Eugene of Savoy (October 18, 1663 - April 21, 1736) was a Prince of Carignano, a commander of the Holy Roman Empire of Franco-Italian origin, generalissimo. Along with Maurice of Orange, Wallenstein, Gustav II Adolf, Turenne, the Great Conde, Montmorency-Boutville, Vauban and Marlborough, he is among the most outstanding and most influential European commanders of Modern times before the period of the Seven Years' War.
Eugene was born in Paris. He was the fifth son of Prince Eugene-Maurice of Savoy-Carignan, Comte de Soissons, and Olympia Mancini, niece of Cardinal Mazarin. On his father's side, Eugene belonged to the ancient family of the Dukes of Savoy, being the great-grandson of Duke Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy.
Battle of Zenta
After the expulsion of his mother from France in connection with the case of poisons, 20-year-old Eugene went to the fields of the Great Turkish War to defend Vienna besieged by the Turks, where a regiment of dragoons fought under him. After that, Eugene of Savoy took part in the liberation of Hungary from Turkish troops in 1684-1688.
In 1690, he was appointed commander of the Austrian troops in Italy and joined with the Duke of Savoy Victor Amadeus. The latter, contrary to Eugene's advice, joined the battle with the French at Staffard, was defeated, and only Eugene's bravery and efficiency saved the allied troops from final destruction.
In 1691, Eugene forced Marshal Katin to lift the siege of the fortress of Koni; in the same 1691, with the vanguard of the army of the Duke of Savoy, he invaded Dauphine and captured several fortresses.
In 1697, he won a brilliant victory over the Turks at Zenta, which contributed to the conclusion of the Karlowitz Peace beneficial for Austria in 1699.
The War of the Spanish Succession
During the War of the Spanish Succession in 1701, appointed commander-in-chief in Italy, he made a difficult crossing of the Tridentine Alps and, after the victories at Capri and Chiari, occupied Lombardy up to the Olio River. He began the campaign of 1702 with a surprise attack on Cremona, and Marshal Villeroy was captured; then he defended himself very skillfully against the superior forces of the Duke of Vendome.
Appointed president of the Hofkriegsrat, Eugene took a number of measures that saved Austria from the greatest danger that the Hungarian uprising and the French successes in Bavaria put her in.
In 1704, together with the Duke of Marlborough, Eugene won a victory at Hochstedt, which led to the fall of Bavaria from the alliance with Louis XIV.
In 1705, Eugene was sent to Italy, where he stopped the progress of Vendome, and in 1706 he won a victory near Turin, which forced the French to liberate Italy.
In 1707, he invaded Provence and besieged Toulon, but unsuccessfully; in 1708, together with Marlborough, he defeated Vendome at Oudenard and took Lille, and in 1709 defeated Marshal Villars at Malplaquet.
In 1712, Eugene was defeated at Denen.
At the beginning of 1714, he began negotiations with French Marshal Claude Louis Hector de Villars on the cessation of hostilities and signed the Peace of Rastadt on March 7.
The campaign against the Turks. Later years
In 1716, he defeated the Turks at Peterwardein (now Petrovaradin) and took Temeshvar, and the following year won a decisive victory near Belgrade. These victories dealt a strong blow to the power of the Turks in Europe and led to the conclusion of the Pozharevac Peace.
Until 1724 he was a stadtholder in the Austrian Netherlands. Charles VI did not treat Eugene with the same confidence as Leopold I and Joseph I; the party hostile to him at court strengthened, but still his influence was felt in solving all important state issues.
In 1726, Prince Eugene, who was one of the leaders of the Russophile party at the Vienna court, concluded the Vienna Union Treaty with Russia.
In the role of commander-in-chief, Eugene appeared once again in the War of the Polish Succession (1734-1735), but due to illness he was soon recalled.
