The formative influences, theories, and campaigns of the Archduke Carl of Austria

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the nature of the Archduke Carl\u27s formative military experiences. To construct a picture three main areas were investigated. First, his intellectual antecedents were accessed for their potential impact. Second, Carl\u27s actual theories, based on his three main works released between 1806 and 1813, are analyzed and considered in light of the pre-determined influences. Third, the archduke\u27s two great campaigns, fought in 1796 and 1809, are shown in light of his influences and theories. To enhance the overall understanding of the archduke the dissertation includes a short biography and a comprehensive historiography. These represent the only works on those topics in the English language. In scrutinizing Carl in this manner three main streams of dominant influence and thought appear. They are eighteenth century Josephinian bureaucratization, Catholicism, and Neostoicism. The strongest and most evident influence comes from the Enlightenment. He was, in the end, a firm believer in, and a practitioner of, limited warfare