Johann Ulrich von Salis-Soglio
Swiss military commander (1790–1874)
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Johann Ulrich von Salis-Soglio (16 March 1790 – 27 April 1874[1]) was a Swiss military officer who in 1847 commanded the conservative Sonderbund alliance in the Sonderbund War.
Johann Ulrich von Salis-Soglio | |
|---|---|
 19th-century portrait of Johann Ulrich von Salis-Soglio | |
| Born | 16 March 1790 Chur, Switzerland |
| Died | 27 April 1874 (aged 84) Chur, Switzerland |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom of the Netherlands Swiss Confederation Sonderbund |
Branch | Army |
Service years | c. 1809-1847 |
Rank | Major-General Colonel Commander-in-Chief |
| Commands | Army of the Sonderbund |
Conflicts | |
Career
Salis-Soglio was born in Chur on 16 March 1790 to the Salis-Soglio noble family.[2] He was the son of Katharina von Salis-Seewis and Daniel Salis-Soglio, an influential local politician and later delegate to the Congress of Vienna.[3][2] Salis-Soglio chose a military career at a young age and became a member of the Grisons Militia in 1809.[2] He served as a mercenary in Bavarian service between 1812 and 1815, fighting in the War of the Sixth Coalition, and in Dutch service between 1815 and 1839, reaching the rank of major-general in the Dutch Army.[2]
Salis-Soglio returned to Switzerland in 1839 and joined the general staff of the Swiss Army with the rank of colonel in 1841.[4] In August 1847, he was dismissed from his army position due to his support for the Sonderbund alliance.[2] A Protestant, Salis-Soglio reluctantly took command of the Sonderbund army in October 1847.[2] The Sonderbund, politically divided and with an inferior army, was defeated by the Federal army under General Dufour in the Sonderbund War.[2] Salis-Soglio was accused of high treason, but was not put on trial due to the prioritization of national reconciliation.[2]
After the war, Salis-Soglio lived in Bergamo, South Tyrol, and Munich, before retiring to Chur in 1855.[2] He died in Chur on 27 April 1874, aged 84.[2]