The House of Harrach is the name of an old and influential Austro-German noble family, which was also part of the

Bohemian nobility Czech nobility consists of the noble families from historical Czech lands, especially in their narrow sense, i.e. nobility of Bohemia proper, Moravia and Austrian Silesia – whether these families originated from those countries or moved into th ...

. The ''

Graf (; feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility and later also of the Russian nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title ...

en'' (

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: ...

s) of Harrach were among the most prominent families in the

Habsburg Empire The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

. As one of a small number of mediatized houses, the family belongs to the ''

High nobility Traditional rank amongst European imperiality, royalty, peers, and nobility is rooted in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Although they vary over time and among geographic regions (for example, one region's prince might be equal to anothe ...

'' (ancient nobility).

History

Harrach zu Rohrau und Thannhausen-Wappen

The family first appeared in 1195 in the documents found in Ranshofen Abbey,

Duchy of Bavaria The Duchy of Bavaria () was a frontier region in the southeastern part of the Merovingian kingdom from the sixth through the eighth century. It was settled by Bavarians, Bavarian tribes and ruled by List of rulers of Bavaria, dukes (''duces'') ...

. There are two main family branches — the Rohrau branch in Austria (until 1886) and the

Jilemnice Jilemnice (; ) is a town in Semily District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,400 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, urban monu ...

branch in Bohemia. They were formed by two sons of Count Karl von Harrach (1570–1628). Two branches were later founded by grandsons of

Friedrich August von Harrach-Rohrau Count Friedrich August von Harrach-Rohrau, (Vienna, 8 June 1696 – Vienna, 4 June 1749), was plenipotentiary minister of the Austrian Netherlands (1732–1741) and became Governor-General ''ad interim'' in 1741–1744. He was also High Cha ...

— Ernest Christopher Joseph (d. 1838) and Ferdinand Joseph (d. 1841). * 1195 — first mention of the family in Ranshofen monastery. * 14th century — owned lands in Austria,

Carinthia Carinthia ( ; ; ) is the southernmost and least densely populated States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The Lake Wolayer is a mountain lake on the Carinthian side of the Carnic Main ...

and

Styria Styria ( ; ; ; ) is an Austrian Federal states of Austria, state in the southeast of the country. With an area of approximately , Styria is Austria's second largest state, after Lower Austria. It is bordered to the south by Slovenia, and cloc ...

. * 1524 — Leonhard III von Harrach acquired Rohrau Castle. * 4 January 1552 — Leonhard IV von Harrach (d. 1590) received the title of Imperial Baron from

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (as Charles I) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy (as Charles II) ...

. * 6 November 1627 — Karl von Harrach (1570–1628) 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 ...

from

Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II (9 July 1578 – 15 February 1637) was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary, Hungary, and List of Croatian monarchs, Croatia from 1619 until his death in 1637. He was the son of Archduke Charles II, Archduke of Austr ...

. * 1701 — Ferdinand Bonaventura I purchased Jilemnice. * 1706 —

Franz Anton von Harrach Franz Anton Fürst von Harrach zu Rorau (born 2 October 1665, Vienna – 18 July 1727, Salzburg) was appointed coadjutor of Vienna and Titular Bishop of Epiphania in Syria in 1701, was from 1702 to 1705 Prince-Bishop of Vienna, 1705 coadjutor ...

was raised ''ad personam'' to the rank of

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 ...

Joseph I Joseph I or Josef I may refer to: *Joseph I of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch in 1266–1275 and 1282–1283 *Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor (1678–1711) * Joseph I (Chaldean Patriarch) (reigned 1681–1696) *Joseph I of Portugal (1750–1777) ...

* 1708 —

Aloys Thomas Raimund von Harrach Aloys Thomas Raimund, Count von Harrach zu Rohrau (7 March 1669, Vienna – 7 November, 1742, Vienna) was an Austrian politician and diplomat. Early life and ancestry Born into one of the most prestigious Austrian noble families, the House o ...

married Countess Cecilia von

Thannhausen Thannhausen () is a town in the district of Günzburg, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Mindel, southeast of Günzburg, and west of Augsburg Augsburg ( , ; ; ) is a city in the Bavaria, Bavarian part of Swabia, Germany, ...

and attached her surname to his family name.

Residences

The family owned the following properties at various times: * Rohrau Castle, Rohrau, Austria: formerly the seat of the elder branch; with notable private collection of paintings known as ''Graf Harrach’sche Familiensammlung'' (from 1870–1970 kept in Palais Harrach). Rohrau has meanwhile been inherited by the counts of

Waldburg-Zeil Waldburg-Zeil was a County and later Principality within Holy Roman Empire, ruled by the House of Waldburg, located in southeastern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located around :de:Schloss Zeil, Schloss Zeil, near Leutkirch im Allgäu. History ...

. * Prugg Castle,

Bruck an der Leitha Bruck an der Leitha (; "Bridge on the Leitha") is a town in the Austrian state of Lower Austria on the border of Burgenland, marked by the Leitha river. In 2018 it had a population of around 8,000. History In and around Bruck parts of Neolithi ...

, Austria: still the seat of the younger branch. * Palais Harrach an der Freyung, Vienna, Austria (sold to the city in 1975). * Palais Harrach in der Ungargasse, Vienna, Austria. * Palais Harrach, Prague, Czech Republic. *

Harrachov Harrachov (; ) is a town in Jablonec nad Nisou District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic, close to the border with Poland. It has about 1,400 inhabitants. It is known as one of the most popular Czech ski resorts. Administrative divisio ...

(Harrachsdorf): town in Czech Republic with family's glass manufactory (since 1712), well known as ''Harrachglas'' brand. *

Hrádek u Nechanic Hrádek u Nechanic is a 19th-century Gothic style Romantic castle near the town of Hrádek in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. In 2001 Hrádek u Nechanic was declared part of the National Cultural Heritage. The chateau is admi ...

, Czech Republic. *

Konárovice Konárovice is a municipality and village in Kolín District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,000 inhabitants. Etymology Konárovice was initially called Koňařovice. The name was derived from ''koňař'' ('ho ...

, Czech Republic. *

Kunín Kunín (until 1947 Kunvald; ) is a municipality and village in Nový Jičín District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,800 inhabitants. Geography Kunín is located about north of Nový Jičín and southwest o ...

, Czech Republic. *

Lodín Lodín () is a municipality and village in Hradec Králové District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 400 inhabitants. Administrative division Lodín consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population accordi ...

, Czech Republic *

Náměšť na Hané Náměšť may refer to: * Náměšť nad Oslavou Náměšť nad Oslavou () is a town in Třebíč District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,800 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected ...

, Czech Republic. * Strkov, Czech Republic. *

Krzeczyn Mały Krzeczyn Mały is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Lubin, within Lubin County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. The village at various times was part of Poland, Kingdom of Bohemia, Bohemia, Kingdom of Prussia, ...

, Poland. Rohrau - Schloss Harrach (1).JPG, Rohrau Castle in Rohrau, Austria Palais Harrach Vienna June 2006 054.jpg,

Palais Harrach Palais Harrach is a Baroque-style palace located at Freyung 3 in Vienna, Austria. It was originally owned by the noble Harrach family. The building was extensively restored and renovated in the late 1990s, and it now houses offices and shops. Cou ...

in Vienna, Austria Bruck an der Leitha - Schloss Prugg (1).JPG, Prugg Castle in Bruck an der Leitha, Austria Harrachovský palác.jpg, Palais Harrach in Prague, Czech Republic Zámek Hrádek u Nechanic.jpg,

, Czech Republic Jilemnický zámek.jpg,

, Czech Republic

Notable family members

Franz Krueger Ausritt der Fuerstin Liegnitz

Many of its members bear the title of ''

'' (

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: ...

earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...

) or ''Gräfin'' (

countess 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: ...

). Notable members of the family are, among others: * ''Przibislaus Harrach'' (d. 1289) — founder of the family * ''Leonhard IV von Harrach'' (d. 1590) * '' Karl von Harrach'' (1570–1628) — his grandson, Imperial envoy to German sovereigns' courts, Ferdinand II's favourite. His children: ** ''

Ernst Adalbert von Harrach Count Ernst Adalbert of Harrach (; ; 4 November 1598 – 25 October 1667) was an Austrians, Austrian Catholic Cardinal (Catholicism), Cardinal who was appointed Archbishop of Prague and Prince-Bishopric of Trent, Prince-Bishop of Trento. Life Ear ...

'' (1598–1667),

Archbishop 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 archdi ...

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

and

Prince-Bishop of Trent The Prince-Bishopric of Trent (; ) was an ecclesiastical principality roughly corresponding to the present-day Northern Italian autonomous province of Trentino. It was created in 1027 and existed until 1803, when it was secularised and absorbe ...

. ** ''Leonhard'' (d. 1645), founder of the Rohrau line, the Superior Marshall at the Emperor Ferdinand III Habsburg's court. ** ''

Otto Frederick Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', '' Odo'', '' Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity". The name is recorded fro ...

'' (d. 1639) founder of the Jilemnice line, soldier and diplomat, brother-in-law of

Albrecht von Wallenstein Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein, Duke of Friedland (; 24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein (), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the Thirty Years' War (1618–16 ...

. His son: *** '' Ferdinand Bonaventura I Graf Harrach'' (1637–1706), ambassador in Spain before

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...

. His children: **** '' Franz Anton Graf von Harrach'' (1665–1727) —

Bishop of Vienna The Archbishop of Vienna is the prelate of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna who is concurrently the metropolitan bishop of its ecclesiastical province which includes the dioceses of Eisenstadt, Linz and St. Pölten. From 1469 to 1513, b ...

and

Archbishop of Salzburg The Archdiocese of Salzburg (; ) is a Latin Church, Latin rite archdiocese of the Catholic Church centered in Salzburg, Austria. It is also the principal diocese of the ecclesiastical province of Salzburg. The archdiocese is one of two Austrian ...

**** '' Aloys Thomas Raimund Graf Harrach'' (1669–1742),

Viceroy of Naples This is a list of viceroys of the Kingdom of Naples. Following the conquest of Naples by Louis XII of France in 1501, Naples was subject to the rule of the foreign rulers, first for a short time by the King of France and later by Spain and the Hab ...

. His children: *****'' Johann Ernst Emanuel'' (d. 1739),

Bishop of Nitra The Diocese of Nitra (; ; ) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in western Slovakia, with its seat in Nitra. , the bishop is Viliam Judák. History The diocese was created as the first one on the territory of present-day Slovakia ...

*****'' Ferdinand Bonaventura II'' (1708–1778),

Governor of Milan The governor of Milan was a political and military office of the Duchy of Milan, the title of the representatives of the foreign sovereigns who held dominion over the Milanese area, substantially from the 16th century until the Unification of It ...

***** ''

'' (1696–1749), Governor of the Austrian Netherlands. His grandsons: ****** '' Ernest Christopher Joseph'' (1757-1838) ****** '' Ferdinand Joseph (d. 1841)''. His children: *******'' Auguste von Harrach'' (1800–1873) — second wife to king

Frederick William III of Prussia Frederick William III (; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, when the empire was dissolved ...

******* '' Karl Philip (d. 1878)''. His son: ******** ''

Ferdinand Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "courage" or "ready, prepared" related to Old High German "to risk, ventu ...

'' (1832–1915) — painter. * '' Johann Philipp Graf von Harrach'' (1678–1764), Austrian field marshal * '' Ernst Guido'' (1732–1783) *''

Maria Josefa von Harrach Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial *170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 *Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, da ...

'' (1727–1788), Princess of

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...

, wife of

Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein Johann Nepomuk Karl (Johann Nepomuk Karl Borromäus Josef Franz de Paula; 6 July 1724 – 22 December 1748) was the Prince of Liechtenstein between 1732 and 1748. Early life He was the son of Joseph Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein and hi ...

* '' Karl Borromäus von Harrach'' (1761–1829) — honorary Chief Physician at the Elisabethine Hospital in Vienna. * '' Johann Nepomuk von Harrach'' (1828–1909) — Czech politician * Lieutenant Colonel Count '' Franz von Harrach'' (1870–1937),

Franz Ferdinand Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria of Austria (18 December 1863 – 28 June 1914) was the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary. His assassination in Sarajevo was the most immediate cause of World War I. Fran ...

's friend who was present when he was assassinated in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

on June 28, 1914. * Stephanie von Harrach (b. 1967), writer * '' Beppo Harrach'', modern rally pilot, count Ernst Harrach's son

Notes

References

* Reichenberger, Arnold G., The Counts Harrach and the Spanish Theater

External links

Harrach family collection in Rohrau CastleCount Harrach Collection at liechtensteinmuseum.atPedigree list
{{Authority control *

History

Residences

Notable family members

See also

Notes

References

External links