Hannibal von Degenfeld
Hannibal Freiherr[1] von Degenfeld (1648–1691) was a Saxon military commander who entered the service of the Electorate of Bavaria, commanding the Bavarian relief contingent during the Battle of Vienna, and subsequently served the Republic of Venice during the Morean War.
Life
Born in 1648, Hannibal von Degenfeld was the youngest son of Christoph Martin von Degenfeld (1599–1653) and Anna Maria Adelmann von Adelmannsfelden. His father was a military commander who served in both the Habsburgs and their enemies during the Thirty Years War, and in 1642–1649 was in Venetian service in Dalmatia during the Cretan War against the Ottoman Empire.[2] Hannibal's five brothers followed their father's military career, two of them dying on the battlefield; three of them also entered the service of Venice in the Cretan War.[3] Of his sisters, the most notable was Luise, who married the Raugrave Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine.[3]
Degenfeld entered the service of John George III, Elector of Saxony, whose army, though small, was renowned for its military prowess.[4] By 1674, Degenfeld was colonel and commander of a regiment of foot, a post he held until 1677, when he left Saxon service in pursuit of opportunities for swifter advancement. He entered the service of the Electorate of Bavaria, rising quickly to the rank of field marshal lieutenant and president of the Aulic War Council by 1682. In this capacity he commanded the Bavarian corps sent to the ppBattle of Vienna|relief]] of the Ottoman siege of Vienna in 1683, nominally headed by Elector Maximilian II Emanuel.[5] After the capture of Esztergom the Bavarian troops returned home, but Degenfeld accepted a request from the Republic of Venice to enter its service. He was appointed in command of the ground forces being assembled for a campaign against the Ottomans in Greece, under the overall command of the Venetian Francesco Morosini as Captain General of the Sea.[5]
Degenfeld arrived in Greece in 1685, in time for the first operations in the Morea peninsular. He led the Venetian army in the Siege of Coron and the subsequent victorious Battle of Kalamata, where he defeated the Ottomans under the Kapudan Pasha.[5] Due to ongoing disagreements with Morosini, he took his leave the following year, and was replaced by Otto Wilhelm Königsmarck. However, after the death of Königsmarck and Girolamo Corner of disease, and the ascent of Morosini to the dogeship, he was recalled to service as captain-general in spring 1691. On 3 August he left Venice with new troops and arrived in Nauplia on 4 September, where he also fell ill and died on 12 October.[5]
References
- ^ Regarding personal names: Freiherr is a former title (translated as 'Baron'). In Germany since 1919, it forms part of family names. The feminine forms are Freifrau and Freiin.
- ^ Pfister & von Landmann 1877, pp. 23–25.
- ^ a b Pfister & von Landmann 1877, p. 25.
- ^ Pfister & von Landmann 1877, pp. 25–26.
- ^ a b c d Pfister & von Landmann 1877, p. 26.
Sources
- Pfister, Albert; von Landmann, Carl (1877). "Degenfeld, Christoph Martin Freiherr von". Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, herausgegeben von der Historischen Kommission bei der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften (in German). Vol. 5. pp. 23–26.