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Archduke Rainer Ferdinand Maria Johann Evangelist Franz Ignaz of Austria (11 January 1827 – 27 January 1913), a member of the
House of Habsburg-Lorraine The House of Habsburg-Lorraine (german: Haus Habsburg-Lothringen) originated from the marriage in 1736 of Francis III, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, and Maria Theresa of Austria, later successively Queen of Bohemia, Queen of Hungary, Queen of ...
and nephew of Emperor Francis II, was an
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populou ...
n politician who served as Minister-President of Austria from 1861 to 1865.


Biography

Born in
Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...
, the capital of the Austrian
Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia The Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia ( la, links=no, Regnum Langobardiae et Venetiae), commonly called the "Lombardo-Venetian Kingdom" ( it, links=no, Regno Lombardo-Veneto, german: links=no, Königreich Lombardo-Venetien), was a constituent land ...
, he was a son of Viceroy Archduke Rainer of Austria (1783–1853) and his consort Princess Elisabeth of Savoy (1800–1856). Rainer spent most of his youth at the
Royal Villa of Monza The Royal Villa (Italian: ''Villa Reale'') is a historical building in Monza, northern Italy. It lies on the banks of the Lambro river, surrounded by the large Monza Park, one of the largest enclosed parks in Europe. The Royal Villa, which is a ...
. He studied law at the
University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public university, public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the Geogra ...
and in 1843 joined the Austrian Imperial Army in the rank of an ''
Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedi ...
'' (Colonel). In 1852, he married his cousin Archduchess Maria Karoline of Austria (1825–1915), a daughter of Archduke Charles, known for his victory at the 1809 Battle of Aspern. The marriage was a very happy one, and, with numerous public appearances and charitable activities, the couple was probably the most popular amongst the Habsburg family. The lavish celebration of their
diamond wedding A wedding anniversary is the anniversary of the date a wedding took place. Couples may take the occasion to celebrate their relationship, either privately or with a larger party. Special celebrations and gifts are often given for particular ann ...
in 1912 was rated as one of the last great events of the dissolving Austro-Hungarian Monarchy before World War I. However, the marriage remained childless. In 1854, Rainer achieved the rank of ''
Generalmajor is the Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and Royal Danish Air Force. As a two- ...
'' in the Imperial Army and in 1861 was raised to ''
Feldmarschall-Leutnant Lieutenant field marshal, also frequently historically field marshal lieutenant (german: Feldmarschall-Leutnant, formerly , historically also and, in official Imperial and Royal Austrian army documents from 1867 always , abbreviated ''FML''), was ...
'' (Field marshal lieutenant). Beside his military career, he was also interested in art and science, in particular the emerging
Papyrology Papyrology is the study of manuscripts of ancient literature, correspondence, legal archives, etc., preserved on portable media from antiquity, the most common form of which is papyrus, the principal writing material in the ancient civilizations ...
. In 1899 he donated his extensive
Faiyum Faiyum ( ar, الفيوم ' , borrowed from cop,  ̀Ⲫⲓⲟⲙ or Ⲫⲓⲱⲙ ' from egy, pꜣ ym "the Sea, Lake") is a city in Middle Egypt. Located southwest of Cairo, in the Faiyum Oasis, it is the capital of the modern Faiyum ...
papyrus collection to the
Austrian National Library The Austrian National Library (german: Österreichische Nationalbibliothek) is the largest library in Austria, with more than 12 million items in its various collections. The library is located in the Neue Burg Wing of the Hofburg in center of V ...
, part of the UNESCO
Memory of the World Register Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action. If past events could not be remembered, ...
since 2001. Already in 1857, Archduke Rainer was appointed president of the Austrian Imperial Council by Emperor
Francis Joseph I Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...
. In the course of the implementation of the 1861
February Patent The February Patent was a constitution of the Austrian Empire promulgated in the form of letters patent on 26 February 1861. Background In the Austrian Empire, the early 1860s were a period of significant constitutional reforms. The revolutions a ...
constitution, he took up office as nominal Minister-President chairing the liberal cabinet of State Minister
Anton von Schmerling Anton Ritter von Schmerling (23 August 180523 May 1893) was an Austrian statesman. Life Von Schmerling was born in Vienna, where his father held a high position on the judicial side of the civil service. After studying law at Vienna, in 1829 Sch ...
. He was popular with the nonaristocratic population of Vienna, often walking the streets on foot.Rivista enciclopedica contemporanea
Editore Francesco Vallardi, Milan, (1913), entry by AB, page 21.


Honours and awards

;Austro-Hungarian * Knight of the
Golden Fleece In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece ( el, Χρυσόμαλλον δέρας, ''Chrysómallon déras'') is the fleece of the golden-woolled,, ''Khrusómallos''. winged ram, Chrysomallos, that rescued Phrixus and brought him to Colchis, where P ...
, ''1852'' * Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, ''1862'' * Military Merit Cross, in Diamonds * Bronze Military Merit Medal on Red Ribbon ;Foreign


Ancestry


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rainer, Archduke Of Austria 1827 births 1913 deaths 19th-century Ministers-President of Austria Nobility from Milan House of Habsburg-Lorraine Austrian princes Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Grand Crosses of the Order of the Star of Romania Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint-Charles Recipients of the Order of the Netherlands Lion