Karl Joseph von Simbschen
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Karl Joseph von Simbschen (fl. 1746–d. 1763) or Josef Carl was an Austrian military commander that reached the rank of feldmarschall-leutnant. He commanded Military Frontier battalions in the areas of present-day Serbia and Croatia.
Karl Joseph von Simbschen | |
|---|---|
| Died | 1763 |
| Allegiance |  Habsburg Austria |
Branch | Infantry |
Service years | 1744–63 |
Rank | major, obristlieutenant, oberst, feldmarschall-leutnant |
| Unit | Temes Battalion (1744–45) Banat Land Militia (1746–53) Pandur Battalion (1753–63) |
Conflicts | Austro-Turkish War (1737–39) Austrian Succession (1740–48) Seven Years' War (1756–63) |
Career
Temes Battalion
Simbschen was the commandant, while ranked major, of the "Temesvárer Frei-Bataillon" volunteer unit (fl. 1744–45) established by the knezes in the Banat of Temeswar.[1] It saw action in the War of the Austrian Succession and was dissolved after the Treaty of Dresden (December 1745).[1] A part of that unit joined to form the Banat Land Militia.[1]
Banat Land Militia
In 1744–47 Engelshofen organized the Banat Land Militia (Banater Landmiliz),[2] a continuation of the Militia (Banater Miliz) of the Banat of Temeswar organized by graf de Mercy in 1724, led by Serbian veterans.[3] The ober-knezes (chief community headmans) of the Banat had, in sign of loyalty to Maria Theresa, raised a freikorps (volunteer unit) on their own expense that numbered 700 infantry and 106 Hussars, mostly ethnic Serbs.[4] This volunteer unit was transformed into the Banat Land Militia (also called Landesbataillon), put under the command of hauptmann and obristlieutenant Simbschen.[5] The Banat Military Frontier was established in 1751,[6] and by 1752 the Land Militia had 1841 men.[7]
Infantry Regiment
In 1753 Simbschen was the commander of a Pandur Corps (commandant des Pandurencorps) called the "Slavonian Pandur Battalion" (Slavonisches Panduren-Bataillon).[8] He had the rank of oberst at the time.[8] This unit was peacetime-stationed at Freiberg in Silesia in 1751.[9] In 1755 the unit was peacetime-stationed in Fulnek.[9] The Pandur Battalion recruited from Trenck's Pandurs, from Slavonia and Syrmia.[10] In 1756 this Battalion was transformed into a regular Infantry Regiment (later given the number 53rd in 1769) put under Simbschen as Inhaber, called the "Linien-Infanterie-Regiment", made up of 16 fusilier- and two grenadier companies.[11] This was made according to a patent (decree) issued on 8 September 1756.[10] It was peacetime-stationed in Troppau in 1756.[12] The Regiment recruited from the Bács Comitat and Serbian villages in the Banat,[10] mostly the area of southern Banat.[6]
In 1758, Anton von Calveria was the commander of the "Linien-Infanterie-Regiment" under Simbschen.[8] Simbschen was elevated to feldmarschall-leutnant.[12] He was succeeded as Inhaber of the "Linien-Infanterie-Regiment" by Philipp Levin von Beck in 1763.[9]
His son Joseph Anton von Simbschen (1746–1820) was also an Austrian general.