Archduke Leopold Ludwig of Austria (German: Leopold Ludwig Maria Franz Julius Estorgius Gerhard Erzherzog von Österreich) (b. Milan 6 June 1823 – d. Hórnstein 24 May 1898) was an Austrian general and admiral.

Life

He was the eldest son of

Archduke Rainer Joseph of Austria Archduke Rainer of Austria (30 September 1783 – 16 January 1853) was a Viceroy of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia from 1818 to 1848. He was also an Archduke of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary and Bohemia. Biography Rainer was a son of Empero ...

(1783–1853) and

Princess Elisabeth of Savoy Elisabeth of Savoy (Maria Francesca Elisabetta Carlotta Giuseppina; 13 April 1800 – 25 December 1856) was the Vicereine of the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia by marriage to Archduke Rainer Joseph of Austria. She was the aunt and mother-in-law o ...

(1800–1856) and a grandson of Emperor Leopold II. Leopold Ludwig was born in 1823 in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, where his father served as Viceroy of Lombardy-Venetia from 1818 to 1848. A younger brother, Archduke Rainer Ferdinand (1827–1913), served as Austrian Minister President from 1859 to 1861. Leopold followed his father in a military career, attaining the rank of ''Feldmarschall-leutnant'' (lieutenant general) in the Austrian Army. When Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian was preparing to accept the throne of

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

in March 1864, Emperor

Franz Josef I Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...

sent Leopold to Miramar to induce Maximilian to sign the Act of Renunciation. The two cousins had never been on friendly terms, and Maximilian viewed Leopold as one of the archdukes who would benefit from the renunciation of his hereditary rights in Austria. Maximilian delayed signing the 'Family Compact', as it was called, until the visit of Franz Josef to Miramar on 9 April 1864. Undoubtedly to Maximilian's chagrin and irritation, Leopold was promoted to the rank of Viceadmiral in the Austro-Hungarian Navy and acted as Inspektor General of the Marinetroops and the fleet from 1865 up till 25 February 1868. During the Austro-Prussian War the Archduke Leopold was given command of the Austrian VIII Corps. According to Wawro the Archduke was an incompetent princely commander who during the

Battle of Skalitz Battle of Skalitz was a minor engagement in the Königgratz/ Sadowa campaign of the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 in Bohemia on June 28. The Battle of Nachod the previous day (June 27, 1866) set the scene for Steinmetz to advance on Skalitz ( � ...

, where his corps was severely mauled by the Prussian V Corps under Steinmetz, didn’t give a single order. Before the

battle of Königgrätz The Battle of Königgrätz (or Sadowa) was the decisive battle of the Austro-Prussian War in which the Kingdom of Prussia defeated the Austrian Empire. It took place on 3 July 1866, near the Bohemian city of Hradec Králové (German: Königg ...

the Archduke was replaced as corps commander by general Weber.

Geoffrey Wawro Geoffrey Wawro (born 1960) is an American Professor of Military History at the University of North Texas, and Director of the UNT Military History Center. His primary area of emphasis is modern and contemporary military history, from the French Re ...

, ''The Austro-Prussian War. Austria's war with Prussia and Italy in 1866'' (New York 2007) Leopold never married, and after stepping down as head of the Navy he faded into obscurity. He died at Hörnstein on 24 May 1898.

Ancestry

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leopold Ludwig of Austria, Archduke 1823 births 1898 deaths House of Habsburg-Lorraine Austro-Hungarian admirals Austrian princes Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Nobility from Milan Burials at the Imperial Crypt