In cosmopolitan Paris in the middle of the 17th century the “Sun King”, Louis XIV, had just personally taken over the rule of France. The young king had managed to survive the Spanish-French war and the "Sphendoni" revolution. One of the king's loyal subjects was Eugene-Mauritius, Prince of Savoy-Carignan and Duke of Soissons. The prince served in the French army, but without being French.
Of course, he had family ties with the royal house of the Bourbons but also with other royal houses of Germany, while he was of Italian origin. The prince had married the niece of Cardinal Mazarin, Olympia Mancini, also of Italian origin. The couple had 7 children – 5 boys and 2 girls. The youngest of the boys was born on October 18, 1663.
The Little Prince
His name was Eugene Francis. This boy was the sickest. Rather ugly looking, thin and frail, he didn't seem particularly inclined towards anything. Little Eugene grew up with his grandmother in Soissons. His father died when he was only 10 years old and his mother had been exiled by Louis XIV to Brussels after she was thought to be involved in witchcraft and making love potions.
Thus, at the age of 16, Eugene was left without a family and without money. His older brothers had already begun to seek their fortunes, enlisting in the army—the French and the armies of various German states. However, both the presentation and the apparently sickly condition of Eugene did not allow him to follow - at least immediately - a military career. His grandmother intended him to receive the form, to become a clergyman.
But suddenly, in February 1683, the young Eugene announced, to the great surprise of his family, that he wished to become a soldier. He even tried to enlist in the French army. But Louis' minister of war, the powerful Lavoisier, refused to accept him into the ranks of the French army, because previously Eugene's mother had refused to give her consent to the marriage of one of her daughters to the minister's son!
Thus, fortunately for the Habsburg emperor and unfortunately for Louis, Eugene was forced to turn to the Austrians. His choice was reinforced by two events. First, his older brother was already serving as an officer in the Austrian army, and second, in the year 1683, the Turks were at the gates of Vienna. Unfortunately his brother, Louis Julius, did not have time to receive him. He was killed in a skirmish with the Turks.
Crush of the Turks in Vienna
This calamity, however, strengthened Eugene's decision. Now he had an additional reason to fight the Austrians to avenge his dead brother. Eugene arrived in Passau and was introduced, by his uncle Hermann of Baden, to the Habsburg Emperor Leopold. The Austrian monarch gladly received the young prince and enlisted him in his army.
For the next 50 years the little prince of Savoy would faithfully serve the imperial flags with the double-headed eagle and would emerge as one of the greatest soldiers in history, the fear and terror of the Turks and the French alike.
In 1682 a new rebellion had broken out in the Austrian-occupied part of Hungary. Count Emery Tokoli had stirred up many of his countrymen against the Austrians. He did not even hesitate to ask for the help of the Turks, offering them the "protection" of Hungary. The Turks, of course, did not miss the opportunity. Led by the grand vizier Kara Mustafa, a huge Ottoman army (200-250,000 men) invaded Austrian territory.
Emperor Leopold was in for a surprise. Focusing his attention on dealing with the threat he heard in the name of Louis of France, he had left his eastern frontier exposed. The minimal forces he managed to muster against the Turks - 18,500 men - were naturally defeated by their tenfold opponents in the Battle of Petronel (July 5, 1683). Two days later Pressburg fell into the hands of the Ottomans.
Nothing now stood between the Turks and Vienna. On July 17, the Ottoman army began the systematic siege of the city. The Emperor Leopold had already abandoned the city, the defense of which he had entrusted to Count Starrenberg and 18,000 men. At the same time, however, a series of diplomatic contacts began which resulted in the coalition of Austrians, Poles and Germans against the Turks.
By 3 September 78,000 men had been assembled and placed under the command of the Polish king John Sobieski. Their goal was only one, the lifting of the siege and the liberation of Vienna.
The young Eugene, after his meeting with the emperor, had joined as an officer in a dragoon regiment – the later 3rd Dragoon Regiment. On September 12, the Christian army had taken up positions facing the Turkish besiegers.
The Austrian forces were positioned on the extreme left of the allied line, facing the strongest wing of the Ottoman army. The Austrians slowly began to advance. The terrain was broken, hindering their rapid movement, while allowing the Bosnian snipers of the Turkish army to comfortably carry out their mission.
The Austrian dragoons undertook the task of clearing the Nussberg Hills. They dismounted and engaged the Bosnians on foot, eventually forcing them to retreat after a four-hour engagement. But then the Turkish cavalry intervened. With an impetuous advance he tried to overturn the Austrians and "throw" them behind the hills. However, the dragoons, in cooperation with the infantry, crushed the Turks with their heavy fire.
By 13.00 the Austrian vanguards, where Eugene was also fighting, had reached the village of Daibling, repelling the Turks and approaching the besieged Vienna. There the Austrians halted and waited for their Polish and German allies to align with them. This was achieved around 16.00. Then they all together repeated the attack.
The Austrian army, with the vanguard of the dragoon regiments, broke the Turkish right and, turning right, encircled the Turkish center. A general attack by the allied army followed which resulted in the complete defeat of the Turks. The banner of the Prophet, the sacred relic of Islam, also fell into the hands of the victors. Europe was spared the fate it had reserved for Byzantium.
The young Eugene had particularly distinguished himself in the battle of Vienna, revealing for the first time his true aptitude for the military art. However, his bravery was recognized and three months later Emperor Leopold himself promoted him to colonel and assigned him command of the regiment with which he fought outside Vienna. This regiment received the prince's name - Savoy Dragoon Regiment - and continued to fight under the imperial flags until 1918 under the same name.
Counterattack in Hungary
After the defeat of the Turks, Emperor Leopold found himself in a dilemma. Many of his advisors pressured him to continue the war against the Ottomans. But others advised him to turn west and settle his differences with the French king Louis XIV once and for all. Finally the emperor chose to continue the war with the Turks.
And the supreme military commanders, Duke Charles of Lorraine and Maximilian Emmanuel of Bavaria, favored continuing the war with the Ottomans. The Turkish sultan, despite the crushing of the army before Vienna, still held firmly the greater part of Hungary, including the cities of Buda and Pest. He was therefore able to threaten the Austrian capital again at will.
In March 1684, Emperor Leopold co-signed with the Kingdom of Poland and the Republic of Venice the treaty establishing the Holy League of Linz. Based on the treaty, the three allies undertook the obligation to attack the Turks. The Austrians would march from Hungary, the Poles from Podolia (part of modern Ukraine) and the Venetians from the Ionian Sea and their possessions in Greece. Actually the operations started in the summer of the same year.
The Austrian commander-in-chief Charles of Lorraine gathered 98,000 men on the border, 60,000 Austrians and the rest from the smaller German states. Eugene naturally led his regiment.
He participated in the first, failed attempt to occupy Buda, in the fall of 1684, where he distinguished himself. What we know about his actions comes from the daily orders of the army and from his correspondence with his cousin the Duke of Savoy. His letters show the harsh life in the wet plains of Hungary, but also his care and affection for his men. The autumn of 1684 was extremely wet with continuous rains making life unbearable for the men in the siege trenches around the city.
Prince Eugene, however, in any case and contrary to the prevailing practice at the time, stood by his men and shared with them the hardships during the campaigns. Throughout his life, Eugene remained simple, although rough in manners. He always wore his favorite brown outfit, which has ranked him as the worst-dressed general in history and given him the nickname "the little Capuchin".
He certainly also couldn't win over his men with his presentation. But he won them over with his way, his simplicity and above all with his personal example. Measured, never saying much or speaking without first thoroughly analyzing a subject, the meticulous, caricature-like officer proved himself a fine soldier every day.
This first campaign could be said to be the first military school from which Eugene, the young self-taught officer, graduated. It was of course a great fortune for him that he served alongside worthy and recognized military leaders such as Maximilian Emmanuel or his cousin Louis of Baden and above all Charles of Lorraine, from whom Eugene "copied" the humble demeanor.
In the winter of 1684-85, Eugene's regiment returned to Moravia for reorganization. According to the practice of the time each colonel was the owner of the regiment - even if he simply bore the honorary title of colonel. The state of course granted him an amount to cover the needs of his unit, which was usually quite low.
Most of the owners of regiments, however, appropriated the state money, spending little of it on the needs of their men. Eugene was again an exception by borrowing personal money to cover the needs of his constitution. This action of his was even the subject of comments in the circles of the "co-owners" of the constitutions. The following year the reorganized Savoy Regiment of Dragoons returned, together with their commander, to operations, which continued throughout the spring and summer, but without particularly encouraging results.
Buda, Pest
In the spring of 1686 operations were resumed in Hungary, and in the same autumn came the first great success. Buda was occupied after about 150 years of Ottoman rule. With its capture, the Austrians finally controlled the main crossing on the great Danube. The great river was now the necessary barrier against Turkish expansionism. Evgenios naturally participated in the operations. His regiment, which was fighting on foot, was one of the first units to enter the city.
He was slightly injured. Nevertheless he continued to lead his men shouting:"no mercy for the janissaries". The other units followed their example with such precision that in the end there was not a living Turk left in the entire city. A few who hid at the time of the invasion survived and were later discovered and captured. On the evening of September 2, 1686, the flags of the two-headed imperial armies again flew on the bombardment-smoking ramparts of Buda. The fall of the city marked the definitive end of the Turkish threat.
Of course, the Turks tried again to recover, later, their lost possessions. From 1686 onwards, however, these were usually the defenders and the defeated. The Double-headed Eagle had taken revenge on the crescent moon. This victory of the imperial forces, combined with the successes of Veneto Morosini in Greece, clearly demonstrated the possibility of the Christian powers to settle once and for all their accounts with Asian barbarism.
After the capture of Buda, the morale of the Ottomans, from the sultan to the last cowherd, had completely collapsed. One more powerful blow was enough and the paper giant known as the Ottoman Empire would collapse in its entirety. Some other "Christian" forces, however, did not wish for the collapse of the Ottomans even then. It was the French king who, taking advantage of the Austrians' involvement in Hungary, began to create problems for them in the West.
In the meantime, Eugene continued to fight and was distinguished for his courage and crystal clear logic. He even participated, under the orders of his cousin Louis of Baden, in a raid deep behind the enemy front, but also in the great battle of Nagiharsani (2nd battle of Mohatches). In this battle, Austrians and Germans, under Charles of Lorraine, faced more than twice as many Turks, under Suleiman Pasha, and routed them (August 12, 1687).
Eugene was again among the distinguished of the new great victory. He had personally led the great advance of the Austrian cavalry thanks to which the Turkish line was finally broken and victory was achieved.
The commander-in-chief Charles personally congratulated him and as a reward for his bravery, assigned him the highly honorable mission of being the one to announce the glad tidings of victory to the emperor. This was an indirect way for the commander-in-chief to suggest to the emperor that he promote the young intrepid officer. In November 1687, the only 24-year-old Eugene appeared before Emperor Leopold to announce the battle and victory.
Belgrade
The next target of the imperial forces was the present capital of Yugoslavia, Belgrade. Belgrade has always been a hub for controlling routes from the Balkans to central Europe. Its possession provided the Turks with control of these routes and a stable base from which to launch devastating raids on the newly liberated imperial territories.
For the imperialists, on the contrary, it was a literal thorn in their side, an obstacle that had to be eliminated. Its capture would not only allow them to control the enemy's movements, but would also open the road to the Balkans. From there they could move at will towards the south, towards the Greek peninsula, or towards the east, towards Constantinople.
With these in mind, Charles of Lorraine moved his troops first towards Transylvania, the Turk-friendly principality, which they occupied without resistance from the Ottomans. The main enemy of the imperial divisions was the terrible weather. Torrential rains had turned even the roads into swamps. There was no food and supplies, and there were times when even clean water was lacking.
Despite the difficulties and the illness of the general Charles of Lorraine - which led to his replacement by Maximilian Emmanuel of Bavaria - the imperial forces continued their southward movement. On August 11, 1688, 53,000 imperial soldiers, with 65 cannons, were in front of Belgrade. The Turks living outside the walls burned their houses, took their families and fled south.
Only its Serbian and Jewish inhabitants and the Turkish garrison of Ibrahim Pasha – 8,300 men with 86 cannons – remained in the city. Eugene was the first officer to enter the abandoned city. Η επέμβαση του υπήρξε σωτήρια για τους μη Τούρκους κατοίκους. Από το φρούριο όμως η τουρκική φρουρά συνέχιζε την αντίσταση.
Τραυματισμός
Είχε έρθει ο Σεπτέμβριος και η πολιορκία του φρουρίου του Βελιγραδίου συνεχιζόταν. Οι Τούρκοι, αναμένοντας ενισχύσεις από τον πασά της Βοσνίας, δεν έλεγαν να παραδοθούν. Στις 2 Σεπτεμβρίου όμως ο Λουδοβίκος του Μπάντεν, με 12.000 άνδρες, επιτέθηκε στις εμπροσθοφυλακές της στρατιάς του πασά της Βοσνίας και τις διέλυσε. Στη μάχη αυτή του Ντέρμπεν χάθηκαν 7.000 Τούρκοι έναντι 200 Αυστριακών.
Η φρουρά του Βελιγραδίου δεν θα απελευθερωνόταν ποτέ. Σε εκείνες τις τελευταίες ημέρες της πολιορκίας ο Ευγένιος, ως συνήθως, βρισκόταν στα πρώτα χαρακώματα απέναντι από τα τείχη. Δεν πρόσεξε όμως έναν Τούρκο που τον σκόπευε. Άξαφνα ένα τυφέκιο βρόντηξε και η βολίδα έπληξε τον νερό στρατηγό στο γόνατο. Ο Ευγένιος έπεσε στο χώμα. Έχανε πολύ αίμα. Δύσκολα θα επιζούσε και ακόμα κι αν το κατόρθωνε θα ήταν απίθανο να περπατήσει ξανά.
Στην περίπτωση αυτή η δύναμη της θέλησης του Ευγένιου φάνηκε ισχυρότερη του τραύματος και της βρογχίτιδας που επίσης τον ταλαιπωρούσε. Ο τραυματισμένος στρατηγός επέστρεψε επειγόντως στη Βιέννη. Έτσι δεν ήταν τελικά παρών στην παράδοση του Βελιγραδίου που έλαβε χώρα την 6η Σεπτεμβρίου. Παρέμεινε κλινήρης στη Βιέννη για 4 σχεδόν μήνες αλλά γλίτωσε τον θάνατο και τον ακρωτηριασμό. Μόνο η βρογχίτιδα συνέχισε να τον ταλαιπωρεί. Θα του ήταν αχώριστος σύντροφος ως το τέλος της ζωής του.
Στο μεταξύ στο μέτωπο ο εξάδελφος του Λουδοβίκος του Μπάντεν είχε κερδίσει, στις 24 Σεπτεμβρίου, μια ακόμα μεγάλη νίκη κατά των Οθωμανών στη μάχη κοντά στη σερβική πόλη Νις. Εκεί , με 17.000 άνδρες κατανίκησε τους 40.000 Τούρκους του Ρασίντ πασά. Τα συντάγματα του θρήνησαν την απώλεια 400 μόλις ανδρών. Αντίθετα το πεδίο της μάχης γέμισε από τα άψυχα κουφάρια 10.000 Τούρκων.
Ένας απρόσμενος σύμμαχος όμως έμελλε να σώσει τους Οθωμανούς στην κρισιμότερη αυτή φάση της ιστορίας τους. Λίγες ημέρες μετά από την κατάληψη του Βελιγραδίου ο γαλλικός στρατός παραβίασε τα δυτικά σύνορα της αυτοκρατορίας. Εισέβαλε στο Παλατινάτο και λεηλάτησε. Οι Αυστριακοί έπρεπε να αφήσουν για αργότερα την συντριβή των Τούρκων και να αντιμετωπίσουν τους Γάλλους.
