The House of Széchenyi or Széchényi is the name of a wealthy Hungarian noble family which produced many politicians, landowners, and influential figures within

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

. It is not to be confused with the other Szécsényi family that became extinct.

History

The family first appeared in the documents at the beginning of the 16th century and derived its name from the town of

Szécsény Szécsény is a town in Nógrád county, Hungary. Etymology The name comes from the Slavic ''sečь'': cutting (''Sečany''). 1219/1550 ''Scecen''. History The valley of the Ipoly and especially the area of that around Szécsény was inhabite ...

. First prominent member and founder of family wealth was György Széchenyi (1603–1695), who served as

Archbishop of Esztergom In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...

. The family received the title of

Imperial Count Imperial Count (, ) was a title in the Holy Roman Empire. During the medieval era, it was used exclusively to designate the holder of an imperial county, that is, a fief held directly ( immediately) from the emperor, rather than from a prince wh ...

in 1697 by Emperor Leopold I. In 1777 Count Ferenc Széchényi purchased the lands of

Sárvár Sárvár ( or ; ; ) is a town in Vas County, Hungary. Sárvár lies on the banks of the River Rába at Kemeneshát. The population is nearly 16,000. The town has become a tourist centre of international renown. Etymology ''Sár'' means "mud" i ...

and Felvidék and from then on the family members bore the name ''Count Széchényi de Sárvár-Felsővidék''. The elder, non-comital, branch of the family bore the name ''Széchényi-Szabó'' but became extinct in the first half of the 20th century.

Notable members

* Ferenc Széchényi (1754–1820), founder of the Hungarian National Library and National Museum in Budapest *

István Széchenyi Count István Széchenyi de Sárvár-Felsővidék (, ; archaically English: Stephen Széchenyi; 21 September 1791 – 8 April 1860) was a Hungarian politician, political theorist, and writer. Widely considered one of the greatest statesme ...

(1791–1860), Hungarian politician, political theorist, and writer * Imre Széchényi (1825–1898), Hungarian diplomat *

Béla Széchenyi Count Béla István Mária Széchenyi von Sárvár-Felsővidék (3 February 1837 – 2 December 1918) was a Hungarian nobleman. He is best known for organizing an expedition to China, India and Singapore. He was accompanied by the linguist Gábor B ...

(1837–1918), Hungarian explorer * Pál Széchenyi (1838–1901), the Minister of Agriculture, Industry and Trade of Hungary * Ödön Széchenyi (1839–1922), an Imperial Ottoman pasha * Andor Széchenyi (1865–1907), Hungarian nobleman and explorer * Dionys Széchényi (1866–1934), Austro-Hungarian diplonat *

László Széchenyi Count László Széchenyi de Sárvár-Felsővidék (18 February 1879 – 5 July 1938) was an Austro Hungarian military officer, Imperial Chamberlain, diplomat and venture capitalist. His great-uncle was Count István Széchenyi. László Széche ...

(1879–1938), Austro-Hungarian military officer, Imperial Chamberlain, diplomat and venture capitalist * Gladys Vanderbilt Széchenyi (1886–1965), American heiress from the prominent American Vanderbilt family, and the wife of a Hungarian count, László Széchenyi * Zsigmond Széchenyi (1898–1967), Hungarian hunter and writer * Alice Széchenyi (1911–1974), daughter of László Széchenyi and Gladys Vanderbilt Széchenyi * Beatrix Széchenyi de Sárvár-Felsővidék (1930–2021), Hungarian-German socialite and consort of the

Schönburg family The House of Schönburg (also ''Schumburg''; Czech: ''ze Šumburka'') is a noble family of princely and historically sovereignty, sovereign rank. It formerly owned large properties in present-day Saxony, Thuringia and Bohemia. As a former ruling ...

{{surname Surnames of Hungarian origin Hungarian noble families