Windisch-Graetz
Encyclopedia
The House of Windisch-Graetz, also spelled Windisch-Grätz, was a princely family in the Austrian Empire
, serving the Habsburg
dynasty.
The name derives from the town of Windischgrätz
in the Duchy of Styria
, which is today Slovenj Gradec
in the Carinthia region
of Slovenia
. According to the Almanach de Gotha
, the family was first recorded in 1242.
Alfred Candidus Ferdinand zu Windisch-Graetz was elevated to the rank of Imperial Prince
in 1804. The Holy Roman Empire
having been abolished, he and his brother Veriand were both created Princes of the Austrian Empire in 1822, Alfred and his successors being the first line of Princes of Windisch-Graetz and Veriand and his successors the second line .
Great Britain's Princess Michael of Kent
is descended from this family through her maternal grandmother.
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
, serving the Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
dynasty.
The name derives from the town of Windischgrätz
Slovenj Gradec
Slovenj Gradec is a town and a municipality in northern Slovenia. It is part of the historic Lower Styria region, since 2005 it belongs to the NUTS-3 statistical region of Carinthia...
in the Duchy of Styria
Duchy of Styria
The history of Styria concerns the region roughly corresponding to the modern Austrian state of Styria and the Slovene region of Styria from its settlement by Germans and Slavs in the Dark Ages until the present...
, which is today Slovenj Gradec
Slovenj Gradec
Slovenj Gradec is a town and a municipality in northern Slovenia. It is part of the historic Lower Styria region, since 2005 it belongs to the NUTS-3 statistical region of Carinthia...
in the Carinthia region
Carinthia (province)
Slovenian Carinthia or Slovene Carinthia, most commonly simply Carinthia is a traditional region in the north of Slovenia. It has no official status as an administrative unit within Slovenia, although the association with an informal province is still quite common.The region is referred to as...
of Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. According to the Almanach de Gotha
Almanach de Gotha
The Almanach de Gotha was a respected directory of Europe's highest nobility and royalty. First published in 1763 by C.W. Ettinger in Gotha at the ducal court of Frederick III, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, it was regarded as an authority in the classification of monarchies, princely and ducal...
, the family was first recorded in 1242.
Alfred Candidus Ferdinand zu Windisch-Graetz was elevated to the rank of Imperial Prince
Fürst
Fürst is a German title of nobility, usually translated into English as Prince.The term refers to the head of a principality and is distinguished from the son of a monarch, who is referred to as Prinz...
in 1804. The Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
having been abolished, he and his brother Veriand were both created Princes of the Austrian Empire in 1822, Alfred and his successors being the first line of Princes of Windisch-Graetz and Veriand and his successors the second line .
Great Britain's Princess Michael of Kent
Princess Michael of Kent
Princess Michael of Kent is an Austrian-Hungarian member of the British Royal Family. She is married to Prince Michael of Kent, who is a grandson of King George V....
is descended from this family through her maternal grandmother.
House members
- Alfred I, Prince of Windisch-Grätz (1787–1862), Austrian Field Marshal
- Alfred III, Prince of Windisch-GrätzAlfred III, Prince of Windisch-GrätzHSH Prince Alfred III of Windisch-Grätz was a Bohemian nobleman and Austro-Hungarian statesman. He was President of the Herrenhaus from 1895 to 1918. He was a Great-Grandfather of HRH Princess Michael of Kent.- External links :* - See also :* Portrait...
(1851–1927), Austrian Statesman - Otto Weriand, Prince of Windisch-Grätz (1873–1952), who was married to Archduchess Elisabeth Marie of AustriaArchduchess Elisabeth Marie of AustriaElisabeth Maria Henriette Stephanie Gisela , was an Archduchess of Austria and the only child of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria. She was known to the family as "Erzsi", a diminutive of her name in Hungarian...
. - Stephanie, Princess of Windisch-GraetzPrincess Stephanie of Windisch-GraetzPrincess Stéphanie of Windisch-Graetz was the daughter of Prince Otto Weriand of Windisch-Grätz and Archduchess Elisabeth Marie of Austria , only child of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria and Princess Stéphanie of Belgium.Her full name was Stéphanie Eleonore Maria Elisabeth Kamilla Philomena...
(1909–2005) - Franz Joseph, Prince of Windisch-Graetz
- Ernst, Prince of Windisch-Graetz
- Princess Marie of Windisch-GraetzPrincess Marie of Windisch-GraetzPrincess Marie of Windisch-Graetz .Marie married in Schwerin on 5 May 1881 her cousin, the German born Duke Paul Frederick of Mecklenburg,the second son of Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg. The couple had five children who were all raised Roman Catholic, the religion of Princess...
(1856–1929), married 1881 with Duke Paul Frederick of Mecklenburg - Baroness Marie-Christine Agnes Hedwig Ida von ReibnitzPrincess Michael of KentPrincess Michael of Kent is an Austrian-Hungarian member of the British Royal Family. She is married to Prince Michael of Kent, who is a grandson of King George V....
(1945), who was married to Prince Michael of KentPrince Michael of KentPrince Michael of Kent is a grandson of King George V and Queen Mary, making him a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. He is also the first cousin once removed of Prince Phillip. Prince Michael occasionally carries out royal duties representing the Queen at some functions in Commonwealth realms outside...
. - Prince M.Hugo of Windisch-Graetz (1955), married 1990 with Archduchess Sophie Franciska of Austria