Friedrich Wilhelm, Fürst zu Hohenlohe-Kirchberg

Who was Friedrich Wilhelm, Fürst zu Hohenlohe-Kirchberg?

Friedrich William, Fürst zu Hohenlohe-Kirchberg was born in Kirchberg, Hohenlohe, on 2 December 1732. He was a member of an old comital and, subsequently, princely family of Hohenlohe, with extensive properties on the plateau south of the Main river, between the Imperial City of Schwäbisch Hall and the old Franconian city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

He served a distinguished career in Austrian military in the Seven Years War, the War of Bavarian Succession, and the French Revolutionary Wars. An experienced, if old-fashioned, general, he was chosen to mentor the young Archduke Charles, who was assigned to his staff during the 1792 campaign in France. From 1780 until his death, he was the Colonel-Proprietor of the 17th Infantry Regiment.