Klemens Eckhel (A Federation of Equals)

Klemens Eckhel was a controversial general and politician in the Danubian Federation. Best known for his participation in the 1854-1856 National Emergency Committee, historians have classified him both as a savior and a destroyer of the Federation's fragile democratic systems.

Early Life
Klemens was born in January, 1819, to Johann and Anna Eckhel. Due to Johann's prosperous shoemaking business, Klemens could afford a relatively prestigious education in Vienna. Little else is known about his early life until his entrance into military service in 1840.

Austrian Empire
As a commoner in the Austrian cavalry, Klemens served with relative obscurity until the revolutions in 1848. Due to a lack of qualified nobility and a pressing need for new officers, the military began promoting promising commoner officers far beyond their usual expectations. Klemens became a dragoon commander in July, 1848, during the campaigns against the rebelling Hungarian armies.

Klemens proved himself to be a competent, if ruthless, officer. However, his time in the Austrian military was soon to end. As the Hungarian advance was turned back, several Austrian armies were recalled to Vienna to quell the growing dissent in the Hapsburg's capital - Klemens' among them.

Joining the Revolution
Faced with the prospect of firing on civilians in his own home town, Klemens surrendered to revolutionaries without a fight. He attempted to abandon military responsibility entirely, but local revolutionary leaders saw his defection as an opportunity to boost rebel morale. After several conversations with his captors over the virtues of republican governance and the plight of the workers, Klemens began writing pamphlets and helping train the revolutionary forces. The sight and expertise of an Austrian military officer encouraged revolutionaries in the district, and Klemens was rewarded with a military position in the newly formed Danubian Federation.

Chief of Staff
With a shortage of military officers in the newly formed Federation, the popular Klemens Eckhel was quickly promoted to Chief of the General Staff of the Federal Army. The position would soon prove to be a challanging one as Russia sought to curb the new republic's power by seizing Krakow in August, 1850. As the city had been an ally to the Federation, and even considering statehood, this was seen as an act of war. Federal troops, massed on the Russian border due to earlier tensions with Russia, began to establish defensive positions as the Federation officially declared war on the Russian Empire.

Despite Klemens' preparations, the newly minted Federal armies fell back before the larger Russian armies. Ignoring the slow political workings in Vienna, Klemens issued a call for general mobilization. With these new troops, as well as a Prussian intervention on the Federation's side, Klemens was able to hold the Carpathian line - leaving much of Galicia in Russian hands, but preventing the enemy armies from sweeping through the Hungarian plains into Budapest and Vienna - long enough for Prussian forces to make progress into northern Russia.

With Russian forces diverted to the northern front, Klemens was able to regroup the devastated Federal armies and regain control of Galicia. In 1852, as Federal armies pushed the Russians out of Galicia and Prussian armies continued to gain in the north, the Krakow War ended in the Federation's favor.

A Second Revolution
After the Codrinau administration took power in 1852, Klemens was relieved of his position as Chief of Staff in order to command the Republican Guard - the army ostensibly organized to defend Vienna and the Congress of the Danube. Continually understaffed, his army was soon thrown into a new war as the Federation declared war on the Ottoman sultans.

While the "Forgotten War", as it was sometimes called, proceeded as many had expected - easy victories against the weaker and disorganized Turkish armies - troubles at home would change the fate of the Federation.

What began as a political debate over Slovakian statehood and Hungarian rights in the Federation escalated into violent riots throughout Hungary. Federal armies were ordered to quell the riots, but General Edvard Masaryk refused to fire on his own people - much as Klemens had done in the 1848 revolution. General Masaryk was ordered to turn in his command due to his remarks. Instead, he declared the government illegitimate, and began a march on Vienna.

Growing increasingly worried that the Cordrinau administration was purging political dissidents and crushing popular protest, Klemens Eckhel would reluctantly announce his solidarity with Masaryk's rebellion two days later. With the Republican National Guard joining the coup along with many other disgruntled military officers, the government collapsed and the military took control of the Federation.

The National Emergency Committee
Generals Masaryk, Eckhel, and De Sanctis soon declared themselves the National Emergency Committee - effectively taking over executive authority over the Federation - after the coup's success in 1854. The three man junta, lead by General Masaryk as Chairman, collectively decided on appointments and held a veto over any legislation they deemed dangerous for the Federation.

As well as being a Marshal and a General of the Republican National Guard (still continually undermanned), Klemens was given the position of Foreign Minister of the Federation. His first acts included a diplomatic mission to the major European powers, assuring them of the Federation's stability and continued alliances.

Meanwhile, the Federation struggled to meet Klemens' promises. The secessionist revolt of Hungary - encouraged by the chaos following the coup's declaration - together with the war in the orient stretched the federal armies thin. Internal dissent and opportunism also created headaches for the new leaders of the Federation.