Charles von Hügel
Encyclopedia
Charles von Hügel was an Austria
n army officer
, diplomat
, botanist and explorer, now primarily remembered for his travels in northern India
during the 1830s. During his lifetime he was celebrated by the European ruling classes for his botanical garden
and his introduction of plants and flowers from New Holland (Australia)
to Europe's public gardens.
Von Hügel was born in Regensburg
, Bavaria
, on 25 April 1795. In 1813, after studying Law at Heidelberg University, he became an officer in the Austrian Hussars and fought in the armies of the sixth and seventh coalitions against Napoleon
. After Napoleon's defeat, he visited Scandinavia
and Russia
before being stationed with other Austrian troops in southern France
and then Italy
.
In 1824, von Hügel took up residence in Hietzing
, a district of Vienna
, where he established his botanical garden and set up a company to sell its flowers. He also became betrothed to a Hungarian countess, Melanie Zichy-Ferraris, but in 1831 she broke off their engagement to marry the Austrian chancellor, Klemens Wenzel, Prince von Metternich.
that would establish his renown. From 1831 to 1836 he travelled to the Near East
, the Indian subcontinent
, the Far East
and Australasia
, before returning to Europe via the Cape of Good Hope
and Saint Helena
. He seems to have been most intrigued by the Kashmir
and Punjab
regions of northern India, as he chose his experiences there to form the basis of the four-volume work published in the years following his return to Europe: Kaschmir und das Reich der Siek (Cashmere and the Realm of the Sikh). The first and third volumes relate von Hügel's journey across northern India, including meetings with Maharaja
Ranjit Singh
, the Sikh
ruler of the Punjab, in Lahore
and a number of other European adventurers; the second volume provides an account of Kashmir's history, geography and resources; and the fourth volume is a gazetteer
.
In 1845, a year after the final volume's publication, Major Thomas B. Jervis had translated, abridged, annotated and published an English version of von Hügel's work in London. Four years later, primarily on the basis of this publication, the Royal Geographical Society
awarded von Hügel its Patron's Medal, "for his enterprising exploration of Cashmere."
and King George Sound
(Western Australia), Van Diemen's Land
(Tasmania), Norfolk Island
and New South Wales
to observe the flora and collect seeds for his garden. His large collection was later described by Endlicher et al. and his name is seen in a number of species (e.g. Alyogyne huegelii
).
During this time he wrote a journal, only recently translated, which, in addition to his botanical observations, is a rare record of an aristocratic European's attitudes toward colonial Australia.
Among those well-to-do settlers whom he befriended in Sydney
was the family of Colonel John George Nathaniel Gibbes
, who shared his interest in scientific and cultural matters. In general, however, Hügel's opinions of the administration, transportation, social life and missionary efforts that he encountered in Australia, and wrote about in his journal, were not favourable. Perhaps unexpectedly for a man of reactionary
and establishment sympathies, von Hügel took exception to the ill-treatment and exploitation of the indigenous Australians
(Aborigines) that he observed on his travels.
military officer that he had met in India during 1833.
On the outbreak of the 1848 revolution
, von Hügel chaperoned his earlier rival in love Chancellor Metternich during his escape from Vienna to England. He then sold his garden, rejoined the Austrian army and took part in the first Italian Independence war
. From 1850 to 1859, he served as Austrian Envoy Extraordinary
(ambassador) to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany
in Florence
, marrying Elizabeth Farquharson there in 1851. In 1860 he became the Austrian ambassador in Brussels
and published a second work based on notes from his Asian tour, this time about the Philippines
: Der Stille Ocean und die spanischen Besitzungen im ostindischen Archipel (The Pacific Ocean and the Spanish possessions in the East Indian archipelago). He retired in 1867 and took his family to live in the seaside town of Torquay
, in Devon, England. Three years later, on 2 June 1870, he died in Brussels while en route to visit Vienna.
Von Hügel published works about Kashmir, Australia and the Philippines, but there is evidence that his intention was to compile and publish material about the other areas he had visited. To date, however, there seems to be no trace of the many thousands of notes he made during his travels, from which further publications would have (and could be) compiled.
, born 1852, became a well-known Catholic theologian; Anatole von Hügel
, born 1854, became an anthropologist; and Pauline von Hügel, born 1858, is regarded as the founder of Corpus Christi Church in Boscombe
, now part of Bournemouth, in Dorset, England.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n army officer
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
, diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
, botanist and explorer, now primarily remembered for his travels in northern India
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
during the 1830s. During his lifetime he was celebrated by the European ruling classes for his botanical garden
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
and his introduction of plants and flowers from New Holland (Australia)
New Holland (Australia)
New Holland is a historic name for the island continent of Australia. The name was first applied to Australia in 1644 by the Dutch seafarer Abel Tasman as Nova Hollandia, naming it after the Dutch province of Holland, and remained in use for 180 years....
to Europe's public gardens.
Von Hügel was born in Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, on 25 April 1795. In 1813, after studying Law at Heidelberg University, he became an officer in the Austrian Hussars and fought in the armies of the sixth and seventh coalitions against Napoleon
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. After Napoleon's defeat, he visited Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
before being stationed with other Austrian troops in southern France
Southern France
Southern France , colloquially known as le Midi is defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Gironde, Spain, the Mediterranean, and Italy...
and then Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
In 1824, von Hügel took up residence in Hietzing
Hietzing
Hietzing is the 13th municipal District of Vienna . It is located west of the central districts, west of Meidling...
, a district of Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, where he established his botanical garden and set up a company to sell its flowers. He also became betrothed to a Hungarian countess, Melanie Zichy-Ferraris, but in 1831 she broke off their engagement to marry the Austrian chancellor, Klemens Wenzel, Prince von Metternich.
Kashmir and the Punjab
In the wake of his misfortune in love, von Hügel undertook the grand tour of AsiaAsia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
that would establish his renown. From 1831 to 1836 he travelled to the Near East
Near East
The Near East is a geographical term that covers different countries for geographers, archeologists, and historians, on the one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...
, the Indian subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
, the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
and Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
, before returning to Europe via the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
and Saint Helena
Saint Helena
Saint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...
. He seems to have been most intrigued by the Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
and Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
regions of northern India, as he chose his experiences there to form the basis of the four-volume work published in the years following his return to Europe: Kaschmir und das Reich der Siek (Cashmere and the Realm of the Sikh). The first and third volumes relate von Hügel's journey across northern India, including meetings with Maharaja
Maharaja
Mahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...
Ranjit Singh
Ranjit Singh
Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire.-Early life:...
, the Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
ruler of the Punjab, in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
and a number of other European adventurers; the second volume provides an account of Kashmir's history, geography and resources; and the fourth volume is a gazetteer
Gazetteer
A gazetteer is a geographical dictionary or directory, an important reference for information about places and place names , used in conjunction with a map or a full atlas. It typically contains information concerning the geographical makeup of a country, region, or continent as well as the social...
.
In 1845, a year after the final volume's publication, Major Thomas B. Jervis had translated, abridged, annotated and published an English version of von Hügel's work in London. Four years later, primarily on the basis of this publication, the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
awarded von Hügel its Patron's Medal, "for his enterprising exploration of Cashmere."
Australia, November 1833 – October 1834
From November 1833 to October 1834, von Hügel toured Australia, visiting the Swan River ColonySwan River Colony
The Swan River Colony was a British settlement established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. The name was a pars pro toto for Western Australia. In 1832, the colony was officially renamed Western Australia, when the colony's founding Lieutenant-Governor, Captain James Stirling,...
and King George Sound
King George Sound
King George Sound is the name of a sound on the south coast of Western Australia. Located at , it is the site of the city of Albany.The sound covers an area of and varies in depth from to ....
(Western Australia), Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land was the original name used by most Europeans for the island of Tasmania, now part of Australia. The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was the first European to land on the shores of Tasmania...
(Tasmania), Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
and New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
to observe the flora and collect seeds for his garden. His large collection was later described by Endlicher et al. and his name is seen in a number of species (e.g. Alyogyne huegelii
Alyogyne huegelii
Alyogyne huegelii is a flowering plant found in the Southwest botanical province of Western Australia, extending along its entire coastline....
).
During this time he wrote a journal, only recently translated, which, in addition to his botanical observations, is a rare record of an aristocratic European's attitudes toward colonial Australia.
Among those well-to-do settlers whom he befriended in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
was the family of Colonel John George Nathaniel Gibbes
John George Nathaniel Gibbes
Colonel John George Nathaniel Gibbes was a British army officer who emigrated to Australia in 1834, becoming a Crown-appointed member of the New South Wales Legislative Council and the Collector of Customs for the Colony of New South Wales for a record term of 25 years.In his capacity as head of...
, who shared his interest in scientific and cultural matters. In general, however, Hügel's opinions of the administration, transportation, social life and missionary efforts that he encountered in Australia, and wrote about in his journal, were not favourable. Perhaps unexpectedly for a man of reactionary
Reactionary
The term reactionary refers to viewpoints that seek to return to a previous state in a society. The term is meant to describe one end of a political spectrum whose opposite pole is "radical". While it has not been generally considered a term of praise it has been adopted as a self-description by...
and establishment sympathies, von Hügel took exception to the ill-treatment and exploitation of the indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
(Aborigines) that he observed on his travels.
Return to Europe
After his return to Vienna, von Hügel founded the K.K. Gartenbau-Gesellschaft (the Imperial Horticultural Society, of which he was president between 1837 and 1848) and prepared his notes about northern India for publication. In 1847, he again became betrothed, this time to Elizabeth Farquharson, the daughter of a ScottishScottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
military officer that he had met in India during 1833.
On the outbreak of the 1848 revolution
Revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas
From March 1848 through July 1849, the Habsburg Austrian Empire was threatened by revolutionary movements. Much of the revolutionary activity was of a nationalist character: the empire, ruled from Vienna, included Austrian Germans, Hungarians, Slovenes, Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Ruthenians,...
, von Hügel chaperoned his earlier rival in love Chancellor Metternich during his escape from Vienna to England. He then sold his garden, rejoined the Austrian army and took part in the first Italian Independence war
Italian Independence wars
The Wars of Italian Independence were three wars fought between Italian states and the Austrian Empire between 1848 and 1866, ending with the conquest of the entire Italian Peninsula...
. From 1850 to 1859, he served as Austrian Envoy Extraordinary
Diplomatic rank
Diplomatic rank is the system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. Over time it has been formalized on an international basis.-Ranks:...
(ambassador) to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany
Grand Duchy of Tuscany
The Grand Duchy of Tuscany was a central Italian monarchy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1859, replacing the Duchy of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence...
in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, marrying Elizabeth Farquharson there in 1851. In 1860 he became the Austrian ambassador in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
and published a second work based on notes from his Asian tour, this time about the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
: Der Stille Ocean und die spanischen Besitzungen im ostindischen Archipel (The Pacific Ocean and the Spanish possessions in the East Indian archipelago). He retired in 1867 and took his family to live in the seaside town of Torquay
Torquay
Torquay is a town in the unitary authority area of Torbay and ceremonial county of Devon, England. It lies south of Exeter along the A380 on the north of Torbay, north-east of Plymouth and adjoins the neighbouring town of Paignton on the west of the bay. Torquay’s population of 63,998 during the...
, in Devon, England. Three years later, on 2 June 1870, he died in Brussels while en route to visit Vienna.
Von Hügel published works about Kashmir, Australia and the Philippines, but there is evidence that his intention was to compile and publish material about the other areas he had visited. To date, however, there seems to be no trace of the many thousands of notes he made during his travels, from which further publications would have (and could be) compiled.
Children
Von Hügel and Elizabeth Farquharson's three children are notable in their own right. Friedrich von HügelFriedrich von Hügel
Friedrich von Hügel was an influential Austrian Roman Catholic layman, religious writer, Modernist theologian and Christian apologist....
, born 1852, became a well-known Catholic theologian; Anatole von Hügel
Anatole von Hügel
Anatole von Hügel was the second son of the Austrian nobleman Charles von Hügel and his Scottish wife Elizabeth Farquharson. His elder brother was Friedrich von Hügel....
, born 1854, became an anthropologist; and Pauline von Hügel, born 1858, is regarded as the founder of Corpus Christi Church in Boscombe
Boscombe
Boscombe is a suburb of Bournemouth. Located to the east of Bournemouth town centre and west of Southbourne, It developed rapidly from a small village as a seaside resort alongside Bournemouth after the first Boscombe pier was built in 1888...
, now part of Bournemouth, in Dorset, England.