John Charles of Paar

Johann Karl Josef Anton Veit von Paar, 3rd Prince Paar (15 June 1773 – 30 December 1819) was an Austrian aristocrat and Major General.

Early life Paar was born on 15 June 1773 in Vienna, Austria into the noble House of Paar. He was the third son of Wenzel Franz Anton von Paar, 2nd Prince Paar (1744–1812) and his wife, Princess Maria Antonia of Liechtenstein (1749–1813).

He was the brother of Antonia Maria von Paar (second wife of Karl Joseph, 1st Prince of Salm-Reifferscheidt-Raitz); Wenzel von Paar; Count Josef von Paar; Maria Theresia Henriette von Paar (wife of Count François Joseph de Mercy d'Argenteau); Count Johann Baptist von Paar, a Colonel in the Austrian Army; Count Lajos von Paar, a Major in the Austrian Army (who married Countess Maria Henriette von Schallenberg, and Mária Paulina Andrássy de Csíkszentkirály); and Count Niklas Franz von Paar, a Knight of Malta.

His paternal grandparents were Countess Maria Antonia Esterházy von Galántha (a daughter of Count Ferenc Esterházy de Galántha) and Wenzel, 1st Prince Paar, Chamberlain, the Hereditary Grand-Master of the Posts of the Imperial Court.

His maternal grandparents were Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein and Countess Maria Josepha von Harrach-Rohrau.

On 26 March 1799, he fought at Legnago. The Austrians had been driven out of the strategically important village of Paradiso when Paar was ordered to stop any further French advance. He succeeded in recapturing and holding the village. Meanwhile, the French had captured the nearby bridge at Fiume Nuovo. Paar recognized the problem, rallied fleeing troops, and was able to not only recapture the bridge but also attack the French right flank. For this, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Maria Theresa on 18 August 1801.

During the battles on the Riviera and against Genoa, he commanded a grenadier battalion as a lieutenant colonel. In 1805, he fought at Caldiero as Colonel of the 45th Infantry Regiment.

Due to his family commitments, he was forced to retire from active service in April 1806. He was granted his retirement with the rank of Major General. He returned to the Austrian Army in 1809 with the War of the Fifth Coalition and commanded a brigade in the Battles of Aspern and Wagram. He was also wounded at Wagram.

Personal life

On 4 February 1805, Paar was married to Countess Guidobaldine Cavriani (1783–1861), the daughter of Count Ludwig Franz Cavriani and Johanna Terezie of Kolowrat-Novohradský (a daughter of Count František Ferdinand of Kolowrat-Novohradský). Together, they were the parents of: Count Wenzel Anton Ludwig Caspar Melchior Balthasar von Paar (1810–1890), a Major in the Austrian Army. Countess Johanna von Paar (1811–1812), who died young. Countess Antonia Maria Eusebia Johanna Rosalia von Paar (1814–1818), who died young. Count Ludwig Johann Baptist Emmanuel von Paar (1817–1893), who married Countess Maria Anna Esterházy von Galántha, a daughter of Kázmér Miklós Esterházy von Galántha and his wife, Countess Leopoldina Szapáry de Muraszombath (a daughter of Count József Szápáry de Muraszombath) in 1858.

Paar died on 30 December 1819 in Vienna and was succeeded by his eldest son, Karl. He was buried at Bechyně in southern Bohemia (today the Czech Republic).