Count Ferenc Széchényi de Sárvár-Felsővidék (28 April 1754 in Fertőszéplak – 13 December 1820 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 ...

) was a Hungarian nobleman and statesman, known for founding the Hungarian National Library and the

National Museum A national museum is a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In other countries a much greater numb ...

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population o ...

. The library is today named the

National Széchényi Library The National Széchényi Library ( hu, Országos Széchényi Könyvtár) (OSZK) is a library in Budapest, Hungary, located in Buda Castle. It is one of two Hungarian national libraries, the other being University of Debrecen Library. History The ...

after him.

Life

Early life

He was born on 28 April 1754 as the sixth child of Count Zsigmond Széchényi (1720–1769), a captain of the

hussars A hussar ( , ; hu, huszár, pl, husarz, sh, husar / ) was a member of a class of light cavalry, originating in Central Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely a ...

and Imperial and Royal

Chamberlain Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...

and his wife Countess Mária Cziráky of Cirák and Dénesfalva (1724–1787). His godparents were Doctor Ádám Groff and his wife Katalin Khellesz. He had an older brother and three sisters who all married into prominent

Austro-Hungarian 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 1 ...

noble families.

Marriage and issue

On 17.8.1777 in

Kópháza Kópháza ( hr, Koljnof) is a village in Győr-Moson-Sopron County, Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to ...

Count Ferenc married Countess Julia Festetics de Tolna (1753-1824). He was the father of six children and Count István Széchenyi was one of them.

References

m Hungarian philanthropists Ferenc Szechenyi 1820 deaths 1754 births Museum founders Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria {{Hungary-bio-stub