A member of the ancient
Abensberg-Traun family, he was born at
Ödenburg,
Kingdom of Hungary and was the son of
Imperial Count Otto Laurenz von Abensperg und Traun (1638–1695) and his second wife, Eva Susanna Rüber von Pixendorf (1645–1695). He was sent to
Halle to complete his education, but in 1693 left the university to serve with the
Prussian contingent of the allied army in the
Low Countries. He saw extensive service in the
War of the Grand Alliance, and at its close entered the
Imperial Army. The
War of the Spanish Succession soon followed, in which Traun served with distinction in
Italy and on the Rhine till 1709, when he became lieutenant-colonel and
aide-de-camp to
Field Marshal Count Guido Starhemberg (1654–1737) in Spain. A year later, for specially distinguished services, he was made a colonel, and in 1712 the chief of a regiment of foot. Soon after the close of the war he was again actively employed, and at the action of
Francavilla in
Sicily (20 June 1719) he received a severe wound. For his services in this campaign in southern Italy he was promoted to
Generalfeldwachtmeister in 1723. In 1727 he became governor of Messina, and in 1733 he attained the rank of lieutenant field marshal. In 1734 he won a European reputation for his defence of the pass of S. Germano and subsequent defence of the half-ruined fortress of
Capua during the southern Italian campaign of the
War of the Polish Succession, which he
surrendered, marching out with the honours of war on 30 November. He was at once promoted Feldzeugmeister and employed in a difficult semi-political command in
Hungary, after which he was made commander-in-chief in northern Italy and interim governor-general of the
Milanese, in which capacity he received the homage of the army and civil authorities on the accession of
Maria Theresa in 1740. In the following year he was made a field-marshal. He successfully conducted the Italian campaigns of the
War of the Austrian Succession up to 1743, when, on the death of
Field-Marshal Count Khevenhüller, he was made the principal military adviser of
Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine, who commanded the Austrians in
Bohemia and on the
Danube. In this capacity he inspired the brilliant operations which led up to the passage of the Rhine and the skillful strategy whereby
Frederick of Prussia was forced to evacuate
Bohemia and
Moravia (1744) without a battle. Traun's last active service was the command of an army which was sent to Frankfurt to influence the election of a new emperor to succeed
Charles VII. He died at
Hermannstadt (
Sibiu, present Romania) on 18 February 1748 and was buried in the local
Jesuit Church. ==Promotions==