This year it is a hundred years since the fate of Europe was decided at the battle of Leipzig. Upon scarcely any of the commanders who were sent out by Europe, united to fight for liberty against Napoleon, have such various judgments been pronounced, as upon the Commander-in-Chief of the allied armies himself, Marshal Prince Schwarzenberg; with the exception of some isolated voices, he has till recently remained unappreciated. His letters to his wife in the years 1799-1813, which were hitherto quite unknown and which the centenary of the battle of Leipzig has enabled me to publish, give us the first deep glimpse into his innermost being. These letters are written from heart to heart and, by reason of their intimacies and ingenuousness, are a historical source of unique value. On the basis which they provide, it is possible to form a picture of Marshal Schwarzenberg in more living colours than was till now possible. I shall proceed, of course with the greatest brevity, to give some of the most necessary biographical dates.

Prince Charles Schwarzenberg was descended from the Bohemian aristocracy. He was born in 1771 at Vienna, but his favourite seat was his castle in Bohemia, Orlík (Worlik) on the Vltava (Moldau), and he always felt strongly that he belonged to the Bohemians.

Destined from his youth for a military career, he took part in the Turkish war of 1788-1789, and afterwards in all the wars that the Austrian Empire waged against France till the fall of Napoleon.