Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf

Field Marshal of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1852-1925)

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Lived 1852–1925, aged 73Austria

Austria Historical Figures

Wikipedia
40 languages
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Era
1852–1925
Aged 73
Awards
3
recognised works

Summary

Updated 2026-06-21

The Austro-Hungarian field marshal who pushed for preemptive war against Serbia for years, then found himself in charge during the July Crisis of 1914 — the flash point that ignited World War I.

Biography

About

Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf served as Chief of the General Staff of the Austro-Hungarian military from 1906 to 1917, repeatedly calling for preemptive strikes against Serbia to hold together an empire he believed was disintegrating. When war came in 1914, his army was unprepared, and he'd miscalculated German support — most forces went east, not to the Balkans. Russian advances through the Carpathians brought them to Hungary's doorstep before Italy joined the Allies, and though the Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive cleared Galicia and Serbia fell in October 1915, his troops grew increasingly dependent…

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