Hermann von Spaun

Hermann Freiherr von Spaun (9 May 1833 – 28 May 1919) was an admiral in the Austro-Hungarian Navy. He was the Commander-in-Chief of the Austro-Hungarian Navy from December 1897 to October 1904.

Hermann von Spaun
von Spaun
Born	(1833-05-09)9 May 1833 Vienna, Austrian Empire (today Austria)
Died	28 May 1919(1919-05-28) (aged 86) Gorizia (today Italy)
Allegiance	Austria-Hungary
Branch	Imperial and Royal War Navy
Rank	Admiral
Commands	Chef der Marinesektion (Commander of Navy) (December 1897-October 1904)

Background

Born into the Swabian noble family of Spaun, Hermann was the son of Joseph von Spaun (1788-1865), a close friend to Franz Schubert and an advisor in the imperial court who was elevated to baronial rank in 1859, and Franziska Roner Edle von Ehrenwert (1795-1890). He married Emma Lobmeyr on 28 April 1893 in Trieste.

Honours

The cruiser SMS Admiral Spaun was named in his honour.

Orders and decorations

• Austrian Empire:^[1]
  • Knight of the Iron Crown, 3rd Class with War Decoration, 1866;^[2] 1st Class, 1898^[3]
  • Knight of the Imperial Order of Leopold, 1889;^[4] Grand Cross, 1900^[3]
• Kingdom of Greece: Commander of the Redeemer^[1]
• Kingdom of Italy: Grand Officer of Saints Maurice and Lazarus^[1]
• Empire of Japan: Grand Cordon of the Rising Sun^[1]
• Mexican Empire: Officer of the Order of Guadalupe^[1]
• Principality of Montenegro: Grand Officer of the Order of Prince Danilo I^[1]
• Ottoman Empire: Order of the Medjidie, 3rd Class^[1]
• Persian Empire: Order of the Lion and the Sun, 1st Class^[1]
• Kingdom of Portugal: Commander of the Military Order of Christ, with Star^[1]
• Kingdom of Prussia: Knight of the Red Eagle, 1st Class^[1]
• Russian Empire: Knight of the White Eagle^[1]
•  Spain: Commander of the Order of Isabella the Catholic^[1]
•  United Kingdom: Honorary Grand Cross of St Michael and St George, 30 June 1905 – in recognition of his services on the International Commission of Inquiry into the North Sea Incident^[5]

Literature

• A. Schmidt-Brentano: "Spaun Hermann Frh. von". In: Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon 1815–1950 (ÖBL). Vol. 13, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 2010, ISBN 978-3-7001-6963-5, p. 6 f. (Direct links to "p. 6", "p. 7")