Archduke Albert

Archduke Albert (born Aug. 3, 1817, Vienna—died Feb. 18, 1895, Arco, South Tirol, Austria-Hungary) was an able field marshal who distinguished himself in the suppression of the Italian Revolution of 1848 and in the Austro-Prussian War (1866) and whose reforms turned the Austrian Army into a modern fighting force after its rout by Prussia.

The son of the archduke Charles, who defeated Napoleon at Aspern-Essling, Albert entered the Austrian Army in 1837. He received a thorough military education from Field Marshal Joseph Radetzky and fought under his mentor in the campaign of 1848–49 in Italy, distinguishing himself as a divisional commander at Novara. In 1851 he became governor of Hungary, retaining the post until 1863. At the outbreak of the war against Prussia, he commanded the Italian front and won the decisive victory at Custoza (June 1866), which so disorganized the Italians that he was able to detach sizable units for the protection of Vienna, which the Prussians threatened after the Austrian defeat at Königgrätz (Sadowa). He was named commander in chief of all Austrian forces on July 10, 1866, but peace intervened before he had a chance to test his plans.

With the end of hostilities, Albert dedicated himself to the reform of the army, becoming inspector general in 1869. Drawing on the lessons learned from Prussia, he concentrated on the development of industries and railways, the creation of short-service conscription to increase the size of the armed forces, and the introduction and improvement of new weapons and the general-staff system. His efforts created as modern a fighting force as the conservative Austro-Hungarian monarchy, with its diverse nationalities and languages, was able to maintain in the latter half of the 19th century.