Friedrich Freiherr von Hotze | |
|---|---|
 Hotze is wearing the Cross of the Order of....... | |
| Born | 20 April 1739 Richterswil, Canton of Zürich, Swiss Confederation |
| Died | 25 September 1799 (aged 60) Schänis on the Linth, Canton of St. Gallen |
| Allegiance | Duke of Württemberg (1758–1761) King of Prussia (1761–1765) Russian Empire (1768–1776) Habsburg monarchy (1779–1799) |
| Rank | Feldmarschall-leutnant |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | 1793, Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa 1798, Commander's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa |
Friedrich Freiherr (Baron) von Hotze (20 April 1739 – 25 September 1799), was a Swiss-born general in the Austrian army during the French Revolutionary Wars. He campaigned in the Rhineland during the War of the First Coalition and in Switzerland in the War of the Second Coalition, notably at Battle of Winterthur in late May 1799, and the First Battle of Zurich in early June 1799. He was killed at the Battle of Linth River.
Hotze was born on 20 April 1739 in Richterswil in the Canton of Zürich, in the Old Swiss Confederacy (present-day Switzerland). As a boy, he graduated from the Carolinum in Zürich and pursued studies at the University of Tübingen. In 1758, he entered the military service of the Duke of Württemberg, and was promoted to captain of cavalry; he campaigned in the Seven Years' War, but saw no combat. Later, he served in the Russian army in Russia's War with Turkey, (1768–74).
His persistent attentiveness to Joseph II garnered for him a commission in the Austrian imperial army, and he served in the brief War of the Bavarian Succession (1778–79). A diligent and creative commander, he rose quickly through the ranks. His campaigning in the War of the First Coalition, particularly at the Battle of Würzburg, earned him the Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa and, in 1798, the Commander's Cross. Archduke Charles placed him in full command of the center of the Austrian line at the First Battle of Zurich in 1799. He was killed by French musket fire in the morning mist near Schänis, in Canton of St. Gallen on 25 September 1799.