The House of Kinsky (formerly Vchynští, sg. ''Vchynský'' in
Czech; later (in modern Czech) Kinští, sg. ''Kinský''; german: Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau) is a prominent Czech
noble family
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteris ...
originating from the
Kingdom of Bohemia
The Kingdom of Bohemia ( cs, České království),; la, link=no, Regnum Bohemiae sometimes in English literature referred to as the Czech Kingdom, was a medieval and early modern monarchy in Central Europe, the predecessor of the modern Czec ...
. During the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of batt ...
, the Kinsky family rose from minor nobles to
comital (1628) and later
princely status (1747) under the rule of the
Habsburgs
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
. The family, recorded in the ''
Almanach de Gotha
The ''Almanach de Gotha'' (german: Gothaischer Hofkalender) is a directory of Europe's royalty and higher nobility, also including the major governmental, military and diplomatic corps, as well as statistical data by country. First publish ...
'', is considered to have been one of the most illustrious of
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
.
History
According to romantic medieval
legend
A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...
, the Kinsky story began in
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
over 1,000 years ago, when a king's beautiful daughter went out hunting in the forest and was attacked by a pack of
wolves
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...
. Her attendants all fled the terrible scene except for one young man, who saved the
princess
Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince.
Princess as a subs ...
by killing some wolves and driving the rest away. In gratitude, the girl's father ennobled the young man, granting him a
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...
featuring three wolves' teeth as an emblem of his bravery.
Rise
The first factual mention of an ancestor of this clan dates back to 1237, during the reign of the
Přemyslid king
Wenceslaus I of Bohemia. Over the next three centuries they were only minor nobles with estates in northwestern Bohemia, around the village of
Vchynice
Vchynice is a municipality and village in Litoměřice District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 300 inhabitants.
Vchynice lies approximately west of Litoměřice, south of Ústí nad Labem, and north-west of ...
(german: Wchinitz) near
Litoměřice
Litoměřice (; german: Leitmeritz) is a town in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation.
The town is the seat ...
. Holding of Vchynice manor was confirmed by the
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
emperor
Rudolf II
Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–1608). He was a member of the Ho ...
in 1596 and in 1611 one of the family's members, Radslav Vchynský of Vchynice the Elder,
ennobled
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characterist ...
as lord ( cs, pán), became a member of the
Diet of Bohemia
The Bohemian Diet ( cs, Český zemský sněm, german: Böhmischer Landtag) was the parliament of the Kingdom of Bohemia within the Austro-Hungarian Empire between 1861 and Czechoslovak independence in 1918.
The Diet during the Absolutist Per ...
(''zemský sněm'').
The rise of the family to prominence began in the turbulent era of religious conflicts between Catholics and Protestants which finally led to the cataclysm for Bohemia in the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of batt ...
: Radslav's nephew, the royal official
Vilém Kinský
Count Wilhelm Kinsky von Wchinitz (; ; 1574 – 25 February 1634) was a Czech landowner and a statesman. By birth, he was member of the House of Kinsky, which belonged to the highest circle of Bohemian aristocracy.
Early life
Wilhelm was bo ...
, took part in the
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
revolt against Emperor
Ferdinand II, which culminated in the 1618
Defenestration of Prague
The Defenestrations of Prague ( cs, Pražská defenestrace, german: Prager Fenstersturz, la, Defenestratio Pragensis) were three incidents in the history of Bohemia in which people were defenestrated (thrown out of a window). Though already exi ...
. Vilém was among the nobles who, without success, offered the Bohemian crown to the
Wettin elector
John George I of Saxony. After the loss of Czech independence in 1620 (
Battle of White Mountain), when the majority of local Protestant aristocracy was banished and their possessions expropriated in favour of nobility faithful to the
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
House of Habsburg, he retained his possessions and was even elevated to the rank of a
Count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York ...
(''Graf'') in 1628. Through his marriage with Alžběta (Elisabeth)
Trčka of Lípa Trčka (feminine Trčková) is a Czech surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Adam Erdmann Trčka von Lípa
Adam Erdmann Trčka von Lípa (1599 – 23 February 1634) was a Bohemian nobleman and lieutenant field marshal, who fought d ...
, he was a brother-in-law of the Imperial generalissimo
Albrecht von Wallenstein
Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein () (24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein ( cs, Albrecht Václav Eusebius z Valdštejna), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the Th ...
, with whom he was assassinated at
Cheb
Cheb (; german: Eger) is a town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. It lies on the river Ohře.
Before the 1945 expulsion of the German-speaking population, the town was the centre of the German- ...
in 1634.
A branch of the family was elevated to
Princes of the Holy Roman Empire by Empress
Maria Theresa
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position '' suo jure'' (in her own right) ...
in 1747. Many members of the family served in high diplomatic or military positions in the
Habsburg monarchy
The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...
and subsequently in the
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central- Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...
.
Confiscation and restoration
After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, estates of the princely (
Choceň
Choceň (; german: Chotzen) is a town in Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 8,500 inhabitants.
Administrative parts
Villages of Březenice, Dvořisko, Hemže, Nová Ves, Plchůvky and Podráž ...
) branch of the family were confiscated under the
Decree of the President of Republic, as the late Prince
Ulrich (1893–1938) was reproached for his declared
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
nationality and active collaboration with the
Sudeten German Party. Estates of the other branches,
Kostelec and
Chlumec, which had been confiscated by the Nazis during the
German occupation
German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 ...
, were returned after 1945 but confiscated again, this time by the ruling
Communist Party
A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of '' The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engel ...
in 1948. After the
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution ( cs, Sametová revoluce) or Gentle Revolution ( sk, Nežná revolúcia) was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations agains ...
and the fall of Communism, several possessions – for example,
Karlova Koruna Chateau
Karlova Koruna (german: Karlskrone) is a château in the town of Chlumec nad Cidlinou in the Czech Republic.
History
The château was built for František Ferdinand Kinský in 1721–23.
Construction was completed in time for King Charles VI's ...
and
Kost Castle – were returned to the family.
From 2003, the senior member of the princely branch, Prince Ulrich's son
Franz Ulrich,
[''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser'' XV, C.A. Starke Verlag, 1997, p.521. German.] sued the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
for return of the properties confiscated in 1945 only because, he maintained, the confiscation implicitly labeled his family as historical traitors against Czechoslovakia and as willful
collaborators during the Nazi occupation. The Kinsky family has denied such charges, arguing that Prince Franz Ulrich was just two years old at the time of his father's death and that he and his mother, Princess Kinsky (''née'' Baroness Mathilde von dem Bussche-Haddenhausen — whose family reputedly plotted against
Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
), had left the occupied country and went into exile in
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...
shortly afterwards.
According to a 2005 judgement by the
Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic, at least the expropriations enacted before the
Communist coup d'état (1948) are valid. Prince Franz Ulrich died in 2009 in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
after a brief illness and was survived by his widow, ''née'' Countess Lena Hutten-Czapska. He left as heir to his title, properties and pending claims against the Czech state, his son Karl ("Charlie") and three grandchildren.
Notable members
Heads of the princely family
* ''Wenceslaus, Count 1687-1719 (1642-1719)''
**
Stephan Wilhelm, 1st Prince 1747-1749 (1679-1749), ''fourth surviving son''
***
Philip Franz Joseph, 2nd Prince 1749-1752 (1726–1752)
** ''
Count Philipp-Joseph Franz (1700-1749), fifth surviving son''
***
Franz de Paula Ulrich, 3rd Prince 1752-1792 (1726–1792)
****
Joseph
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the m ...
, 4th Prince 1792-1798 (1751–1798)
*****
Ferdinand, 5th Prince 1798-1812 (1781–1812)
******
Rudolf, 6th Prince 1812-1836 (1802–1836)
*******
Ferdinand Bonaventura, 7th Prince 1836-1904 (1834–1904)
********
Karl Karl may refer to:
People
* Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name
* Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne
* Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer
* Karl of Austria, last Austri ...
, 8th Prince 1904-1919 (1858–1919)
********
Rudolf, 9th Prince 1919-1930 (1859–1930)
******** ''Count Ferdinand Vincent (1866-1919)''
*********
Ulrich, 10th Prince 1930-1938 (1892–1938)
**********
Franz Ulrich, 11th Prince 1938-2009 (1936–2009)
*********** Karl, 12th Prince 2009–present (born 1967)
************ Count Wenzel Ferdinand (born 2002)
************ Count Maximilian Benedikt (born 2006)
************ Count Stephan Wilhelm (born 2008)
********* ''two younger sons with male heirs surviving''
Distinguished relatives
*
Francis, Count of Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau
Franz Ulrich Count Kinsky von Wchinitz (Chlumec nad Cidlinou, 1634 – Vienna, 27 February 1699) was a Bohemian-Austrian diplomat and politician.
Biography
Franz Ulrich Kinsky came from the old Bohemian noble family of Kinsky
The House of Kin ...
(1634-1699), High Chancellor of Bohemia
*
Philip Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau
Count Philip Joseph Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau (Czech: ''Filip Josef Kinský z Vchynic a Tetova''; German: ''Philipp Joseph Graf Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau'') (28 November 1700 – 12 January 1749) was High chancellor of the Kingdom of Bo ...
(1700–1749), Bohemian chancellor
*
Countess Franziska Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau (1813–1881), princess consort of
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German language, German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constit ...
*
Bertha von Suttner
Bertha Sophie Felicitas Freifrau von Suttner (; ; 9 June 184321 June 1914) was an Austrian-Bohemian pacifist and novelist. In 1905, she became the second female Nobel laureate (after Marie Curie in 1903), the first woman to be awarded the Nobel ...
(1843–1914), ''née'' Countess Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau, pacifist
*
Countess Marie Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau (1940–2021), princess consort of
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German language, German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constit ...
Residences
Like many of the aristocratic families of the Habsburg monarchy, the Kinskys were great landowners and patrons of the arts. They employed (between 1713 and 1716) the celebrated architect
Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt
Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt (14 November 1668 – 16 November 1745) was an Austrian baroque architect and military engineer who designed stately buildings and churches and whose work had a profound influence on the architecture of the Habsburg E ...
to build their residence
Palais Kinsky in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
, which remained in the family's ownership until 1987. In addition to this home, from the 18th century the family also owned the vast
baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...
Kinsky Palace in
Old Town Square
Old Town Square ( cs, Staroměstské náměstí or colloquially ) is a historic square in the Old Town quarter of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. It is located between Wenceslas Square and Charles Bridge.
Buildings
The square ...
,
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
. Another family home was
Choceň Chateau, a medieval Bohemian
fortress
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
rebuilt in the
neo-gothic
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
style in the 19th century. All of these homes were filled with priceless treasures and artifacts. The family lost most of its property in 1945 by confiscation in Czechoslovakia, but after 1990,
Karlova Koruna Chateau
Karlova Koruna (german: Karlskrone) is a château in the town of Chlumec nad Cidlinou in the Czech Republic.
History
The château was built for František Ferdinand Kinský in 1721–23.
Construction was completed in time for King Charles VI's ...
and
Kost Castle were restituted to the family. The Kinskys also own
Burg Heidenreichstein
Burg Heidenreichstein is a castle in Lower Austria, Austria. Burg Heidenreichstein is above sea level.
The oldest parts of the castle are dated back to the 12th century. The castle has recently been inherited by the House of Kinsky.
See also
*L ...
in Lower Austria, which they inherited.
File:Haus zur steinernen Glocke UND Palais Kinsky.jpg, Kinsky Palace, Prague
File:Palais Kinsky Vienna June 2006 103.jpg, Palais Kinsky, Vienna
File:Chlumec - Karlova koruna.jpg, Karlova Koruna Chateau
Karlova Koruna (german: Karlskrone) is a château in the town of Chlumec nad Cidlinou in the Czech Republic.
History
The château was built for František Ferdinand Kinský in 1721–23.
Construction was completed in time for King Charles VI's ...
, Bohemia
File:Wasserburg Heidenreichstein Sommer.JPG, Burg Heidenreichstein
Burg Heidenreichstein is a castle in Lower Austria, Austria. Burg Heidenreichstein is above sea level.
The oldest parts of the castle are dated back to the 12th century. The castle has recently been inherited by the House of Kinsky.
See also
*L ...
, Lower Austria
Support of Beethoven
As a patron of the arts, along with Archduke Rudolf and Prince
Joseph Lobkowitz,
Ferdinand Kinsky contributed 1.800 fl. to a yearly salary of 4.000
florin
The Florentine florin was a gold coin struck from 1252 to 1533 with no significant change in its design or metal content standard during that time. It had 54 grains (3.499 grams, 0.113 troy ounce) of nominally pure or 'fine' gold with a purc ...
for
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
. Ferdinand arranged his share to be paid on as a pension until Beethoven died in March 1827.
Stud farms
In 1723, Emperor
Charles VI ordered the Kinsky family to develop their stud farms and breed horses of such quality as to provide superior mounts for the officers of the elite
cavalry regiments
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry in ...
of the empire. In 1776, the quality of the Kinsky horses was further improved by bloodstock from
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
.
In 1838, Count
Oktavian Kinsky
Count Oktavian Kinsky (1813–1896) was a member of the Kinsky dynasty and noted horse breeder. He married Agnes Schaffgotsch genannt Semperfrei von und zu Kynast und Greiffenstein (1810–1888). Recorded in the Almanach de Gotha, the couple wer ...
expanded still further the Kinsky studs, famous throughout
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
for their high equine quality, known as the
Kinsky horse
The Kinsky Horse is a Czech breed of warmblood sport horse. It was bred by the Kinsky family in the Kingdom of Bohemia, and is now one of four warmblood sport horse breeds reared in the Czech Republic, the others being the Czech Warmblood, th ...
.
See also
*
Kinski (disambiguation)
*
List of princes of Austria-Hungary
This page lists princely families in the territories of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, whether extant or extinct. The style of address was '' Durchlaucht'' (Serene Highness); also used was ''Fürstliche Gnaden'' (Princely Grace). The Austrian princel ...
Sources
*
*
*
References
External links
The Truth About Family Kinsky – dynastic history and proprietary quarrels with CR from the family point of view
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kinsky, House of
History of Prague
13th-century establishments in Bohemia
1230s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire
1237 establishments in Europe