This biography of the Holy Roman Empire’s great military commander examines his extraordinary life on and off the battlefield.
French born of an Italian mother, Prince Eugene of Savoy-Carignan (1663–1736) was destined for the church, but fled France to choose the life of a soldier. He entered the service of the Habsburg Emperor Leopold I in 1683 and rose rapidly to become one of the greatest military commanders of the age, playing a leading role in the wars against both the Ottoman Turks and the French. In this enlightening biography, James Falkner reconstructs Eugene’s military campaigns in compelling detail and describes his career as a politician and statesman.
Eugene first showed his military genius during the siege of Vienna in 1683 where the Ottoman Turkish threat to western Europe was thrown back, and he commanded the Imperial army at the resounding victory over the Ottomans at Zenta in 1697. He also joined John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, in the victory over the French at Blenheim in 1704 and served alongside Marlborough at the subsequent victories at Oudenarde and Malplaquet. His later triumph, again over the Ottomans, at the capture of Belgrade in 1717, sealed his reputation as a great captain.
A lifelong bachelor although fond of women, Eugene was both a typical hard-bitten soldier and an accomplished diplomat, as well as a great patron of the arts. His summer palace, The Belvedere in Vienna, stands today as a fine monument to this extraordinary man.
