House of Hohenberg
Encyclopedia
Austrian nobility
Historically, the Austrian nobility was a privileged social class in Austria. The nobility was officially abolished in 1919 after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Former noble families and their descendants are still a part of Austrian society today, but they no longer retain any specific...
family, descended from Countess Sophie Chotek (1868-1914)
Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg
Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg ; 1 March 1868 – 28 June 1914) was a Czech aristocrat, the morganatic wife of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. Their assassination sparked World War I.- Early life :...
who in 1900 married Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria-Este (1863-1914)
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
Franz Ferdinand was an Archduke of Austria-Este, Austro-Hungarian and Royal Prince of Hungary and of Bohemia, and from 1889 until his death, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne. His assassination in Sarajevo precipitated Austria-Hungary's declaration of war against Serbia...
, the heir presumptive
Heir Presumptive
An heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. As their marriage was a morganatic one, none of their four children were in the line of succession to the Austro-Hungarian throne
Line of succession to the Austro-Hungarian throne
The dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary was abolished in 1918. The current Head of the House of Habsburg is Archduke Karl. The succession law used is Semi-Salic.-Equal marriages:...
.
The House of Hohenberg was established by imperial decree of Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria
Franz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I was Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Croatia, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Galicia and Lodomeria and Grand Duke of Cracow from 1848 until his death in 1916.In the December of 1848, Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria abdicated the throne as part of...
when upon the couple's marriage in 1900, he created Francis Ferdinand's wife Princess of Hohenberg (in German: Fürstin von Hohenberg) in her own right with the style of Serene Highness (in German: Durchlaucht), and the specifiation that this name and title should also be borne by her descendants.
In 1909, the Emperor raised Sophie to the more senior title of Duchess of Hohenberg (in German: Herzogin von Hohenberg) with the style Highness (in German: Hoheit) for her life. This title expired upon Sophie's assassination in 1914
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
On 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, were shot dead in Sarajevo, by Gavrilo Princip, one of a group of six Bosnian Serb assassins coordinated by Danilo Ilić...
.
In 1917, Emperor Charles of Austria regulated the titles within the Hohenberg family and awarded them a coat of arms (shown above). The Head of the House would be titled Duke
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
with the style Highness, the other male members would be titled Prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
and female members titled Princess
Princess
Princess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....
with the style of Serene Highness. Thus, Sophie's eldest son, Prince Maximilian of Hohenberg
Maximilian, Duke of Hohenberg
Maximilian, Duke of Hohenberg was the eldest son of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary, and his morganatic wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg...
, became the first Duke of Hohenberg. This title was created to be hereditary among Sophie's and Francis Ferdinand's male agnatic descendants according to the rule of agnatic primogeniture. Following the collapse of the Monarchy, all Austrian titles of nobility were abolished by law in 1919 and since then their names consist only of a forename and surname, without the "von
Von
In German, von is a preposition which approximately means of or from.When it is used as a part of a German family name, it is usually a nobiliary particle, like the French, Spanish and Portuguese "de". At certain times and places, it has been illegal for anyone who was not a member of the nobility...
" or any title.
In 1938, several members of the family who were opposed to Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
were arrested by the Nazis and sent to Dachau concentration camp, most notably Duke Maximilian
Maximilian, Duke of Hohenberg
Maximilian, Duke of Hohenberg was the eldest son of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary, and his morganatic wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg...
and his brother Ernst. They were only released on liberation in 1945. The current Head of the House, Georg Hohenberg, was Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
under part of the pontificate of Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
. He is also a Knight of the Golden Fleece
Order of the Golden Fleece
The Order of the Golden Fleece is an order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Infanta Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King John I of Portugal. It evolved as one of the most prestigious orders in Europe...
.
Members of the House of Hohenberg are not only descended from, and married into, the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, but are also through marriage related to many other European dynasties including the Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg and the Princely House of Liechtenstein.
The Hohenberg family has left such a legacy behind that their Castle of Artstetten
Artstetten Castle
Artstetten Castle is a castle near the Wachau valley in Lower Austria, in the community of Artstetten-Pöbring....
was selected as a main motive for a very recent commemorative coin: the 10 euro The Castle of Artstetten commemorative coin minted on October 13, 2004. The reverse shows the entrance to the crypt of the Hohenberg family. There are two portraits to the left, showing Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg.
Dukes and Princes of Hohenberg (1909-1914)
- SophieSophie, Duchess of HohenbergSophie, Duchess of Hohenberg ; 1 March 1868 – 28 June 1914) was a Czech aristocrat, the morganatic wife of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. Their assassination sparked World War I.- Early life :...
(1868–1914)
Dukes of Hohenberg (1917-present)
- MaximilianMaximilian, Duke of HohenbergMaximilian, Duke of Hohenberg was the eldest son of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary, and his morganatic wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg...
(1902–1962), son of the first Duchess of Hohenberg, since 1919 pretender to the title, with issue - FranzFranz, Duke of HohenbergFranz Ferdinand, Duke of Hohenberg . He was the eldest son of Maximilian, Duke of Hohenberg and Countess Maria of Waldburg at Wolfegg and Waldsee...
(1927–1977) with issue - GeorgGeorg, Duke of HohenbergGeorg, Duke of Hohenberg , is a grandson of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and Hungary, heir presumptive to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and his morganatic wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg....
(born 1929) with issue
Line of succession to the title Duke of Hohenberg
- HSH Prince Nikolaus of Hohenberg (b. 1961), heir apparentHeir apparentAn heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
, son of Duke Georg - HSH Prince Karl of Hohenberg (b. 1991), son of Prince Nikolaus
- HSH Prince Maximilian of Hohenberg (b. 1970), son of Duke Georg
- HSH Prince Nikolaus of Hohenberg (b. 2001), son of Prince Maximilian
- HSH Prince Leopold of Hohenberg (b. 2006), son of Prince Maximilian
- HSH Prince Albrecht of Hohenberg (b. 1931), son of Duke Maximilian
- HSH Prince Leo Johannes of Hohenberg (b. 1964), son of Prince Albrecht
- HSH Prince Adrien of Hohenberg (b. 2003), son of Prince Leo Johannes
- HSH Prince Stephan of Hohenberg (b. 1972), son of Duke Maxmilian's late son Johannes
- HSH Prince Nepomuk of Hohenberg (b. 2005), son of Prince Stephan
- HSH Prince Georg of Hohenberg (b. 1975), son of Duke Maxmilian's late son Johannes
- HSH Prince Peter of Hohenberg (b. 1936), son of Duke Maximilian
- HSH Prince Gerhard of Hohenberg (b. 1941), son of Duke Maximilian
- HSH Prince Franz Ferdinand of Hohenberg (b. 1969), a male-line grandson of Duchess Sophie's son Ernst
- HSH Prince Maximilian of Hohenberg (b. 2001), son of Prince Franz Ferdinand
- HSH Prince Ernst of Hohenberg (b. 1944), son of Duchess Sophie's son Ernst