Karl von Thun und Hohenstein
Karl von Thun und Hohenstein (1803–1876) was an Austrian officer who is noted for being the main Austrian commander at the Battle of Blumenau in the Austro-Prussian War.
He was born January 24, 1803, in Vienna, the son of Count Joseph Johann Anton von Thun und Hohenstein and Countess Eleonore. He began his military career in 1820 and rose through the ranks, becoming colonel in 1848 and commanding the 3rd Infantry Regiment. He fought in the First Italian War of Independence and in the 1848 Hungarian Revolution, including the battles of Komárom and Temesvár. In 1850 he served briefly as fortress commander in Budapest, then returned as a brigade commander in 1852. In 1854 he was promoted to Lieutenant Field Marshal and commanded a division in Opava.
During the Second Italian War of Independence he led the 15th Army Corps (formed to defend the coast but not deployed) and later commanded the VIII Corps in Italy. In 1861 he became commander of all Austrian troops in the Austrian Littoral, based in Trieste, and in 1862 he was named commander of II Corps and the commanding general for Lower and Upper Austria, Salzburg and Styria in Vienna. In the Austro-Prussian War his corps fought in Bohemia as part of Ludwig Benedek’s army, with heavy fighting in the Swiepwald; he was slightly wounded at Königgrätz.
He retired in 1867 with the rank of Feldzeugmeister. He received the Iron Crown (III Class in 1848 and I Class in 1867) and was made a Knight of the Order of Leopold in 1849. In 1857 he became owner of Infantry Regiment 29, and in 1859 he joined the Privy Council. He was married to Johanna Freiin von Koller from 1833; the marriage produced no children.
Karl von Thun und Hohenstein died January 16, 1876, in Trieste, at the age of 72.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 15:33 (CET).