TRENCK, FRANZ, FREIHERR VON DER Aus trian soldier, was born on Jan. 5, 1711, of a military family. Edu cated by the Jesuits at Sopron (Oldenburg), he entered the Imperial army in 1728 but resigned in disgrace three years later. He then married and lived on his estates for some years. Upon the death ()this wife in 1737 he offered to raise an irregular corps of "Pandours" against the Turks, but this offer was refused and he then entered the Russian army. But after serving against the Turks for a short time as captain and major of cavalry he was accused of bad conduct, brutality and disobedience, and con demned to death, the sentence being commuted by Field Marshal Miinnich to degradation and imprisonment. He returned to Austria, where his father was governor of a small fortress, but there too came into conflict with every one and actually "took sanctuary" in a convent in Vienna. But Prince Charles of Lor raine obtained for him an amnesty and a commission in a corps of irregulars, where he rose to be lieutenant-colonel and colonel (1744)- But at the battle of Soor he and his irregulars plundered when they should have been fighting and Trenck was accused (probably falsely) of having allowed the king of Prussia himself to escape. He was court-martialled in Vienna, and con demned to death; but the sentence was commuted by the queen into one of cashiering and imprisonment. The rest of his life was spent in mild captivity in the fortress of Spielberg, where he died on Oct. 4, His cousin, FRIEDRICH, FREIHERR VON DER TRENCK (1726— '794), the writer of the celebrated autobiography, was born on Feb. 16, 1726, at Konigsberg, his father being a Prussian general. He was educated at the University of Konigsberg, entered the Prussian army in 1742 and became an orderly officer on Fred erick's own staff. But within a year he fell into disgrace because
of a love affair—whether real or imaginary—with the king's sister Princess Amalie, and in 1743 Frederick had him arrested and confined in the fortress of Glatz, whence in 1746 he escaped. Making his way home and thence to Vienna, in the vain hope of finding employment under his now disgraced cousin, he finally entered the Russian service. On succeeding to the family estates on his cousin's death, he returned to Germany. In 5754 he visited Prussia, but was there arrested and confined in Magde burg for ten years, making frequent attempts, of incredible audacity, to escape. After the close of the Seven Years' War, Maria Theresa requested his release. Trenck then spent some years in Aix-la-Chapelle, and eventually returned to his Hungarian estates. Here he composed his celebrated autobiography and many other writings, and undertook various diplomatic or secret service missions. He went to Paris in 5791 to witness the Revo lution. He was denounced as an Austrian spy and guillotined on July 24, His autobiography first appeared in German at Berlin and Vienna (13 vols.) in 1787. Shortly afterwards a French version, by his own hand, was published at Strasbourg. His other published works, in eight volumes, appeared shortly after the autobiography at Leipzig. A reprint of the autobiography appeared in 1910 in "Reclam's Universal Series." See Wahrmann, Leben und Thaten des Franz, Freiherr von der Trenck and Friedrich, Freiherrn von der Trencks Leben, Kerker und Tod (both published at Leipzig, 1837).