of House of Kinsky to enter imperial Habsburg service in the eighteenth century including a younger and older brother, his uncle and his nephew; his father was a diplomat for the House of Habsburg, and other relatives include diplomats and imperial officials of the Habsburg empire.
, the Seven Years War, the War of the Bavarian Succession, and Habsburg border campaigns against the Ottoman Empire, 1778–92. He was promoted to Major General on 24 June 1767, effective 4 July 1761. In 1771, he was appointed Lieutenant Field Marshal, and in 1787, General of Cavalry. In 1787, he became commanding General of the Army in Hungary, and in September 1790, he became commanding General in Upper and Lower Austria, a position he held until 5 September 1800. From November 1788 until April 1789, he was also commander of the main Habsburg army. In 1796, he was promoted to Field Marshal.
He received the Knights Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa
on 30 April 1762. He was also Colonel Proprietor (Inhaber)
of the 7th Dragoon Regiment, a position he held until his death in 1804. After 1800, he was also a Imperial Privy Councilor.
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
, on 22 February 1731 and died 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...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, in 7 February 1804. He is one of four members of House of Kinsky to enter imperial Habsburg service in the eighteenth century including a younger and older brother, his uncle and his nephew; his father was a diplomat for the House of Habsburg, and other relatives include diplomats and imperial officials of the Habsburg empire.
Family
Joseph, Count von Kinsky was the fifth of nine children of Francis Ferdinand Kinzky z Vchynic a Tetova, Privy Councilor of the Kingdom of Bohemia (1723) (1 January 1678 – 13 September 1741), and the first child of his father's second wife (married 10 October 1730), Countess Maria Augustina Pálffy ab Erdöd (28 August 1714 – 3 March 1759). He never married. His younger brother, Franz-Joseph, Count Kinsky (1739 – 1806), was also a field marshal in Austrian service. Of his older siblings, the first three died in childhood and the fourth, Leopold Ferdinand (1713 – 1760), married the Princess Maria Christine von und zu Liechtenstein. They produced the family from which some of the current Kinskys are descended. Leopold Ferdinand served the Habsburgs in the military during the Seven Years War, and achieved the rank of Major General.Career
Little is known about Joseph's early military service, which included campaigns in the War of the Austrian SuccessionWar of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession – including King George's War in North America, the Anglo-Spanish War of Jenkins' Ear, and two of the three Silesian wars – involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg.The...
, the Seven Years War, the War of the Bavarian Succession, and Habsburg border campaigns against the Ottoman Empire, 1778–92. He was promoted to Major General on 24 June 1767, effective 4 July 1761. In 1771, he was appointed Lieutenant Field Marshal, and in 1787, General of Cavalry. In 1787, he became commanding General of the Army in Hungary, and in September 1790, he became commanding General in Upper and Lower Austria, a position he held until 5 September 1800. From November 1788 until April 1789, he was also commander of the main Habsburg army. In 1796, he was promoted to Field Marshal.
He received the Knights 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...
on 30 April 1762. He was also Colonel 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 the 7th Dragoon Regiment, a position he held until his death in 1804. After 1800, he was also a Imperial Privy Councilor.