Michael Adolf von Althann, alternatively written Altheimb, (1574–1638) was an Austrian military commander and diplomat. He particularly distinguished himself in the Long Turkish War, at Székesfehérvár and Esztergom. At the end of the war he was appointed field marshal. On 14 June 1610 he was made an Imperial Count. He was later sent on diplomatic missions to the Principality of Transylvania and the Sublime Porte.[1] In 1625 he became the first grand master of the short-lived order of knighthood Militia Christiana, of which he was a founder.[2] He died in Vienna on 7 May 1636.
Michael Adolph von Althann | |
|---|---|
 Engraved portrait published by Dominicus Custos | |
| Born | 1574 |
| Died | 7 May 1636 Vienna |
| Allegiance | Holy Roman Empire |
| Spouse(s) | Elisabeth von Stotzingen (1606); Maria Eva von Sternberg (1627) |
Family
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Althann was the son of Christoph Freiherr von Althann auf Goldburg und Murstetten (died Vienna, 1589) and Elisabeth Freiin Teuffel von Gundersdorff.[2]
In 1606 he married Elisabeth von Stotzingen, daughter of the governor of Lower Austria; in 1627 he married Maria Eva von Sternberg.[2]
References
edit- ^ Wilhelm Edler von Janko, Althann, Michael Adolf Graf von, in Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, vol. 1 (1875), p. 366.
- ^ a b c Josef Sokoll, Althann, Michael Adolf Graf von, in Neue Deutsche Biographie, vol. 1 (1953), p. 219f.