La Bataille de Deutsch Wagram 1809

Restoring the Memory of Austrian Great

Archduke Charles

Archduke Karl, Duke of Teschen

The greatest military figure of the Hapsburgs (Habsburgs) during the revolution and Age of Napoleon was the Erzherzog Karl (or anglicized Archduke Charles). Not only was he the first general to defeat Napoleon in a pitched battle, but his military and political influence was able to save the Austrian nation and preserve the hope that Napoleon and the French could be defeated. Those hopes were realized less than five years later in 1814, when Europe combined finally defeated the French. In large part, the organizational reforms initiated by Karl were able to sustain the large armies Austria was able to field in the campaigns of 1813 and 1814, not to mention that the veil of Napoleonic infallibility had been removed. However, in our viewpoint, Karl suffered from a lack of respect by both historians and Hapsburg apologists. His success in defeating Napoleon at Aspern-Essling in May of 1809 elucidates faint memories from both historians and Austrians alike. So we attempt

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