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Open MASTER DRAFT 5.Pdf The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School Department of History IN SERVICE OF THE STATE: DESERTION, DISCIPLINE, AND ARMY LIFE IN THE HABSBURG MONARCHY, 1753-1781 A Dissertation in History by Jeffrey M. Horton 2016 Jeffrey M. Horton Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2016 The dissertation of Jeffrey M. Horton was reviewed and approved* by the following: R. Po-Chia Hsia Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of History Dissertation Advisor Chair of Committee A. Gregg Roeber Professor of Early Modern History and Religious Studies Matthew Restall Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Colonial Latin American History, Anthropology, and Women’s Studies Daniel Purdy Professor of German Studies Carol Reardon George Winfree Professor of American History David Atwill Director of Graduate Studies, Department of History *Signatures are on file in the Graduate School iii ABSTRACT The first standing army in the Habsburg Monarchy was officially founded in 1649. Until the monarchy’s dissolution in 1918, it had problems recruiting sufficient numbers of soldiers and preventing those soldiers from deserting. “In Service of the State: Desertion, Discipline, and Army Life in the Habsburg Monarchy, 1753-1781” is an examination of the treatment of deserters by the legal and administrative bodies of the Habsburg Monarchy. At its heart, it seeks to answer the question: why did some soldiers serve and why did others choose to flee military service? In particular, this dissertation is concerned with the multiethnic, multi-confessional, and multilingual nature of the Habsburg Monarchy--a monarchy that encompassed parts of almost two dozen modern European countries--and how the diversity of the recruited soldiers influenced the legal and administrative processes of the Habsburg standing army from 1753 to 1781. Given the amount of diversity in the Monarchy, how did the military forge a unified force? Based on the records of the Hofkriegsrat (the highest military administrative body in the Habsburg Monarchy until 1848) and collections of legal documents, this dissertation is composed of: an analysis of the legal status and treatment of deserters, a history of the actions of the Hofkriegsrat regarding desertion, and case studies of specific acts of desertion by individuals and groups. By studying deserters, “In Service of the State” provides insight into the development of state power in the eighteenth century and ultimately the relationship between the individual and the state. Desertion and the aiding of deserters were complex social phenomena, often resulting from socioeconomic pressures as well as the consequences of military decisions. Since the relationships built during the Habsburg era (1500-1918) have had long-term effects on the development of modern European political institutions, “In Service of the State” provides insight into the beginning of the many complex social, political, and economic dynamics that helped create the Europe of the twenty-first century. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables ........................................................................................................................... vii List of Figures .......................................................................................................................... viii Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................. ix INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 1 A. Documentation and Sourcing ...................................................................................... 11 B. Summary of Primary Source Materials ....................................................................... 14 C. Chapter Summaries ..................................................................................................... 16 Chapter 1 Desertion, Running Away, and ‘Turning Traitor’ – A Historiographical Introduction to the Habsburg Monarchy and Military in the Eighteenth Century ........... 19 A. History of the Habsburg Standing Army and the Study of Desertion ......................... 19 1. “Bella gerant alii”: An Introduction to the Habsburg Monarchy ......................... 19 2. “…Nam quae Mars aliis dat…”: An Introduction to the Habsburg Standing Army ................................................................................................................. 22 3. Early Modern Habsburg Military Historiography ................................................ 30 B. Studies regarding Desertion in the Early Modern Habsburg Monarchy ..................... 36 1. Historiography of Desertion in the Habsburg Monarchy ..................................... 36 2. Limits and Lacunae .............................................................................................. 48 C. Studies Regarding Desertion in other European Contexts .......................................... 57 1. Desertion and the Development of the Standing Army in Early Modern Europe .............................................................................................................. 57 2. Desertion: The Influence of Geoffrey Parker and the Military Revolution ......... 60 3. Desertion: The Hohenzollern Dynasty and the Kingdom of Prussia.................... 64 4. Desertion: At home and aboard in early modern Great Britain ............................ 69 D. Desertion: Other Contexts and Historiographical Lessons ......................................... 75 Chapter 2 “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” – Introduction to Desertion and Case Studies from the Habsburg Monarchy in the Late Eighteenth Century ........................................ 77 A. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 77 1. The Habsburg Standing Army and Desertion ...................................................... 78 2. The Crime of Desertion ........................................................................................ 82 3. Sources and Methodology .................................................................................... 88 1. Case Study I – The Baron Preysacische Infanterie Regiment .............................. 93 2. Case Study II – The Oroszischen Infanterie Regiment ........................................ 101 C. Analysis and Conclusion ............................................................................................. 115 Chapter 3 “Die gantze Ursach der Desertion wäre die nahe Gräntze”: The Habsburg Monarchy in the Eighteenth Century and Case Studies in Desertion, Part II .................. 122 v A. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 122 B. The Monarchy in the Eighteenth Century: Contextual Information ............................ 124 C. Riders of the Habsburg Standing Army: the Dragoons ............................................... 127 D. CASE STUDIES USING DRAGOON REGIMENTS IN 1774 ................................. 131 1. Introduction to Dragoon Regiment Case Studies ................................................. 132 2. Dragoon Regiments: Characteristics and Organization in the Eighteenth Century ............................................................................................................. 134 3. Case Study III – The Coburg Dragoon Regiment ................................................ 137 4. Case Study IV – The Zweybrück Dragoon Regiment .......................................... 152 E. Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 158 Chapter 4 “Hochlöbl. Kaÿl. Königl. Hof Kriegs Rath”: Desertion, the Habsburg Military Administration, and the Hofkriegsrat from 1750 to 1800. ............................................... 164 A. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 164 B. History of Hofkriegsrat................................................................................................ 166 1. Historiographical Survey Regarding the Hofkriegsrat ......................................... 166 2. Historical Survey Regarding the Hofkriegsrat ..................................................... 171 C. Stories from the Hofkriegsrat: A Primary Source Document Analysis ....................... 186 1. Analysis and Explanation of the Trends in the Primary Sources ......................... 188 2. The Hofkriegsrat and Desertion ........................................................................... 194 3. The Hofkriegsrat, Desertion, and Neighboring States ......................................... 198 4. The Hofkriegsrat and General Pardons ................................................................ 201 D. Conclusion................................................................................................................... 208 Chapter 5 Proclamations from the Habsburg Monarchy: Legal Structures, Political Frameworks, and “das schaedliche Uibel der Desertion” During the Eighteenth Century ............................................................................................................................. 211 A. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 211 B. Die Politik: The Framework
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