Adam Bajalics von Bajaháza, also Adam Bajalić von Bajaházy or Adam Bayalitsch, (1734 – 5 June 1800) entered

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military service and fought against

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

Ottoman Turkey The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Central Euro ...

, and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. During the

Italian campaign of 1796–1797 The Italian campaign of 1796–1797 (Italian language, Italian: ''Campagna d'Italia''), also known as the First Italian Campaign, was a series of military operations in Italy during the War of the First Coalition. Led by Napoleon Bonaparte, the F ...

against

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

, he commanded a brigade or a division in several actions.

Military career

Born to a ''Dalmatin'' (

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from

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, today known as

Bunjevci Bunjevci ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Bunjevci, Буњевци, ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, label=, separator=" / ", Bunjevac, Буњевац, sh-Latn-Cyrl, label=, separator=" / ", Bunjevka, Буњевка) are a South Slavs, South Slavic sub-ethnic ...

) family in

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Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

in 1734, Bajalics enlisted in the ''Archduke Ferdinand'' Infantry Regiment # 2 from 1750 to 1754. He rejoined the Austrian army in 1758, this time in the ''Warasdiner'' Grenz Infantry Regiment. (The Grenz were light infantry recruited from the military border with Ottoman Turkey.) He fought in the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

and earned promotion to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

(''Leutnant''). During the

War of the Bavarian Succession The War of the Bavarian Succession (; 3 July 1778 – 13 May 1779) was a dispute between the Austrian Habsburg monarchy and an alliance of Electorate of Saxony, Saxony and Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia over succession to the Electorate of Bavaria ...

, he was a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

(''Hauptmann'') and was soon elevated to the rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

. In 1783, he was appointed lieutenant colonel (''Oberst-Leutnant'') of the ''Szluiner'' Grenz Infantry Regiment. He served with distinction during the Austro-Turkish War (1788–91), becoming

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

(''Oberst'') on 28 February 1789. The Seven Years' War (1756-1763), which essentially pits France and Austria against England allied with Prussia, offers Bajalics the opportunity to earn his stripes of lieutenant in 1760. Captain-Lieutenant in 1768 then captain in 1773, he was appointed major on the occasion of the conflict for the succession of Bavaria (1778-1779), between Austria, on the one hand, Prussia, Saxony and Bavaria on the other. In 1782, on September 10, he received the title of Baron von Bajahaza.

French Revolutionary Wars

On 1 January 1794, Bajalics became a major general (''General-Major''). During the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...

he served as a brigade commander in Count Dagobert von Wurmser's army on the upper

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. He earned the

Military Order of Maria Theresa The Military Order of Maria Theresa (; ; ; ; ; ) was the highest military honour of the Habsburg monarchy, Austrian Empire and Austro-Hungarian Empire. History Founded on 18 June 1757, the day of the Battle of Kolín, by the Empress Mari ...

for his exploits during the Battle of Handschuhsheim on 24 September 1795, in which a French division was cut to pieces. After General Bonaparte's French army overran the

Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchic state or realm ruled by a king or queen. ** A monarchic chiefdom, represented or governed by a king or queen. * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and me ...

in the spring of 1796, Bajalics was posted to northern Italy. He commanded a brigade in Wurmser's first relief of the Siege of Mantua in early August. Wurmser assigned Bajalics to mask the fortress of Peschiera. After the Austrian defeat at the

Battle of Castiglione The Battle of Castiglione saw the French Army of Italy under General Napoleon Bonaparte attack an army of the Habsburg monarchy led by '' Feldmarschall'' Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser on 5 August 1796. The outnumbered Austrians were defeated ...

, Bajalics sent four battalions of his troops to cover the main army's withdrawal. During the fourth relief of

Mantua Mantua ( ; ; Lombard language, Lombard and ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, eponymous province. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2 ...

in January 1797, Bajalics commanded a 6,200-man division that threatened French-held

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. In this effort, in which Jozsef Alvinczi's main army advanced from the north and Giovanni di Provera's division moved against

Legnago Legnago (; Venetian: ''Lenjago'') is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Verona, Veneto, northern Italy, with population (2012) of 25,439. It is located on the Adige river, about from Verona. Its fertile land produces crops of rice, other c ...

, the Austrian plan miscarried. On 12 January, Bajalics mounted an attack on Verona to draw attention from Alvinczi and Provera. After eight hours of combat with

André Masséna André Masséna, prince d'Essling, duc de Rivoli (; born Andrea Massena; 6 May 1758 – 4 April 1817), was a French military commander of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one of the original eighteen Marshal of the ...

's division, the Austrians fell back. On 14 January, Bonaparte crushed Jozsef Alvinczi's army at the

Battle of Rivoli The Battle of Rivoli (14 January 1797) was a key military engagement during the War of the First Coalition near the village of Rivoli Veronese, Rivoli, then part of the Republic of Venice. In the climax of the Italian Campaign of 1796-1797, It ...

, then he hurried back to Mantua to wipe out Provera's column. Only Bajalics' troops escaped intact from the catastrophe. He was promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

(''Feldmarschal-Leutnant'') on 1 March 1797. When Bonaparte hustled the army of Archduke Charles out of Italy in the spring of 1797, Bajalics led part of the right wing in its retreat from

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in present-day

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toward

Villach Villach (; ; ; ) is the seventh-largest city in Austria and the second-largest in the federal state of Carinthia. It is an important traffic junction for southern Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the population is 61,887. Together wit ...

in modern

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. In a confused series of actions from 21 to 23 March, the French succeeded in closing off the Austrian escape route at

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. On the latter day, hemmed in by the divisions of Masséna and Jean Sérurier, Bajalics surrendered with 3,500 men, 25 artillery pieces and 400 wagons. His forces also suffered 1,000 killed and wounded while inflicting 1,200 casualties on the French. Bajalics retired from military service in 1797 and died in 1800 in

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References

Sources

* * * * *

External links

Bajalics by Digby Smith, compiled by Leopold Kudrna
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bajalics von Bajahaza, Adam 1734 births 1800 deaths People from Szeged Austrian military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars Austrian lieutenant field marshals Bunjevci Habsburg Croats 18th-century Croatian military personnel

Military career

French Revolutionary Wars

See also

References

Sources

External links