Eugene of Savoy

French-born Italian noble and general

• Born: October 18, 1663
• Birthplace: Paris, France
• Died: April 20 or 21, 1736
• Place of death: Vienna, Austria

A great general and statesman, Eugene was successful in numerous engagements against the Turks in Central and Eastern Europe. Although born in France, he was an opponent of Louis XIV’s expansionist foreign policy and saw extensive action during the War of the Spanish Succession. Later, he was governor of the Austrian Netherlands and president of the Imperial War Council.

Early Life

The lack of any surviving personal papers or memoirs has made it difficult for biographers and historians to gain an understanding of Eugene of Savoy (ew-GEEN uhv sah-VOY), and little is known of his early years. He was small and slight in stature but very dignified and quiet in his bearing. Born in France to parents of Italian heritage who produced five sons and two daughters, Eugene was the youngest son of Cardinal Mazarin’s niece, Olympia Mancini, and her husband Eugene Maurice, prince of Savoy-Carignan, count of Soissons, a soldier in the French army.

Before Olympia’s marriage to Eugene Maurice, King Louis XIV (r. 1643-1715) had fallen in love with her. Because the young Eugene was not the oldest son, he was, as often was the case with younger sons of nobility, prepared at first for a career in the church, which may account for his love of learning and books. However, in 1683, he applied to serve in Louis XIV’s military. He was rejected, which caused Eugene and his close friend, the prince of Conti, to attempt to leave France without Louis’s permission in July, 1683. When the two young nobles were detained near the border, Conti returned to France, but Eugene continued on and entered the service of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor and emperor of Austria (r. 1658-1705). Eugene’s cousin prince Louis of Baden was an important imperial general, and Eugene’s older brother Louis had served in Austria’s army until his death in July, 1683, while fighting the Turks.

Eugene’s first military experience came in the fighting to relieve the Siege of Vienna (1683), as the Ottoman Turks attempted to push deep into Central Europe. Because of his personal bravery, he was awarded a pair of golden spurs and given command of one of the regiments that pushed eastward into Hungary in the wake of the Turkish retreat. For the next five years, Eugene would be heavily involved in this theater, and he rose steadily in the ranks, becoming a major general in 1685. After a successful counterattack at Berg Harsan that drove the Turks from the field in 1687, he was elevated to field marshal lieutenant at age twenty-four. He was seriously wounded at the Siege of Belgrade (1688) and was forced to recover from his wound in Vienna. His attentions would soon shift westward, as his service was needed in Italy during the Wars of the League of Augsburg (1689-1697).

Life’s Work

Eugene convinced his cousin Victor Amadeus II of Savoy (r. 1675-1730) to enter the Grand Alliance against France in 1689. Savoy’s entry in the alliance put pressure on France’s southeastern border and opened Italy as a major theater in the wars. Although Eugene advised Leopold I to conclude peace with the Turks, Leopold pursued military actions in the west against France and in the east against the Turks. Consequently, Eugene saw action in Italy and in Eastern Europe. In 1693, Eugene was promoted to field marshal because of his successes against the French in Italy, but Savoy’s shift of allegiance from the Grand Alliance to France in 1696 caused the emperor to negotiate an armistice in Italy in order to concentrate on the Turks.

The imperial armistice opened the opportunity for Eugene’s greatest military victory, at Zenta, Hungary, on September 11, 1697, on his first independent command. By devastating the Turkish army, Eugene opened the way for the Treaty of Karlowitz (1699) between Austria and the Turks, which brought large areas of Hungary and Transylvania to Austria and helped accelerate its development as a major European power. Eugene built a sumptuous palace in Vienna and settled into society for several years, until the War of the Spanish Succession broke out and necessitated the services of the imperial supreme commander, which Eugene had become in 1700.

Eugene operated in northern Italy, defeating the French at Carpi (1701) and later relieving Turin (1706). During the early stages of the war, Leopold named him president of the Imperial War Council in 1703, and he held that post until his death in 1736. During the war, Eugene and John Churchill, first duke of Marlborough, the great English commander, formed a remarkable partnership that produced substantial victories at Blenheim (1704) and Oudenarde (1708). However, when Eugene negotiated with the French in 1709, he demanded such stiff terms that the French continued the war.

Eugene and Marlborough presided over the allied victory at Malplaquet (1709), the bloodiest battle of the eighteenth century. Because the French had taken such heavy losses, Eugene advised attacking Paris, but his advice was not heeded. When England surprised the allies with the news that it had negotiated the terms of a potential peace agreement with France in October, 1711, Eugene urged Emperor Charles VI to oppose the agreement. Plans were made for Eugene to travel to England to present the emperor’s case in person. Before he arrived in January, 1712, Marlborough—who also opposed ceasing hostilities—had been stripped of command by Queen Anne.

Eugene’s two-month stay in England did not produce the desired result, and when he returned to the Continent to continue the war against France, he suffered a serious defeat at Denain, in the Spanish Netherlands, on July 24, 1712. England made good its plan to withdraw from the war when it signed the Treaty of Utrecht (April 13, 1713). The emperor did not follow suit. Marlborough traveled to Europe in January, 1713, to enlist support for an invasion of England to overthrow the government to prevent the restoration of James, the Pretender. Eugene informed Marlborough that Charles VI would not support his invasion plan but would support the Hanoverian Protestant succession. Meanwhile, Eugene continued the war against France until he negotiated the Treaties of Rastatt and Baden on March 7, 1714.

When the Turks renewed an offensive against Austria, Eugene returned to Eastern Europe, where his victories at Peterwardein (1716) and Belgrade (1717) added to his reputation and brought additional territory to Austria, which the Turks ceded in the Treaty of Passarowitz (1718). From 1716 to 1724, Eugene was governor of the Austrian Netherlands, which Austria gained via the War of the Spanish Succession. His days on campaign were largely over, but during the War of the Polish Succession (1733-1735), he helped prepare the defense of the southern German states of the Holy Roman Empire. Living in Vienna, he enjoyed the company of friends because he never married and had no children, and he patronized the arts until his death in 1736.

Significance

As a statesman and military commander, Eugene of Savoy was highly regarded by most of his contemporaries and was esteemed by such towering figures as Frederick the Great of Prussia and France’s Napoleon I (r. 1804-1815), who considered him one of history’s seven greatest generals. Eugene produced tremendous victories against the declining Ottoman Empire that brought Austria substantial territorial gains in the Treaties of Karlowitz and Passarowitz, thereby enabling Austria to take its place among the great powers of Europe. Eugene’s partnership with the first duke of Marlborough during the War of the Spanish Succession and their notable victories over France helped England procure tremendous advantages in the Treaty of Utrecht. However, neither man could accept the terms of the treaty, and they urged the continuation of the war.

Once the threat from the Turks had subsided, Vienna was rebuilt and developed as one of Europe’s great capitals. Eugene’s palaces, the winter palace on the Himmelpfortgasse in central Vienna, the Belvedere in southeastern Vienna, and the one on the island of Czepel in the Danube River, were magnificent structures, with the Belvedere becoming the talk of Europe. These residences were adorned with beautiful paintings, sculpture, decorations, and furniture, which made Eugene one of Europe’s most influential patrons. He acquired great libraries of the finest books available in Europe.

Despite his accomplishments, which made Eugene one of the great men of his time, and despite his bravery, personal charm, and skill on the battlefield, some military historians fault him for failing to improve and modernize the Austrian army during the last two decades of his life. The result of this failure came in the 1740’s and beyond, when Austria suffered military setbacks at the lands of Prussia and the Turks.

Bibliography

Chandler, David. The Art of Warfare in the Age of Marlborough. New York: Hippocrene Books, 1976. An essential starting point for understanding the military context of Eugene’s time.

Henderson, Nicholas. Prince Eugen of Savoy. Reprint. London: Phoenix Press, 2002. A full-length study that is especially strong on military matters and his patronage of the arts.

Lynn, John. The Wars of Louis XIV. London: Longman, 1999. An excellent survey of two wars, the War of the Grand Alliance (1689-1697) and the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714), in which Eugene fought against France.

McKay, Derek. Prince Eugene of Savoy. London: Thames and Hudson, 1977. The most complete biography in English, providing balanced coverage of Eugene as soldier, statesman, and patron.

Roider, Karl A. Austria’s Eastern Question, 1700-1790. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1982. This study examines Austria’s wars and diplomacy with Turkey, in which Eugene played a significant role.