Video Creator’s Channel The Great War

Franz Conrad Graf Von Hötzendorf Was The Most

honored Austrian soldier of World War One. That sounds pretty good,, but his political and military attitudes were constantly criticized. , his life was full of ups and downs, and his legacy remains highly controversial. . But.

He Was A Prime Mover Behind The Beginning

of the war and Austrias main military leader, and since we mention him in the show all the time, today We ll get to know him a little better. My name is Indy Neidell and welcome to The Great War Bio series UK did what in UK with our big star today. , Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf.

Franz Xaver Joseph Conrad Graf Von

Hötzendorf was born on November 11, 1852, in Penzing near Vienna.. He comes from an family of officers and officials that had been raised to the nobility in 1815. His Father Franz Xaver Conrad was a conservative who. participated in the Battle of Leipzig and fought revolutionists in Vienna in 1848.

• franz
• archduke
• josef
• austrian
• joseph

.

His father had actually already retired when Conrad was born, though, and his mother, who was 32 years younger than his father, gave him a strict Christian. Upbringing. He attended school in Vienna until 1863 and then cadet school in Hainburg. During the autumn of 1867, he went to the Theresian Military Academy and three years later, as a lieutenant, he left the academy to join a shore patrol battalion.

• conrad graf von hötzendorf born
• father franz xaver conrad conservative
• von hötzendorf honored austrian
• austrian soldier world war
• 1815 father franz xaver conrad

In 1874, He Went To Military School

in Vienna and graduated two years later, ending his general staff training. When UK occupied Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878. , Conrad had his first experience in the field there, distinguishing himself both there and later while taking part in suppressing the rebellion in South Dalmatia in 1882. By 1883, he was Chief of Staff of the 11th Infantry Division in Lviv,, also known as Lemberg,, also known as L vov.

.

It was there that he married his fiancee Vilma,, with whom he had four sons. For. The next few years he was a tactics instructor in military school and wrote military tactical theory and he became known for his ideas far beyond the borders of the Empire. Soon, he would take command of his first infantry regiment and put his innovations into practice.

.

If. You want to learn about Conrad s tactical ideas, go read his books, but suffice to say-he was listened to, and because he was especially diligent and always active,. He stood out among his cohorts and came to the attention of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

Now, Now, The Archduke Favored Organizing

the army along the same lines as Conrad, and so he used his influence with Emperor Franz Josef to have Conrad made Chief of Staff of the army in 1906. Thing is, his ideas were pretty controversial. For example, he wanted pre-emptive wars against both Serbia and Italy,, which caused huge arguments between himself and the Foreign Minister Count Aehrenthal and even the Emperor and Conrad was eventually forced to resign in 1911. However, he was rehired to the same post in late 1912 and continued his agitating for war; his list now including Romania. His General Plan, and it was his plan throughout his career was to fight off smaller countries before they would get the chance in allying with Russia, and expand, expand, expand.

Now, The Foreign Minister And The Emperor

both rejected this and supported a policy of peace. Conrad, Though, was pretty monominded on the subject-in the year beforeNK] broke out, he petitioned the Emperor to make war no fewer than 30 times. . His relationship with both the emperor and Franz Ferdinand soured, as you may imagine, and when he began an affair with a married woman,, who would later become his second wife. , Conrad

S Ship Was Really Starting To Sink.

And. Then Franz Ferdinand was assassinated. And. Then Conrad had the war he had always wanted.

But.

The Imperial army had huge problems; in spite of Conrad s urging to innovate and organize, he did not think much at all of modern rapid-fire weaponry. , and the Empire had not spent enough money on the army to modernize it in any case. .

In Fact, Great Britain Spent More

money on her army than Austria,, even though it was like a fifth the size and the Imperial army lagged. behind its contemporaries in many ways. And the higher ranks were riddled with incompetent career officers stuck in the past. . Oskar Potiorek comes to Mind; who bungled the invasions of Serbia and humiliated his nation.

Shortly After The War Broke Out.

Here s a spoiler alert for fans of our weekly episodes who Don t want to know what happened later in the war yet-UK UK UK Okay, the winter 1914-1915 was grim for Conrad and the Empire and Russia had them on the ropes, but thanks to a big infusion of German help, the combined UKNK] Offensive turned things around in a flash and Conrad s troops pushed the Russians back to their own territory.

.

His army occupied big chunks of what is now Poland, finally conquered Serbia and Montenegro, and repelled Romania. . He was riding high, but like I said, his life was a series of ups and downs. .

Now, Conrad Supported Annexation Of Serbia

and Montenegro, right But the Hungarian part of the dual monarchy., UK thought this would lead to a serious imbalance of power. Conrad. By this point couldn t keep his big mouth shut.

He Alienated The Emperor And His Court,

he suffered a string of new military setbacks, his relationship with his German allies deteriorated constantly as did his relationship with his own troops, and the final straw was the death of the Emperor in 1916. The new Emperor, Karl I, had bluntly told Conrad before his accession that the mismanagement of the army by the high command couldn t be fixed until Conrad was replaced, so the writing was on the wall. So even though Conrad was promoted to Field Marshall in November 1916, just after Karl s ascension to the throne, Karl himself took controls of the army and Navy combat units.

, And Conrad Was Dismissed As Chief Of

Staff on March 1, 1917.. He requested retirement, but the Emperor instead put him in charge of one of the armies on the Italian front in the Tyrol. However, after the bloody failure of the Austrian springtime offensives against the Italians in 1918, Conrad was finally dismissed for good in July, with the entire Empire condemning the army s leadership and associating Conrad with the war in a nation that mostly wanted peace.

At This Point.

After his dismissal. He was made a Count by the Emperor and placed in command of the Royal Guards in Vienna, so he still was honored officially, but postwar, and post the collapse of the Empire,. He became a bitter and depressed man, denying any personal responsibility for the outbreak and outcome of the war and blaming the Imperial court for not listening to his ideas over the years. He retired in December 1918 and began to write his memoirs.

On August 25Th, 1925.

, Conrad von Hörtzendorf died in Bad Mergentheim, Germany, and when he was buried in Vienna. The following week,, over 100,000 mourners turned out to see him laid to rest. . Conrad very much lived a soldiers

Life, And He Dwelled Constantly On Reforming

the Imperial army, which in almost every way had fallen behind the armies of the other great powers,, but while he certainly improved organization and training techniques,. His disapproval of the tools and realities of modern war, and above all his unbreakable rightness sabotaged his career again and again and caused his armies enormous casualties. And.

He Never Took Responsibility For His Mistakes, Be

they tactical, political, or military. On. The other hand, his written works, published in several languages. , made him known and honored worldwide as a military expert. IT

S Safe To Say That There Are Only Perhaps

a handful of people in Habsburg Imperial history who could give rise to as much discussion and as much difference of opinion as Conrad von Hotzendorf. Renowned as a strategist, despised as an intriguer, sometimes blamed for the war itself, and post-1918 sometimes declared an almost mythical military genius. . Conrad Von Hötzendorf Whatever you think of him, he was one of the most important figures of the entire war, even though compared to many of his contemporaries, his name his slipped into obscurity. But, what do you think Tell us in the comments below and if you want to see how his plans spiralled into disaster, click right here.

For More Information And A Peek Behind The

scenes follow us on Facebook and Dont forget to subscribe. See you next time.

Summary

Franz Conrad Graf von Hötzendorf was the most honored Austrian soldier of World War One . His life was full of ups and downs, and his legacy remains highly controversial . He was a prime mover behind the beginning of the war and Austria&s main military leader, and since we mention him in the show all the time, today We&ll get to know him a little better . He comes from an family of officers and officials that had been raised to the nobility in 1815 . His Father Franz Xaver Conrad was a conservative who participated in the Battle of Leipzig and fought revolutionists in Vienna in 1848. His mother, who was 32 years younger than his father, gave him a strict Christian upbringing. He attended school in Vienna until 1863 and then cadet school in Hainburg. He married his fiancee Vilma,, with whom he had four sons. The next few years he was a tactics instructor in military school and wrote military tactical theory ….. Click here to read more and watch the full video