Andreas Hadik

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Count András Hadik de Futak (Graf Hadik von Futak) (October 16, 1710 – March 12, 1790), Hungarian Count of Futak, commander of an Austrian army corps in the Seven Years' War under Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine. Governor of Galicia and Lodomeria from January 1774 to June 1774, father of Karl Joseph Hadik, died March 12, 1790.

[edit] Early life

Born on October 16, 1710 in Kőszeg to a Hungarian family of lesser nobility, he volunteered for the Ghilányi-hussar regiment when he was 20, at 22 he was given the rank of officer and became the standard bearer in the Dessewffy-hussar regiment in the Austrian army. Hadik fought in the War of the Polish Succession (1733 – 1738) and the Russo-Turkish War of 1735 – 1739. In 1738 Hadik was promoted to the rank of captain. During the War of the Austrian Succession (1740 – 1748) he gained fame for his actions against the Prussians at the city of Neisse (Nysa, Poland) using surprise attacks and tricks under the unwritten laws of the so-called "small war," relying on the excellent qualification of his light cavalry hussars. During the war he was again promoted, this time to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel by Maria Theresa, the Queen of Hungary and Archduchess of Austria. In 1744 he gained the rank of Commanding Colonel of his own hussar regiment, then near the end of the war in 1747 he attained the rank of General and was appointed commander of a cavalry brigade. Early in the Seven Years' War (1756-63) Frederick the Great King of Prussia was marching south with his powerful armies when the Hungarian general unexpectedly executed the most famous hussar action in history. With a 5,000 force of mostly hussars, he swung around the Prussians and took their capital Berlin. The city was spared for a negotiated ransom of 200,000 tallers.(Due lack of cash, Hadik took an IOU for part of the tribute) Hadik became Marshal of the Habsburg Empire but Frederick the Great, for the humiliation, never-ever spoke to him again.