Siegfried Franz Johann Carl, 6th

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

of Clary und Aldringen (

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: ...

of Clary und Aldringen until 1920; 14 October 1848 – 11 February 1929), was an

Austro-Hungarian 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 ...

diplomat during the time before

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Early life

He was born in Teplitz (now

Teplice Teplice (, until 1948 Teplice-Šanov; , ''Teplitz-Schönau'') is a city in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 51,000 inhabitants. It is the most populous Czech spa town, followed by Karlovy Vary. The historic city cen ...

) on 14 October 1848 into a prominent Bohemian noble family. He was the second son of Prince Edmund Moritz (1813–1894) and Princess Elisabeth-Alexandrine von Clary-und-Aldringen (''née'' Countess de Ficquelmont). His elder brother, Carlos succeeded their father as the 5th Prince of Clary-Aldringen, and his younger brother, Count

Manfred ''Manfred: A dramatic poem'' is a closet drama written in 1816–1817 by Lord Byron. It contains supernatural elements, in keeping with the popularity of the ghost story in England at the time. It is a typical example of Gothic fiction. Byr ...

, briefly served as

Minister-President of Austria The minister-president of Austria was the head of government of the Austrian Empire from 1848, when the office was created in the course of the March Revolution. Previously, executive power rested with an Austrian State Council, headed by the emp ...

in 1899. His paternal grandparents were

Carl Joseph, 3rd Prince of Clary-Aldringen Karel Josef von Clary und Aldringen (12 December 1777 – 31 May 1831) was an Austro-Hungarian prince. Early life Karel Josef was born on 12 December 1777 in Vienna, Austria. He was the son of Johann Nepomuk, 2nd Prince of Clary-Aldringen (1753� ...

and Countess Marie "Aloisie" Chotek von Chotkow und Wognin (a daughter of Johann Rudolf Chotek von Chotkov und Vojnín). Through his paternal aunt, Mathilde Christina von Clary und Aldringen, he was a first cousin of Prussian general Prince

Antoni Wilhelm Radziwiłł Prince Antoni Wilhelm Radziwiłł (; 31 March 183316 December 1904) was a member of the Polish-Lithuanian nobility and a General of the Artillery in the Prussian Army. He was the nephew of Princess Elisa Radziwiłł, the first love of their kin ...

, who married

Marie de Castellane Princess Marie Radziwill (born Marie Dorothée Élisabeth de Castellane; 19 February 1840 10 July 1915) was a French noblewoman, a member of the house of Castellane. The famous dandy Boni de Castellane was her nephew. Early life Marie was born ...

(the daughter

Henri de Castellane Henri Charles Louis Boniface, Marquis de Castellane (23 September 1814, Paris – 16 October 1847, château de Rochecotte) was a French politician and nobleman. Early life He was the eldest son of marshal Boniface de Castellane. Personal life H ...

and

Pauline de Talleyrand-Périgord Joséphine Pauline de Talleyrand-Périgord, Marquise de Castellane (29 December 1820 12 October 1890) was a French noblewoman. Early life Joséphine Pauline was born in Paris on 29 December 1820. She was the third legitimate child of the Edmo ...

). His maternal grandparents were Count

Karl Ludwig von Ficquelmont Karl Ludwig, Count of Ficquelmont (; ; 23 March 1777 – 7 April 1857) was an Austrian aristocrat, statesman and Field marshal of the Austrian Imperial army of French noble origin. Biography French nobleman He was born Gabriel-''Charles-Lou ...

and Countess

Dorothea de Ficquelmont Dorothea "Dolly" de Ficquelmont (; ''Daria Fyodorovna Fikelmon''; 14 October 1804, Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire10 April 1863, Venice, Austrian Empire), born Countess Dorothea von Tiesenhausen, was a Russian writer and salonist. A granddaughte ...

(a daughter of Count

Ferdinand von Tiesenhausen Count Berend Gregor Ferdinand von Tiesenhausen (Russian: Фёдор Иванович фон Тизенгаузен; June 1, 1782, Reval – December 2, 1805, at the Battle of Austerlitz) was a Russian noble and military officer of German ...

Career

Count von Clary-Aldringen entered the

Austro-Hungarian foreign service The Austro-Hungarian Foreign Service () was the diplomatic service carrying out the foreign policy of the Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from the formation of the Dual Monarchy in 1867 until it was dissolved in 1918. Diplomatic missions ...

in 1873 and served '' inter alia'' in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

, following the path of his grandfather,

Count Charles-Louis de Ficquelmont Karl Ludwig, Count of Ficquelmont (; ; 23 March 1777 – 7 April 1857) was an Austrian aristocrat, statesman and Generalfeldmarschall, Field marshal of the Austrian Imperial army of French noble origin. Biography French nobleman He was born ...

. From 1895 until 1897 he was counselor at the embassy in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. In 1897, he was appointed Austro-Hungarian Minister at

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

succeeding the future Imperial Foreign Minister Burián von Rajecz and then from 1899 at

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

, two of the three missions that Austria-Hungary had in Germany other than Berlin (the third one was in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

). Although mostly maintained due to the claims of tradition, these missions were popular postings due to personal comfort and convenience and particularly the post in Dresden was generally awarded to someone enjoying the special favour of Emperor

Franz Joseph I 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 Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...

. In December 1902, Count von Clary-Aldringen was appointed to serve as Minister at

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

and would remain there for eleven years until 1914. Acting as the doyen of the diplomatic corps in Brussels and personally popular, it fell upon him to deliver the declaration of war on 28 August. When leaving Brussels, he handed over the legation to the U.S. Minister in Belgium,

Brand Whitlock Brand Whitlock (March 4, 1869 – May 24, 1934) was an Americans, American journalist, attorney, politician, Georgism, Georgist, four-time mayor of Toledo, Ohio elected on the Independent ticket; ambassador to Belgium, and author of numerous arti ...

. He played no further role during the war. He and his family were close friends with

William Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland William Arthur Charles Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland, (28 December 1857 – 26 April 1943) was a British landowner, courtier, and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician. He notably served as Master of the Horse between ...

, and therefore often visited the Portlands in London and

Welbeck Abbey Welbeck Abbey is an English country house near the village of Welbeck in the Bassetlaw District of Nottinghamshire. It was the site of a monastery belonging to the Premonstratensian order, and after the Dissolution of the Monasteries a residen ...

.Alfons Clary-Aldringen: Memoirs ''(Geschichten eines alten Österreichers)'', Ullstein publishers, Frankfurt 1977, In March 1920, he became the sixth Prince of Clary-Aldringen following his older brother Carlos' death.

Personal life

In 1885 in Vienna, he married Countess Therese Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau (1867–1943), the daughter of Count Friedrich Karl Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau and Countess Sophie von

Mensdorff-Pouilly The Mensdorff-Pouilly family is an old Nobility, aristocratic family originally from Duchy of Lorraine, Lorraine, whose members can trace back their noble lineage back to 1397.Régis Valette, ''Catalogue de la noblesse française subsistante'', p ...

. Together, the couple had three children: * Countess Elisalex von Clary und Aldringen (1885–1955), who married Count

Henri de Baillet-Latour Henri de Baillet-Latour, Count of Baillet-Latour (1 March 1876 – 6 January 1942) was a Belgian aristocrat and the third president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Early life Henri de Baillet-Latour was born in Brussels, Belgium, ...

, the oldest son of Count Ferdinand de Baillet-Latour, former governor of the

Province of Antwerp Antwerp Province (; ; ; ), between 1815 and 1830 known as Central Brabant ( , , ), is the northernmost province both of the Flemish Region, also called Flanders, and of Belgium. It borders on the North Brabant province of the Netherlands to the ...

, and Countess Caroline d'Oultremont de Duras. * ''Alfons'' Maria Edmund Friedrich Karl Joseph Aloisius Gregor von Clary und Aldringen (1887–1978), who married Countess Lidwina von und zu Eltz genannt Faust von Stromberg, a daughter of Count Johann Jacob von und zu Eltz genannt Faust von Stromberg and Princess Marie Theresia of

Lobkowicz The House of Lobkowicz (''Lobkovicové'' in modern Czech, sg. ''z Lobkovic''; ''Lobkowitz'' in German) is an important Bohemian noble family that dates back to the 14th century and is one of the oldest noble families of the region. Over the ce ...

. * Countess Sophie von Clary und Aldringen (1891–1961), who died unmarried in London. Prince Siegfried died in Teplitz on 11 February 1929. He was succeeded by his only son, Alfons, who became the seventh prince, but lost his property in the

Czechoslovak Republic Czechoslovak Republic (Czech and Slovak: ''Československá republika'', ČSR), was the official name of Czechoslovakia between 1918 and 1939 and between 1945 and 1960. See: *First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–1938) *Second Czechoslovak Republic ...

in 1945.

Notes

* * See Also:

Clary-Aldringen The House of Clary und Aldringen, also known as Clary-Aldringen, is one of the most prominent Austro-Hungarian princely families. Originally from Friuli, Northern Italy, one branch of the family moved to the County of Tyrol around 1500 and to the ...

References

Bibliography

* Helga Peham, ''Siegfried Graf Clary und Aldringen (1848-1929). Leben und Wirken eines österreichisch-ungarischen Diplomaten'', Vienna, 1981.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clary-Aldringen, Siegfried von 1848 births 1929 deaths Diplomats of World War I from Austria-Hungary Diplomats from Austria-Hungary Austrian princes

Siegfried Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace". The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid' ...