Johann Joseph Wenzel Radetzky von Radetz (1766–1858) is one of the most important generals of the 19th century. He launched his military career in the Austrian Armed Forces when he was eighteen years old as a cadet in the 1st Cuirassier Regiment Kaiser, and achieved great military success over the 72 years of his military career. As Chief of Staff of the allied armies he participated in the victory in the Battle of Leipzig in October 1813, which heralded the end of the French Empire. However, it was the field campaign of 1848-1849 that earned him his greatest fame. As commander of the Austrian Armed Forces he defeated much larger armies of Italian revolutionaries and of the Kingdom of Sardinia. The gloves, hat feather and autograph signed in May 1851 in Olomouc represent a rare relic of this Czech native