Karl Freiherr von Vincent (11 August 1757 – 7 October 1834) fought in the army of Habsburg Austria during the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted France against Britain, Austria, Prussia ...

. He first served as a

staff officer A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military ...

then later as a combat commander. During the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

, he was given important commands in two campaigns. He was

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 wealth ...

of a famous light cavalry regiment from 1806 until his death. For his actions in putting down the

Brabant Revolution The Brabant Revolution or Brabantine Revolution (french: Révolution brabançonne, nl, Brabantse Omwenteling), sometimes referred to as the Belgian Revolution of 1789–1790 in older writing, was an armed insurrection that occurred in the Aust ...

of 1789 and 1790, he earned an important award. In the

War of the First Coalition The War of the First Coalition (french: Guerre de la Première Coalition) was a set of wars that several European powers fought between 1792 and 1797 initially against the constitutional Kingdom of France and then the French Republic that suc ...

he was Aide-de-camp to two distinguished generals. During the

War of the Second Coalition The War of the Second Coalition (1798/9 – 1801/2, depending on periodisation) was the second war on revolutionary France by most of the European monarchies, led by Britain, Austria and Russia, and including the Ottoman Empire, Portugal, N ...

, he commanded a regiment, then a brigade. He led the

rear guard A rearguard is a part of a military force that protects it from attack from the rear, either during an advance or withdrawal. The term can also be used to describe forces protecting lines, such as communication lines, behind an army. Even more ...

during the 1805 campaign. He commanded a division through all the major battles of 1809. He was governor-general of Belgium in 1814, and was present at the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

as an Austrian observer. Between 1814 and 1826, von Vincent was the Austrian ambassador to France at the

Tuileries The Tuileries Palace (french: Palais des Tuileries, ) was a royal and imperial palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the River Seine, directly in front of the Louvre. It was the usual Parisian residence of most French monarchs, from ...

during the shift in the European political equilibrium of 1820. He was also cited in an account describing Klemens von Metternich's proposals concerning the fate of Belgium. He was identified as a candidate in charge of its occupation but it was noted that his office was under the authority of Baron Stein's administrative department when it came to political matters and that he must also defer to the Dutch, English, and Prussians in the area of military affairs. In 1825, he returned to Vienna after being retired from his post at his own request. He died at Biancourt Lorraine on October 7, 1834.

Notes

References

* Arnold, James R. ''Crisis on the Danube.'' New York: Paragon House, 1990. * Arnold, James R. ''Marengo & Hohenlinden.'' Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Pen & Sword, 2005. * Arnold, James R. ''Napoleon Conquers Austria.'' Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers, 1995. * Bowden, Scotty & Tarbox, Charlie. ''Armies on the Danube 1809''. Arlington, Texas: Empire Games Press, 1980. * Epstein, Robert M. ''Napoleon's Last Victory and the Emergence of Modern War''. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas, 1994. * Petre, F. Loraine. ''Napoleon and the Archduke Charles''. New York: Hippocrene Books, (1909) 1976. * Rothenberg, Gunther E. ''Napoleon's Great Adversaries, The Archduke Charles and the Austrian Army, 1792-1814''. Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press, 1982 * Schneid, Frederick C. ''Napoleon's Italian Campaigns: 1805-1815''. Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers, 2002.
''Karl von Vincent'' by Digby Smith, compiled by Leopold Kudrna
Austrian soldiers Austrian generals Italian soldiers Austrian Empire military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars Austrian Empire commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Barons of Austria Knights Grand Cross of the Military Order of William 1757 births 1834 deaths {{mil-hist-stub