Sigbert Heister
Encyclopedia
Sigbert Graf Heister was an Imperial Field marshal
.
His father was Gottfried Heister (1609–1679), Vicepresident of the Hofkriegsrat
.
Sigbert fought in 1665 against the Turks, and later against the French. Because of his braveness and insight in combat, he reached the rank of General. He participated in the Battle of Vienna
in 1683 and fought in the following Great Turkish War
in Transylvania
.
He became General Major in 1686.
In 1689, Heister commanded the entire Infantry under Louis of Baden
in the Battles of Batočina
and Niš
, and in 1693 he led his own army corps against the insurgents in Hungary.
In 1697, Heister was one of the commanders under Eugene of Savoy, who defeated the Turks in the Battle of Zenta
.
In the beginning of the War of Spanish Succession, he was deployed in 1703 in Bayern and Tirol
.
After the outbreak of Rákóczi's War for Independence
in Hungary, and Prince Eugene fighting the French and Bavarians in the West, Heister was put at the head of an improvised army to defend Vienna against Rákóczi's Kurucs.
Heister became Field Marshal
and crushed in May 1704 an Kuruc army under Sándor Károlyi near St. Niclas. He fought many more battles against the insurgents, winning victories at Győr
(22 June 1704) and Trnava
(26 December 1704) and pushed ruthlessly the fighting back into Hungary.
His harshness was not appreciated in Vienna, where the Court still hoped to come to a negotiated peace with Rákóczi. He was replaced by General d´Erbeville and sent to Italy in 1706.
In 1708 the situation in Hungary was still not under control, and Heister was reappointed at the head of the army. Here he won the decisive Battle of Trenčín
, but was again replaced by the more diplomatic Johann Pálffy, who finally negotiated the end of the war in 1711.
Heister served one more time in the Austro-Turkish War of 1716–18 and played an important role in the capture of Belgrad on 22 August 1717, in which his son was killed.
The next year, Heister died in his palace in Kirchberg.
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
.
His father was Gottfried Heister (1609–1679), Vicepresident 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...
.
Sigbert fought in 1665 against the Turks, and later against the French. Because of his braveness and insight in combat, he reached the rank of General. He participated in the Battle of Vienna
Battle of Vienna
The Battle of Vienna took place on 11 and 12 September 1683 after Vienna had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months...
in 1683 and fought in the following Great Turkish War
Great Turkish War
The Great Turkish War refers to a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and contemporary European powers, then joined into a Holy League, during the second half of the 17th century.-1667–1683:...
in 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...
.
He became General Major in 1686.
In 1689, Heister commanded the entire Infantry under Louis of Baden
Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden
Louis William, Margrave of Baden was the ruler of Baden in Germany and chief commander of the Imperial army. He was also known as Türkenlouis...
in the Battles of Batočina
Battle of Batočina
The Battle of Batočina was fought on September 8 of 1688, near the city of Batočina in central Serbia, between the forces of the Ottoman Empire, and the forces of the Holy Roman Empire as part of the Great Turkish War. The Austrian army was victorious....
and Niš
Battle of Niš (1689)
The Battle of Niš was fought on September 24 of 1689, near the city of Niš in southern Serbia, between the forces of the Ottoman Empire, and the forces of the Holy Roman Empire as part of the Great Turkish War....
, and in 1693 he led his own army corps against the insurgents in Hungary.
In 1697, Heister was one of the commanders under Eugene of Savoy, who defeated the Turks in the Battle of Zenta
Battle of Zenta
The Battle of Zenta or Battle of Senta, fought on 11 September 1697 just south of Zenta , on the east side of the Tisza river, was a major engagement in the Great Turkish War and one of the most decisive defeats in Ottoman history...
.
In the beginning of the War of Spanish Succession, he was deployed in 1703 in Bayern and Tirol
County of Tyrol
The County of Tyrol, Princely County from 1504, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1814 a province of the Austrian Empire and from 1867 a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary...
.
After the outbreak of Rákóczi's War for Independence
Rákóczi's War for Independence
Rákóczi's War for Independence was the first significant attempt to topple therule of Habsburg Austria over Hungary. The war was fought by a group of noblemen, wealthy and high-ranking progressives and was led by Francis II Rákóczi Rákóczi's War for Independence (1703–1711) was the first...
in Hungary, and Prince Eugene fighting the French and Bavarians in the West, Heister was put at the head of an improvised army to defend Vienna against Rákóczi's Kurucs.
Heister became Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
and crushed in May 1704 an Kuruc army under Sándor Károlyi near St. Niclas. He fought many more battles against the insurgents, winning victories at Győr
Gyor
-Climate:-Main sights:The ancient core of the city is Káptalan Hill at the confluence of three rivers: the Danube, Rába and Rábca. Püspökvár, the residence of Győr’s bishops can be easily recognised by its incomplete tower. Győr’s oldest buildings are the 13th-century dwelling tower and the...
(22 June 1704) and Trnava
Trnava
Trnava is a city in western Slovakia, 47 km to the north-east of Bratislava, on the Trnávka river. It is the capital of a kraj and of an okres . It was the seat of a Roman Catholic archbishopric . The city has a historic center...
(26 December 1704) and pushed ruthlessly the fighting back into Hungary.
His harshness was not appreciated in Vienna, where the Court still hoped to come to a negotiated peace with Rákóczi. He was replaced by General d´Erbeville and sent to Italy in 1706.
In 1708 the situation in Hungary was still not under control, and Heister was reappointed at the head of the army. Here he won the decisive Battle of Trenčín
Battle of Trencín
The Battle of Trencsén was a battle between the Hungarian Kuruc forces of Francis II Rákóczi and the Imperial Army of the Habsburgs. The battle caused great losses for the Kuruc army, forcing them to give up their plans of obtaining allies in the War of the Spanish Succession against the Habsburgs...
, but was again replaced by the more diplomatic Johann Pálffy, who finally negotiated the end of the war in 1711.
Heister served one more time in the Austro-Turkish War of 1716–18 and played an important role in the capture of Belgrad on 22 August 1717, in which his son was killed.
The next year, Heister died in his palace in Kirchberg.
Literature
- Gertrude Hopfinger: Biographie des Feldmarschalls Heister. Dissertation, Wien 1939.