The House of Hohenberg is an Austrian and

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

noble family that descends from Countess Sophie Chotek (1868–1914), who in 1900 married Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria-Este (1863–1914), the

heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of a person with a better claim to the position in question. This is in contrast to an heir app ...

to the throne of the

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 ...

. As their marriage was a

morganatic Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...

one, none of their children was in the line of succession to the Austro-Hungarian throne. Nevertheless, they represent the senior

agnatic Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...

line of the

House of Habsburg-Lorraine The House of Habsburg-Lorraine () originated from the marriage in 1736 of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, Francis III, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, and Maria Theresa of Habsburg monarchy, Austria, later successively List of Bohemian monarchs, Queen ...

. The head of the house bears the title of duke with the style of ''Highness'', while all other members are titled as princes or princesses with the style of ''Serene Highness''.

History

The House of Hohenberg was established by imperial decree of Emperor

Francis Joseph of Austria Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death in 1916. In the early part of his reig ...

when, upon the couple's marriage in 1900, he created Francis Ferdinand's wife ''

Fürst ' (, female form ', plural '; from Old High German ', "the first", a translation of the Latin ') is a German language, German word for a ruler as well as a princely title. ' were, starting in the Middle Ages, members of the highest nobility who ...

in von Hohenberg'' (Princess of Hohenberg) in her own right with the style of ''Ihre fürstliche Gnaden'' ( Her Princely Grace) and the specification that this title and style should also be borne by her descendants. In 1905, the Emperor granted Sophie and her descendants the higher style of ''Durchlaucht'' (

Serene Highness His/Her Serene Highness (abbreviation: HSH, second person address: Your Serene Highness) is a style (manner of address), style used today by the reigning families of Liechtenstein, Monaco and Thailand. Until 1918, it was also associated with the p ...

). In 1909, the Emperor raised Sophie to the more senior title of ''

Herzog (; feminine ; masculine plural ; feminine plural ) is a German hereditary title held by one who rules a territorial duchy, exercises feudal authority over an estate called a duchy, or possesses a right by law or tradition to be referred to ...

in von Hohenberg'' (Duchess of Hohenberg) with the superior style of ''Hoheit'' (

Highness Highness (abbreviation HH, oral address Your Highness) is a formal style used to address (in second person) or refer to (in third person) certain members of a reigning or formerly reigning dynasty. It is typically used with a possessive adjec ...

) and thereby changed the princely cap on her coat of arms to a duke's crown. Since that title had been granted ''ad personam'', it expired upon Sophie's assassination in 1914. In 1917, Emperor Charles of Austria granted the eldest son of Francis Ferdinand and Sophie the title of duke with the style of ''Highness''. The other members of the family retained the title of prince or princess with the lesser style of ''Serene Highness''. Thus, Maximilian became the first Duke of Hohenberg, with the dukedom being hereditary according to

primogeniture Primogeniture () is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn Legitimacy (family law), legitimate child to inheritance, inherit all or most of their parent's estate (law), estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some childre ...

in the

male line Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...

. Following the collapse of the monarchy, the

Austrian nobility The Austrian nobility () is a status group that was officially abolished in 1919 after the fall of Austria-Hungary. Austria's system of nobility was very similar to that of Germany (see German nobility), as both countries were previously part of ...

, along with

hereditary title Hereditary titles, in a general sense, are nobility titles, positions or styles that are hereditary and thus tend or are bound to remain in particular families. Though both monarchs and nobles usually inherit their titles, the mechanisms often d ...

s and such

nobiliary particle A nobiliary particle is a type of onomastic particle used in a surname or family name in many Western cultures to signal the nobility of a family. The particle used varies depending on the country, language and period of time. In some languages, it ...

s as ''von'', were abolished by law in 1919. In 1938, several members of the family who were opposed to

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

were arrested by the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

and sent to

Dachau concentration camp Dachau (, ; , ; ) was one of the first concentration camps built by Nazi Germany and the longest-running one, opening on 22 March 1933. The camp was initially intended to intern Hitler's political opponents, which consisted of communists, s ...

, most notably Maximilian and his brother

Ernst Ernst is both a surname and a given name, the German, Dutch, and Scandinavian form of Ernest. Notable people with the name include: Surname * Adolf Ernst (1832–1899) German botanist known by the author abbreviation "Ernst" * Anton Ernst (born ...

. Another former head of the family, Georg, served as ambassador of the Republic of Austria to the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

during part of the pontificate of

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

. He was also a

Knight of the Golden Fleece This article contains a list of knights of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Burgundian Golden Fleece 15th century !Year of induction!!Name!!Born!!Died!!Notes , - , rowspan=25, 1430, , Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, , 1396, , 1467, , Founde ...

. Members of the Hohenberg family are not only descended from, and married into, the

, but are also related through marriage to several other European dynasties, including the Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg and the

Princely Family of Liechtenstein The House of Liechtenstein (), from which the principality takes its name, is the family which reigns by hereditary right over the principality of Liechtenstein. Only dynastic members of the family are eligible to inherit the throne. The dynasty ...

. They also descend from King George II of Great Britain through his daughter

Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange Anne, Princess Royal (12 January 1759) was the second child and eldest daughter of King George II of Great Britain and his consort Caroline of Ansbach. She was the wife of William IV, Prince of Orange, the first hereditary stadtholder of all se ...

, and are therefore distantly related to the

British royal family The British royal family comprises Charles III and other members of his family. There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member, although the Royal Household has issued different lists outlining who is considere ...

. In his fictional alternative-history

trilogy A trilogy is a set of three distinct works that are connected and can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, and video games. Three-part works that are considered components of ...

Leviathan Leviathan ( ; ; ) is a sea serpent demon noted in theology and mythology. It is referenced in several books of the Hebrew Bible, including Psalms, the Book of Job, the Book of Isaiah, and the pseudepigraphical Book of Enoch. Leviathan is of ...

'', Scott Westerfled focuses on the fictional character Aleksander Hohenberg and his legitimacy to his father's throne after their assassination. Aleksander Hohenberg is therefore loosely based upon Maximilian. In the novels, it is the Pope that legitimizes the marriage between Sophie Chotek and Francis-Ferdinand.

Residences

The Hohenberg family still owns

Artstetten Castle Artstetten Castle (, ) is a historic ''Schloss'' near the Wachau valley in Lower Austria, in the municipality of Artstetten-Pöbring. It is the final resting place of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg. ...

Lower Austria Lower Austria ( , , abbreviated LA or NÖ) is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Major cities are Amstetten, Lower Austria, Amstetten, Krems an der Donau, Wiener Neustadt and Sankt Pölten, which ...

, and parts of this castle are open to the public for visits. Former residences of the family include

Konopiště Konopiště Castle (; , ) is a four-winged, three-storey castle located in Konopiště, now a part of the town of Benešov in Central Bohemian Region, Czech Republic. It has become famous as the last residence of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austr ...

château in

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

. Artstetten Castle was selected to provide the main theme for an Austrian 10 euro commemorative coin, minted on 13 October 2004. The reverse shows the entrance to the crypt of the Hohenberg family. There are two portraits on the left, showing Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg.

Duchess of Hohenberg (1909–1914)

Sophie Sophie is a feminine given name, another version of Sophia, from the Greek word for "wisdom". People with the name Born in the Middle Ages * Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson * Soph ...

(1868–1914), previously Princess of Hohenberg from the time of her marriage in 1900.

Dukes of Hohenberg (1917–present)

* Maximilian (1902–1962), 1st Duke, eldest son of Sophie; with issue. * Franz (1927–1977), 2nd Duke, eldest son of Maximilian; with issue. * Georg (1929–2019), 3rd Duke, second son of Maximilian; with issue. * Nikolaus (born 1961), 4th Duke, eldest son of Georg; with issue.

Arms

Line of succession to the ducal title

The line of succession to the title of Duke of Hohenberg is as follows: *''

Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg (; ; 1 March 1868 – 28 June 1914) was the wife of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. Their assassination in Sarajevo sparked a series of events that led, four weeks later ...

(1868–1914)'' ** ''

Maximilian, Duke of Hohenberg Maximilian, Duke of Hohenberg (''Maximilian Karl Franz Michael Hubert Anton Ignatius Joseph Maria von Hohenberg''; 29 September 1902 – 8 January 1962), was the elder son of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary and his wife Countess So ...

(1902–1962)'' *** ''

Franz, Duke of Hohenberg Franz Ferdinand, Duke of Hohenberg (13 September 1927 – 16 August 1977), was the eldest son of Maximilian, Duke of Hohenberg, and Countess Elisabeth von Waldburg zu Wolfegg und Waldsee. He was also a grandson of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of ...

(1927–1977)'' *** ''

Georg, Duke of Hohenberg Georg, Duke of Hohenberg (25 April 1929 – 25 July 2019), was an Austrian nobleman who was, at the time of his death, the senior agnate of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. Life Georg was born at Artstetten Castle in the community of Artstett ...

(1929–2019)'' **** Nikolaus, Duke of Hohenberg (b. 1961) ***** (1) Prince Karl of Hohenberg (b. 1991),

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

****** (2) Prince Felix of Hohenberg (b. 2022) **** (3) Prince Maximilian of Hohenberg (b. 1970) ***** (4) Prince Nikolaus of Hohenberg (b. 2001) ***** (5) Prince Leopold of Hohenberg (b. 2006) *** ''Prince Albrecht of Hohenberg (1931–2021)'' **** (6) Prince Leo Johannes of Hohenberg (b. 1964) ***** (7) Prince Adrien of Hohenberg (b. 2003) *** ''Prince Johannes of Hohenberg (1933–2003)'' **** (8) Prince Stephan of Hohenberg (b. 1972) ***** (9) Prince Nepomuk of Hohenberg (b. 2005) **** (10) Prince Georg of Hohenberg (b. 1975) *** ''Prince Peter of Hohenberg (1936–2017)'' *** ''Prince Gerhard of Hohenberg (1941–2019)'' ** '' Prince Ernst of Hohenberg (1904–1954)'' *** ''Prince Franz Ferdinand of Hohenberg (1937–1978)'' **** (11) Prince Franz Ferdinand of Hohenberg (b. 1969) ***** (12) Prince Maximilian of Hohenberg (b. 2001) *** '' Prince Ernst of Hohenberg (1944–2023)

References

External links

Artstetten Castle website
{{DEFAULTSORT:House Of Hohenberg Chotek family House of Habsburg-Lorraine