PICCOLOMINI, OCTAVIO, PRINCE (1599-1656), duke of Amalfi, Austrian general, was born on Nov. II, 1599 in Flor ence, and carried a pike in the Spanish service at the age of six teen. On the outbreak of the Thirty Years' War he served in Bohemia and Hungary, then in Spain and Italy. In 1627 he re entered the Imperial service as colonel and captain of Wallen stein's lifeguard. He was disgraced for practising extortion at Stargard in Pomerania, but his adroitness soon secured him the rank of "colonel of horse and foot." In the Mantuan War Pic colomini acted both as subtle diplomatist and as plundering soldier of fortune when Gustavus Adolphus invaded Germany.
Piccolomini was interned at Ferrara as a hostage for the rati fication of a treaty, but joined in urging Wallenstein's reappoint ment as commander-in-chief. He was not immediately promoted on the duke's reappearance, and served under General Holk, an officer brought in from the Danish service, in the preliminary operations and in the battle of Liitzen. After Liitzen, the Emperor made Piccolomini a general-feldwachtmeister. At the same time, however, Holk was created a field marshal at Wallenstein's in stance, much to his rival's chagrin. In 1633 Piccolomini com manded an important detachment posted at Koniggratz to bar the enemy's advance from Silesia into Bohemia. In May he accom panied Wallenstein on his advance into Silesia, but disapproving of the duke's policy, joined in a military conspiracy, which ended in the murder of Wallenstein (Feb. 29, 1634). Piccolomini's own
part in the tragedy is commemorated in Schiller's Wallenstein. His material rewards for his activities in connection with the downfall of Wallenstein were his marshal's baton, Ioo,00o gulden and the beautiful estate of Nachod in the Riesengebirge.
In 1638 Piccolomini was made a count of the empire, and in 1639, won a great victory over the French (relief of Thionville, July 7, 1639), was rewarded with the office of privy councillor from the emperor and with the dukedom of Amalfi from the king of Spain. But instead of being appointed, as he hoped, Gallas's successor, he was called in to act as ad lotus to the Arch duke Leopold Wilhelm, with whom.he was defeated in the second battle of Breitenfeld in 1642. After this he spent some years in the Spanish service, being granted the title of grandee and the order of the Golden Fleece. Having re-entered the Imperial army, he was again disappointed of the chief command by the selection of the brave veteran Peter Melander, Count Holzapfel; but in 1648 he was at last appointed lieutenant-general of the emperor, and thus conducted as generalissimo the final campaign of the Thirty Years' War at the end of which he was made prince. He died on Aug. II, 1656. He left no children (his only son Josef Silvio, the "Max" of Schiller's Wallenstein, was murdered by the Swedes after the battle of Jankau in 1645), and his titles and estates passed to his brother's son.