| András Hadik | |
|---|---|
Andreas Hadik. Painted by Georg Weikert in 1783. |
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| Born | October 16, 1710 Csallóköz or Kőszeg, Kingdom of Hungary, Habsburg Emprire |
| Died | March 12, 1790 (aged 79) Futak, Kingdom of Hungary, Habsburg Emprire (now Futog, Serbia) |
| Nationality | Austrian-Hungarian |
| Ethnicity | Hungarian with Luxembourgian, Slovak and perhaps Tatar or Cherkess ancestry |
| Occupation | Commander of the Habsburg army corps during the Seven Years' War |
| Known for | Capturing the Prussian capital Berlin |
| Relatives | Father of Karl Joseph Hadik von Futak |
Count András Hadik de Futak (German: Andreas Reichsgraf Hadik von Futak; Hungarian: futaki Hadik András gróf; Slovak: Andrej Hadík; October 16, 1710 – March 12, 1790) was a Hungarian Noble.[1] He was Governor of Galicia and Lodomeria from January 1774 to June 1774, and the father of Karl Joseph Hadik von Futak. He was commander of a Habsburg army corps in the Seven Years' War under Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine. He is famous for capturing the Prussian capital Berlin during the war.
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András Hadik, son of a lesser noble family, was born on October 16, 1710 in Csallóköz (then Kingdom of Hungary, now Žitný ostrov in Slovakia) or in Kőszeg, Kingdom of Hungary (then part of the Habsburg Empire). He had Hungarian,[2][3][4][5] Luxembourgian[4] and Slovak[6] ancestors. According to another source, he was of Hungarian ethnic origin, but the name "Hadik" is a diminutive from the Slovak appellative had 'snake', the family was thus of Slovak extraction.[7] Alternative theories also suggest his Tartar or Cherkess ancestry.[8]
His father, Mihály Hadik was a cavalryman. His mother, Franciska Hardy had a German background.[4] Andras Hadik volunteered for the Ghilányi Hussar regiment when he was 20, and 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 Austro-Turkish War, 1737-1739. 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, now Poland) using surprise attacks and tricks under the unwritten laws of the so-called "small war," relying on the excellent training of his light cavalry hussars. During the war, he was again promoted, this time to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. 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 – 1763), Hadik executed the most famous hussar action in history: when the Prussian King Frederick was marching south with his powerful armies, the Hungarian general unexpectedly swung his 5,000 force of mostly hussars around the Prussians and took their capital Berlin. The city was spared for a negotiated ransom of 200,000 thalers. For this feat, Hadik was promoted to the rank of Marshal.
Nowadays, the Slovak National Academy of Defense named after him.