Theodor Franz, Count of Baillet von Latour (15 June 17806 October 1848) was an

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

soldier and statesman. As the Imperial Minister of War, he was killed by a mob at the beginning of the

Vienna Uprising The Vienna Uprising or October Revolution (german: Wiener Oktoberaufstand, or ) of October 1848 was the last uprising in the Austrian Revolution of 1848. On 6 October 1848, as the troops of the Austrian Empire were preparing to leave Vienna to s ...

Biography

Latour was born at

Linz Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846. In 2009, it was a European Capital ...

the son of Count Maximilian Anton Karl Baillet de Latour (17371806), a ''

Feldmarschall-Leutnant Lieutenant field marshal, also frequently historically field marshal lieutenant (german: Feldmarschall-Leutnant, formerly , historically also and, in official Imperial and Royal Austrian army documents from 1867 always , abbreviated ''FML''), was ...

'' in Austrian service during the Revolutionary Wars of Walloon descent. After a military and engineering training at the

Theresian Military Academy The Theresian Military Academy (german: Theresianische Militärakademie, TherMilAk) is a military academy in Austria, where the Austrian Armed Forces train their officers. Founded in 1751, the academy is located in the castle of Wiener Neustadt ...

, he entered the corps of engineers in 1799 and became a member of the general staff of the Austrian

Imperial and Royal Army The Common Army (german: Gemeinsame Armee, hu, Közös Hadsereg) as it was officially designated by the Imperial and Royal Military Administration, was the largest part of the Austro-Hungarian land forces from 1867 to 1914, the other two eleme ...

in 1804. Latour took part in various military campaigns of 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 ...

in which he distinguished himself and was highly decorated. During

European Restoration The Concert of Europe was a general consensus among the Great Powers of 19th-century Europe to maintain the European balance of power, political boundaries, and spheres of influence. Never a perfect unity and subject to disputes and jockeying f ...

he filled an array of leadership roles in the military ranks up to a ''

Feldzeugmeister ''Feldzeugmeister'' was a historical military rank in some German and the Austro-Hungarian armies, especially in use for the artillery. It was commonly used in the 16th or 17th century, but could even be found at the beginning of the 20th century i ...

'', and in addition served as the head of the military commission attached to the '' Bundesversammlung'' (assembly) of the

German Confederation The German Confederation (german: Deutscher Bund, ) was an association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states in Central Europe. It was created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as a replacement of the former Holy Roman Empire, w ...

at Frankfurt, contributed to the design of the fortifications at

Rastatt Rastatt () is a town with a Baroque core, District of Rastatt, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located in the Upper Rhine Plain on the Murg river, above its junction with the Rhine and has a population of around 50,000 (2011). Rastatt was a ...

, and finally was director of engineering. In the

Revolutions of 1848 The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europea ...

he was called to head the war ministry in the cabinet of Minister-President Count

Karl Ludwig von Ficquelmont Karl Ludwig, Count of Ficquelmont (; french: Charles-Louis comte de Ficquelmont; 23 March 1777 – 7 April 1857) was an Austrian aristocrat, statesman and Field marshal of the Austrian Imperial army of French noble origin. Biography French n ...

, whose direction he saw to without regard to his advanced years. A distinct asserter of

conservatism Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...

, his efforts especially sought to give the public no cause for unrest. Faced with the Hungarian Revolution, Latour backed the loyal forces of Ban Josip Jelačić and arranged troops to second his campaign. These efforts sparked the

: On 6 October 1848 a crowd of students, workers and mutinous soldiers forcibly tried to prevent the troops marching off. In the following street fights, an outraged mob sought Latour out in the war ministry and

lynched Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged transgressor, punish a convicted transgressor, or intimidate people. It can also be an ex ...

him.

References

* “Latour, Theodor Franz, Graf Baillet von” in '' Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'', Band 18 (Leipzig, 1883), S. 16–17. * Carl Schurz, ''Reminiscences'' (3 volumes), New York: The McClure Company, 1907. In Chapter VI of Volume I, Schurz recalls Latour's assassination: “minister of war, Count Latour, was hanged to a lamp-post by an infuriated crowd.” {{DEFAULTSORT:Latour, Theodor Franz, Count Baillet Von 1780 births 1848 deaths 19th-century Austrian people Austrian soldiers People of the Revolutions of 1848 Counts of Baillet-Latour Assassinated Austrian politicians Austrian Empire commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Knights Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa Politicians from Linz Military personnel from Linz