Franz Lassy An outstanding Austrian military leader, field marshal, son of Russian field marshal Peter Lassi. Date of Birth: 21.10.1725 Country: Austria

Biography of Franz Lassi

Franz Lassi was an outstanding Austrian military leader and field marshal. He was the son of Russian field marshal Peter Lassi. Born into a family with Irish-Baltic roots, Franz was the third and youngest son of Count Lassi and Countess Martha Philippine von Löser, the widow of Count von Funk. He spent his childhood in St. Petersburg and Riga.

At the age of twelve, Franz, like his older brothers, was sent abroad by his father, who wanted his sons to build their careers independently, rather than relying on their family's status. He received two years of education at the cavalry school in Liegnitz, Germany, founded in 1708, and completed his military education at the Engineering Academy in Vienna.

In 1743, Franz left his service in Russia and joined the Austrian infantry regiment Brown as an ensign. He served as an adjutant to Field Marshal Lieutenant Brown and participated in the War of the Austrian Succession. He received his baptism of fire during an unsuccessful attempt to storm the Italian fortress of Velletri on the night of August 10-11, 1744. He also suffered a bayonet wound during the siege of Velletri on October 29, 1744.

Due to his bravery in the Battle of Piacenza on June 16, 1746, Franz was promoted to major. He also participated in the battles at Rottifredo and the siege of Genoa. After the war, Franz's career continued to flourish. In March 1749, he became a lieutenant colonel, and from 1753 to 1756, he commanded a regiment stationed in Bohemia.

During the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), Franz distinguished himself in the Battle of Lobositz on October 1, 1756, where he was credited with saving the Austrian army. He was promoted to general field marshal in 1757 following the Battle of Breslau on November 22. For his victory over the Prussians at Hochkirch on October 14, 1758, where Franz's battle disposition played a crucial role, he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Maria Theresa, an honor bestowed upon only twenty military leaders in Austrian history.

In November 1759, Franz managed to completely surround and force the surrender of a Prussian corps of 15,000 soldiers under the command of General Fink at Maxen. This brilliant victory, which put Friedrich II in a dire situation due to a severe shortage of troops, earned Franz the title of general field marshal. In October 1760, he participated in an expedition to Berlin alongside Russian generals Totleben, Chernyshyov, and Panin. However, he refused to accept the capitulation terms signed by Totleben and demanded a share of the spoils of war for the Austrians. He forcibly entered Berlin with his troops, feeling deprived, and disbanded them so extensively that Totleben had to deploy additional Russian units with orders to shoot at the Austrian allies if necessary.

From 1762, Franz commanded a wing of the Austrian army. He declined the rank of general field marshal, not wanting to surpass his friend who held a higher position. From 1763 onwards, he served as a member of the highest military council, the Hofkriegsrat, and as the inspector general of infantry. He became the president of the Hofkriegsrat in 1766. His appointment as a foreigner to such a high position triggered protests from the old Austrian nobility. Despite envy and intrigues accompanying Franz throughout his career, he gained a reputation as a successful and visionary reformer during his tenure as the president of the Hofkriegsrat, which lasted until 1774. His reforms touched all aspects of army life, from its formation to the financing of its maintenance. One of Franz's notable contributions was the establishment of training camps. In 1770, he was awarded the Order of the Golden Fleece. Since 1794, he served as the chancellor of the Order of Maria Theresa. He was also one of the closest advisors to Joseph II, with whom he became close during the War of the Bavarian Succession.

Towards the end of his life, Franz's military career did not go entirely smoothly. During the war with the Ottoman Empire from 1788 to 1789, he was forced to relinquish supreme command after a series of failures. He faced criticism for his overly cautious tactics. In the 1790s, he gradually withdrew from active duty and lived a secluded, if not lonely, life without family or children. The ancestral estate of the Russian branch of the Lassi family, from which Count Franz Moritz Lassi descended, was located in present-day Belarus. According to the German Wikipedia, descendants of the Russian Lassi family, who fled from Belarus in 1939 due to the advance of the Red Army, currently reside in Poland and Argentina. One of Franz's sisters, Helen, was married to Russian field marshal and later governor of Riga, Count Brown. Her son, Count George Brown, is buried in Vienna alongside his famous uncle, Count Lassi.