Leopold Josef Graf Daun, Fürst von Thiano (Count Leopold Joseph von Daun or Dhaun) (September 24, 1705 – February 5, 1766), Prince of Thiano, Austrian field marshal, was born at Vienna. September 24 is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years). ... Events Construction begins on Blenheim Palace, in Oxfordshire, England. ... February 5 is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1766 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Vienna (German: Wien [viːn]; Hungarian: Bécs, Czech: Vídeň, Slovak: Viedeň, Romany Vidnya; Serbian: Beč) is the capital of Austria, and also one of Austrias nine states (Land Wien). ...

He was intended for the church, but his natural inclination for the army, in which his father and grandfather had been distinguished generals, proved irresistible. In 1718 he served in the campaign in Sicily, in his father's regiment. He had already risen to the rank of Oberst (Colonel) when he saw further active service in Italy and on the Rhine in the War of the Polish Succession (1734-35). He continued to add to his distinctions in the war against the Turks (1737-39), in which he attained the rank of Feldmarschalleutnant (Major-General). In the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-42), Daun distinguished himself by the careful leadership which was afterwards his greatest military quality. There are several common types of campaign: For organized efforts, each toward specific political goals, see political campaign. ... Sicilian disambiguates here; see also Sicilian language or Sicilian Defence. ... The War of the Polish Succession (1733-1738) was a European war and a Polish civil war, with considerable interference from other countries, to determine the succession to Augustus II, King of Poland, as well as an attempt by the Bourbon powers to check the power of Austria in western... The War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748). ...

He was present at Chotusitz and Prague, and led the advanced guard of Khevenhüller's army in the victorious Danube campaign of 1743. Field Marshal Traun, who succeeded Khevenhüller in 1744, thought equally highly of Daun, and entrusted him with the rearguard of the Austrian army when it escaped from the French to attack Frederick the Great. He held important commands in the battles of Hohenfriedberg and Soor, and in the same year (1745) was promoted to the rank of Feldzeugmeister (Lieutenant General). After this he served in the Low Countries, and was present at the Battle of Val. He was highly valued by Maria Theresa, who made him commandant of Vienna and a Knight of the Golden Fleece, and in 1754 he was elevated to the rank of Feldmarschall (Field-Marshal). The Battle of Chotusitz (or Chotusice) was fought on May 17, 1742 between the Austrians under Prince Charles of Lorraine and the Prussians under Frederick the Great. ... Prague (Czech: Praha, see also other names) is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. ... Ludwig Andreas Khevenhüller, Graf von Aichelberg-Frankenburg (or Ludwig von Khevenhüller) (30 November 1683, Linz–26 January 1744, Vienna), Austrian field-marshal who came of a noble family that was originally from Franconia and had settled in Carinthia. ... Frederick the Great Frederick II of Prussia (Friedrich der Große, Frederick the Great, January 24, 1712 – August 17, 1786) was the Hohenzollern king of Prussia 1740–86. ... The Battle of Hohenfriedberg (or Hohenfriedeberg) was a battle in the War of the Austrian Succession, fought on 3 June 1745 between the Austrians and Saxons, under Charles of Lorraine, and the Prussians, under Frederick the Great. ... The Battle of Soor was fought on September 30, 1745 between Prussian and Austro-Saxon forces. ... H.I.M. Maria Theresa, Holy Roman Empress, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, Archduchess of Austria, Great Principess of Transylvania, Duchess of Parma, Piacenza, and Guastalla Maria Theresa (Spellings differ from language to language, and several are listed at bottom) (May 13, 1717 – November 29, 1780) was the first and...

During the interval of peace that preceded the Seven Years' War he was engaged in carrying out an elaborate scheme for the reorganization of the Austrian army, and it was chiefly through his efforts that the military academy was established at Wiener-Neustadt in 1751. He was not actively employed in the first campaigns of the war, but in 1757 he was placed at the head of the army which was raised to relieve Prague. On June 18, 1757 Daun defeated Frederick for the first time in his career in the desperately fought Battle of Kolin. In commemoration of this brilliant exploit the queen immediately instituted a military order bearing her name, and Daun was awarded the first Grand Cross of that order. The union of the relieving army with the forces of Prince Charles at Prague reduced Daun to the position of second in command, and in that capacity he took part in the pursuit of the Prussians and the victory of Breslau. The Seven Years War, sometimes referred to as the Pomeranian War or the French and Indian War, (1754 and 1756–1763) pitted Great Britain, Prussia, and Hanover against France, Austria, Russia, Sweden, and Saxony. ... Wiener Neustadt is located south of Vienna in the state of Lower Austria. ... Events Adam Smith is appointed professor of logic at the University of Glasgow March 25 - For the last time, New Years Day is legally on March 25 in England and Wales. ... 1757 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Prague (Czech: Praha, see also other names) is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. ... June 18 is the 169th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (170th in leap years), with 196 days remaining. ... 1757 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The Battle of Kolin was a battle fought on June 18, 1757 during the Seven Years War. ... The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1918 The word Prussia (German: Preußen, Polish: Prusy, Lithuanian: Prūsai, Latin: Borussia) has had various (often contradictory) meanings: The land of the Baltic Prussians (in what is now parts of southern Lithuania, the Kaliningrad exclave of Russia and... The battle of Breslau was a battle fought on November 22, 1757 during the Seven Years War. ...

Frederick now reappeared and won the most brilliant victory of the age at Leuthen. Daun was present on that field, but was not held accountable for the disaster, and when Prince Charles resigned his command, Daun was appointed in his place. With the campaign of 1758 began the war of manoeuvre in which Daun, though he missed, through over-caution, many opportunities of crushing the Prussians, at least maintained a steady and cool resistance to the fiery strategy of Frederick. In 1758 Major-General Laudon, acting under Daun's instructions, forced the king to raise the siege of Olmütz, and later in the same year Daun himself surprised Frederick at Hochkirch and inflicted a severe defeat upon him (October 14th). In the following year the war of manoeuvre continued, and on the 20th and 21st of November he surrounded the entire corps of General Finck at Maxen, forcing the Prussians to surrender. These successes were counterbalanced in the following year by the defeat of Loudon at Liegnitz, which was attributed to the dilatoriness of Daun, and Daun's own defeat in the great Battle of Torgau. In this engagement Daun was so severely wounded that he had to return to Vienna to recuperate. The Battle of Leuthen was a battle fought on December 5, 1757 during the Seven Years War. ... 1758 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Ernst Gideon Freiherr von Laudon (or Loudon) (February 2, 1717 in Tootzen, Livonia, now Tootsi, Estonia – July 14, 1790 in Nový Jičín, now Czech Republic) was Austrian field marshal. ... town hall with astronomical clock Olomouc (German Olmütz, Polish OÅ‚omuniec) is a city in Moravia, in the east of the Czech Republic. ... Friedrich August von Finck (1718-1766), Prussian soldier, was born at Strelitz. ... The Battle of Maxen was a battle fought on November 21, 1759 during the Seven Years War. ... The Battle of Leignitz was fought in the early hours of August 15, 1760. ... The Battle of Torgau (Germany) was a battle fought on November 3, 1760 during the Seven Years War on the Süptitzer Höhen. ...

He continued to command until the end of the war, and afterwards worked with the greatest energy at the reorganization of the imperial forces. In 1762 he had been appointed president of the Hofkriegsrath. By order of Maria Theresa a monument to his memory was erected in the church of the Augustinians, with an inscription describing him as the "saviour of her states." In 1888 the 56th Regiment of Austrian Infantry was named after him. As a general Daun has been criticized for the dilatoriness of his operations, but wariness was not misplaced when one faced a general like Frederick, who was quick and unpredictable. His inability to exploit a victory, on the other hand, might not be so easily excused. 1888 is a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ...

Notes

• Note regarding personal names: Graf is a title, usually translated Count, not a first or middle name.

• Note regarding personal names: Fürst is a title, usually translated Prince, not a first or middle name. The female form is Fürstin.
• For an overview of the system of military ranks that existed in the Austro-Hungarian Empire up to the first World War see Comparative military ranks of World War I

Graf (from the Latin Grafio scribe from the Greek) is a German noble title equal in rank to a count (derived from the Latin Comes, with a history of its own) or a British earl (an original Anglo-Saxon title). ... Look up Count in Wiktionary, the free dictionary A count is a nobleman in most European countries, equivalent in rank to a British earl, whose wife is still a countess (for lack of an Anglo-Saxon term). ... For Fürst, the German title of nobility that is best translated as Prince, see below. ... The term prince (the female form is princess), from the Latin root princeps, when used for a member of the highest aristocracy, has several fundamentally different meanings - one generic, and several types of titles. ... Fürst (plural Fürsten) is a German title of nobility, usually translated into English as Prince. The female form is Fürstin (plural Fürstinnen). ... The following table shows comparative ranks of the principle Allied and Central powers during World War I. For modern ranks refer to Comparative military ranks. ...

Further reading

See Der deutsche Fabius Cunctator, oder Leben und Thaten seiner Excellentz, des Herrn Leopold Joseph Maria Reichsgrafen von Daun ... (S.l.: s.n., 1759-1760), and works dealing with the wars of the period.

References

• This article incorporates text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, which is in the public domain.