An Archduke of Austria of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine and Duke of Teschen. He served long in the military as an officer of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, holding positions such as commander of the Pressburg Army Corps, Commander-in-Chief of the Austro-Hungarian Landwehr, and Army Inspector General. In July 1914, he was appointed Supreme Commander of the Austro-Hungarian Army by Franz Joseph I, nominally overseeing the imperial military during the early stage of World War I. However, operational command was largely left to Chief of Staff Conrad von Hötzendorf, with Friedrich himself handling coordination among the military, government, and allies, as well as ceremonial duties. Promoted to Field Marshal in December 1914, he held the highest military rank until Emperor Charles I assumed the position of Supreme Commander himself in December 1916. After World War I, his properties in Austria and Czechoslovakia were confiscated, though he retained his assets in Hungary. He died in 1936 in Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary.

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