Many Things Were Said, Many Things Were Seen - At Last Were Approaching The Finish Line!

Many things were said, many things were seen - at last we’re approaching the finish line! 🎉

So here comes

Part 3 of the main characters in the Kraft’s painting “Battle of Leipzig”

After all the trouble with an escort of three allied monarchs we have a suitable opportunity for a closing speech - a speech about prominent Austrian military men who participated in the Battle of Leipzig and got their moment of fame on the Kraft’s canvas.

Naturally they are led by their general-commander who presided over allied Russian, Prussian, Austrian and German forces - prince Karl Philipp zu Schwarzenberg, Austrian field marshal and experienced diplomat.

Representative of an ancient, well respected family in Habsburg’s monarchy (Franconian/Bavarian heritage with a pinch of Czech influence, money and - notably - property), he was one of the closest and most loyal Metternich’s associates whose gentleness, pliability and diplomatic skills combined with his influence in the army and utter bravery always came in handy when Klemens wanted to accomplish something on an international arena ever since he became chancellor in 1809.

Same thing goes for the war of 1813-1814: since newly formed Coalition needed a commander, probably an Austrian one as Russians and Prussians needed to ensure Austrian involvement in the business against Napoleon, Metternich simply swept other candidates aside (especially archduke Karl von Teschen who probably was the most successful military commander in the Empire… but indescribable boiling h a t r e d between the imperial family and chancellor lurking behind the back of emperor Franz and gracefully pulling the strings was practically insurmountable) and put in an ally he trusted the most.

Like, you know, find yourself a man who can do both! Because Klemens surely found one for himself. ✒️🗡

(This saying actually suits them soooo well, it’s unbelievable. Sometimes I still can’t comprehend how much of “partners in crime” they were (love their dynamic as much as Metternich’s relationships with Friedrich von Gentz) and I will certainly mention them A LOT in the nearest future!)

But for now that’s more than enough chatter about the commander-in-chief, I guess…

Especially when there is such a wonderful pair of true sweethearts behind his back - Hieronymus von Colloredo-Mansfeld and Friedrich VI von Hessen-Homburg, a field marshal and general of the cavalry in the Austrian service! Both went through the Napoleonic wars from it’s start to the very end. Also they properly illustrate the famous notion of “internationalism” which was common amongst the ranks of Austrian Empire’s officials thanks to the legacy of Holy Roman Empire (R.I.P as Napoleon said it himself… ☠️): Colloredo came from a noble family from Friuli (Northern Italy) and Friedrich’s name says it all for him. :)

Even though they seem completely fine on the canvas, both were severely wounded during a fierce confrontation with the troops of Poniatowski, Augerau and Oudinot which took place on the 18th of October. Friedrich who led his hussars in a battle suffered a serious blow…

Fortunately, Colloredo was able to support him in time! Even though he shared the same fate soon, he decided to hide his injury until the positions of allied forces were finally secured. ✊

In the mean time on Schwarzenberg’s left side we can see a fancy cavalry man - count Ignácz Gyulay, another veteran general.

He practically had one job - to stop Napoleon from escaping Leipzig by blocking the western route.

Did he succeed?

Well, to some extent...

It was not enough though.

But, despite some disappointment, we’ve practically collected them all! Czechs, Germans, an Italian and now a Hungarian! Austrian Empire at it’s finest as usual. ✨

And to top this enormous cake with a sweet cherry, I present to you a complete shot in a dark - this ironical looking military man could be Johann von Klenau, one more field marshal to go! His efforts actually saved the whole battle on it’s first day, since he blocked Murat’s fierce cavalry charge and prevented MacDonald’s from flanking the main army (classic Napoleon’s strategy sense I here, heh).

Now that’s what we call a nice save!

And with this small but important victory which can sometimes change the whole course of events I would love to conclude my vast reflection on the Kraft’s painting. It’s a true masterpiece when it comes to all the tiny details and portrayals of the heroes from a distance past.

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your attention to the matter!

(Hope you liked it as well, @microcosme11! That was an incredible opportunity, thank you very much! It’s always a pleasure to dig into all these small nuances and facts. 😌)

Das Ende ❤️🤍❤️

Oh, first of all I want to thank you back for your kindness! 💗

Actually on this grandiose canvas Schwarzenberg took quite a place of honour since he is located almost in the centre of the composition facing the emperors of Russia and Austria and the king of Prussia. As a general commander of the allied forces he is the one who brings the good news to the three monarchs.

There he is in all of his glory! ✨

Also I would allow myself to share a piece of one wonderful lithograph as well. It’s almost the exact copy of the painting but, in my opinion, there is much more expression to his appearance and it’s characteristic features. :)

As for the man you mentioned earlier I might assume that he bears some resemblance to August Neidhardt von Gneisenau, quartermaster-general in Blücher‘s Army and his right-hand-man during the War of Liberation. But I’m not so sure about that, it’s just a guess!

And I’m sorry for the question about Metternich, it was just a sudden joke that came to my mind!

After all I have learned about him, I find his personality rather unpleasant and even filthy at some point… but he still fascinates me despite all of his obvious downsides. And I sarcastically thought this is somewhat “problematic” to some extent. 😂

Soooo in the next couple of days I would love to speak about how I got to the point where I am right now in the fandom! And first of all - about few historical characters who have been figuring in my drawings for almost a year and a half. :)

I guess that the most accurate way of describing my preferences would be

✨The squad of yearly 19th-century military men with huge sideburns✨

And here they are - from left to right (or should I say from top to bottom, ehem):

First and foremost, I should say couple of words about a man who had been my main inspiration for almost three year in a row - prince Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration, famous infantry general of the Russian Empire. 🇷🇺

Well… I love him with all of my heart! As a Russian who suddenly got into history of Napoleonic wars (and, actually, history in general even though it was not my cup of tea for the major part of my life) thanks to Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” which I read for our literature class in high school and was completely enchanted by it I had plenty of choices with whom I could start my journey.

And I chose… Alexander I.

Yep, I find it rather logical and still appreciate the role that he had played in getting me into the Napoleonic wars shenanigans (even though now I know so much about all of his downsides and unpleasant features of his character) but in the end Bagration means much more to me. 🌹

He was a wonderful warrior with a heart of a lion, a bit too hotheaded but righteous and fair till the very end. I find it fascinating how gracefully he managed to combine his own skills concerning the art of war with the habits of Russian imperial court. Even though he didn’t manage to maintain good relationships with tzar Alexander (oops, here goes Alexander’s pride and arrogance when it came to the military affairs) because of his own sense of right and wrong and his stubbornness (which, in my opinion, was completely justified by the situation in the battlefield) and was acting rather obstinately in the begging of the War of 1812, he got the glory and honour he deserved from his fellow generals and even the enemies of the empire. His unfortunate death is a real tragedy as many sources show that he could have been saved even with the poor medical sources of the time… But oh well. What happened, happened. 😔

Long story short, I think that Bagration was a very wholesome person and I’m happy to see that he nowadays he still gets much recognition! 🎉

And the next one we haaaaaave… oh my, who could it be if not the one and only Joachim Murat, maréchal de France, Roi de Naples, in all of his shining glory! 🇫🇷✨

Won’t say much about him here (because it’s far too much for this poor post already 😅) only that this man fascinates me to the bottom of my heart! It’s always such a pleasure to study something new about his adventures and the adventures of Napoleon’s maréchal in general. Love them all very much!

Vive la France, vive la Révolution française et vive le Premier Empire surtout!~

…Okay, but also, like, Murat’s attitude to different things and events, his flamboyancy in clothing and his overall, er, sensibility helped me a lot with some deep personal struggles about my own identity and I will be always grateful to him for who he was. ❤️

The last but not the least is long-forgotten (even though now I find more than enough information about his life, character and deeds) but utterly sweet Fürst Karl Philipp zu Schwarzenberg, field marshal and experienced diplomat in service of the Holly Roman and then Austrian Empire. 🇦🇹

I’m certainly going to make a specific post about how did I end up with him, that one bloody devil Metternich (definitely heard about that guy somewhere) and my overall sudden boiling passion for the austrian history which grows stronger every day so I’m DEFINITELY not going to get into details this time, I swear!

…I only want to express my frustration: I was not smart enough few years ago and now have to frantically study German language. Mein Gott, it was a love from the first sight but nonetheless… One year and a few months of express self studying has passed and I hope that it’s only a beginning!

P. S.

To sum it all up, I would like to address one more question to the audience.

On a scale from one to ten how ✨cringe✨ is it to aggressively simp for someone like Metternich? Because it must have been over half of a year by now and my concern is only growing. 😂

Pair drawings of Murat and Ney I made some time ago for myself and my dear friend @michel-feuilly ✨

They were born out of a spontaneous experiment with different brushes and I’m still very fond of the result. :)

Mitrailleur de Lyon

Fouche interests me within the framework of the Napoleonic era, but I wanted to try to depict what he looked like during the Revolution.

After all the ball resumes! 🥂

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.

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Ahem, my bad, the Vienna Congress will be opened next year only!

Until then we’re stuck with an incredibly important meeting of prominent people which will eventually lead to an extraordinary outcome (especially if we remember all the past wars and their results which were rather… unfavourable for all the previous Coalitions and their paticipants).

And that’s why here comes

Part 2 of the main characters in the Kraft’s painting “Battle of Leipzig”

Let’s continue our small-talk with another representative of the general-headquarters, the most important one for sure - count Joseph Radetzky von Radetz, the chief-of-staff in the Bohemian army led by Schwarzenberg himself. Amongst his colleagues in the headquarters he probably had the most influence on the decisions made by Schwarzenberg and three allied monarchs themselves.

His placement in the painting illustrates this idea quite well! Even though at first sight he seems to be somewhat “lost” among the officers surrounding him, Radetzky is actually in the heart of a crowd probably listening to Gneisenau’s thoughts on the current state of affairs. 🗣

I also want to give another illustrative example of him wearing dark-green which, in my opinion, suits him very well. :)

It’s a much later artwork (the second half of the 19th century) created by another talented Austrian painter Carl von Blaas - a series of panels in the Ruhmeshalle (the Hall of Fame) which is located in the Museum of Military History in Vienna. There, on the walls from floor to ceiling are depicted the most important military victories in the history of Austria. This one in particular shows us the aftermath of a battle: kaiser Franz decorates the commander-in-chief of allied forces - Karl zu Schwarzenberg - with the Grand Cross of the Order of Maria Theresa. Right behind him stands Radetzky with his arms crossed on his chest.

Soooo serious and solemn! ✨

(One more off top since I simply can’t help myself… Like, OMG, Schwarzenberg looks so blissful in this picture. It’s literally heartwarming! 🤲🤲🤲)

All in all, there’re many representatives from different European countries making up the crowd behind three monarchs’ backs. I’m sure there must be some military men from those German states which after all decided to join the allied forces but I’m not competent enough to identify all of them… (Yet, hopefully! 😅)

But I can say for sure that at least two more men in the crowd (who are somewhat hiding behind other’s backs) are of a particular interest.

The first one has such striking appearance that it’s almost impossible to confuse him with anyone else. Say hello to Adam Albert von Neipperg, a military men, a diplomat and… a future husband of archduchess Marie Louise as she was never allowed to reunite with Napoleon after the victory of the allies.

What a surprise to see him out there!

By the way, nice eyepatch, my man. ✨

And next to him is Maximilian von Merveldt, a general who was unfortunate enough to be captured by Napoleon’s men during the first day of a battle…

Oops, that’s quite unpleasant. :(

After that he had to deliver Napoleon’s peace offering which was immediately rejected by allied monarchs since it was only the 16th of October and much more reinforcements were on their way to the battlefield. ✊

To be continued even 🔜 er

Best father-son relationships in the Napoleonic era, they are just 🥺🤲💗