Editing Julius von Payer (section)

== Early life and military career==
Born in [[Teplice|Schönau]], [[Kingdom of Bohemia|Bohemia]], his father Franz Anton Rudolf Payer was a retired officer of the Austrian [[Imperial and Royal Uhlans|Uhlans]] who died when Julius was only fourteen. His mother was Blandine, née John. Payer attended the ''[[Imperial-Royal|k.k.]]'' cadet school in Łobzów near [[Kraków]], [[Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria|Galicia]] (present-day [[Poland]]). Between 1857 and 1859 he studied at the Theresian Military Academy in [[Wiener Neustadt]].

From 1859, Payer served as a [[Unterleutnant|sub-lieutenant]] with the Austrian 36th infantry regiment in [[Verona]], [[Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia|Venetia]]. He participated in the disastrous [[Battle of Solferino]] on 24 June 1859 and was honoured for his service. After promotion to the rank of [[lieutenant]] first class, he was posted to the garrison of [[Chioggia]], Venetia in 1864. On 24 June 1866 he served the [[Battle of Custoza (1866)|Battle of Custoza]], seizing two guns, for which he was decorated and elevated to the rank of [[Oberleutnant|senior lieutenant]].

Since 1863 Payer was assigned as a history and geography teacher to the cadet school in [[Eisenstadt]], Kingdom of Hungary (1526–1867) (present-day [[Austria]]) and to the Theresian Military Academy. In 1868 the Austro-Hungarian [[Minister of War (Austria-Hungary)|Minister of War]] [[Franz Kuhn von Kuhnenfeld]] appointed him a general staff officer at the ''k.k.'' Military Geographic Institute in [[Vienna]], where he worked with [[August von Fligely]].