Born into a noble Hungarian family on 12 September 1766, Albert Gyulay became a junior Leutnant in the Kaiser Hussar Regiment Nr.

Gyulay transferred into his father's regiment as a Hauptmann (captain) of grenadiers in February 1789 and fought at the Siege of Belgrade in autumn that year.

He led his company in the Kempf Grenadier Battalion in Franz von Werneck's column during the successful assault on the city, which capitulated on 8 October.

[1] At the Battle of Magnano on 6 April, his regiment formed part of Ferdinand Minckwitz's brigade in Konrad Valentin von Kaim's division.

[4] While leading an attacking column against Antoine Guillaume Delmas' French division, he was struck in the head by a musket ball.

[1] The outbreak of the War of the Fifth Coalition found him in command of a division in the VIII Armeekorps of Johann Gabriel Chasteler de Courcelles.

When the Tyrolean Rebellion erupted in April 1809, Archduke John of Austria sent Chasteler into the Tyrol with about 10,000 troops and appointed Gyulay commander of the VIII Armeekorps.

By coincidence, his older brother Ignác Gyulay led the IX Armeekorps, which was the other major maneuver unit in John's army.

[5] On 10 April, Albert Gyulay's VIII Armeekorps advanced from Tarvisio (Tarvis) and two days later it occupied Udine.

[6] French reconnaissance was poor and the opposing army commander, Eugène de Beauharnais remained unaware that the VIII and IX Armeekorps had joined forces.

Meanwhile, Archduke John formed a third maneuver unit, an army Advance Guard and placed it under the command of Johann Maria Philipp Frimont.

[5] John ordered a night march on the evening of 14 April, Frimont's Advance Guard leading, followed by the VIII Armeekorps, while the IX brought up the rear.

[9] Expecting the imminent arrival of two divisions, an overconfident Eugène engaged John's army on 16 April in the Battle of Sacile.

Eugène planned a two-division attack on the village of Porcia where Frimont and Albert Gyulay posted their troops.

[10] The morning attack pressed hard against Frimont's troops in Porcia, so Albert Gyulai launched a counterattack which badly shook the Franco-Italians.

[11] When Eugène recalled his fourth division to save his left flank, Albert Gyulay's troops recaptured Porcia.

[17] [note 1] At this time, Albert Gyulay's corps consisted only of the brigades of Hieronymus Karl Graf von Colloredo-Mansfeld and Anton Gajoli.

[18] Dessaix was met with a massed cavalry charge led by Christian Wolfskehl von Reichenberg, which he repelled by forming his voltiguers in square.

With the two grand batteries pounding away at each other, the French horsemen launched a charge that enveloped the ends of the Austrian gun line and crashed into the opposing cavalry.

[19] The victorious French troopers chased the fugitives until they encountered the troops of Colloredo and Gajoli, deployed behind the Piavisella canal.

[22] As John retreated, he split up his army, sending the rump of the IX Armeekorps east to defend Carniola (modern Slovenia) under Ignác Gyulay.

With the remainder of his army, John marched northeast toward the Austrian base at Villach and recalled Chasteler from the Tyrol to help defend the frontier.

[23] After smashing Frimont's rear guard at San Daniele del Friuli on 11 May, Eugène pursued John northeast.

Albert Gyulay defended Tarvisio with 8,340 troops and 20 guns in the brigades of Gajoli, Franz Marziani, and Peter Lutz.

[26] Holding Tarvisio with only 6,000 troops, Albert Gyulay relied on two outlying forts to stall the Franco-Italian advance.

[29] After securing Malborghetto, Grenier rapidly moved his two divisions to join those of Baraguey d'Hilliers at Tarvisio in a noon attack.

An Italian division overran a key redoubt on Gyulay's left and began to flank the Austrian infantry out of position.