T h e H a b s b u r g F a m i l y
The current Habsburg family consists of the direct descendants of Emperor Karl and Empress Zita.
Family tree
Emperor Karl (1887-1922) + Zita
of Bourbon-Parma (1892-1989)
| |
Otto (1912-) - Adelheld (1914-1971) - Robert Karl Ludwig
(1915-) - Felix Friedrich (1916-)
Rudolf Syringus (1919-) - Charlotte (1921-) - Elisabeth Charlotte (1922-1993)
Otto von Habsburg (1912-) + Regina von
Sachsen-Meinigen
| |
Monika (1954-) - Michaela (1954-)
- Andrea (1955-) - Gabriella
(1956-)
Walburga (1958-) - Karl (1961-)
- György (1964-)
Charles I (Emperior Karl)
1887-1922, last emperor of Austria and, as Charles IV, king of Hungary (1916-18);
son of Archduke Otto and grandnephew and successor of Emperor Francis Joseph.
He married Zita of Bourbon-Parma. This was the last coronation of a Hungarian
King. It took place on December 30th, 1916 in the church of the Blessed Virgin
in Buda Castle (Budapest). This was the last time the Hungarian nobility and
clergy could be seen in their full pomp. In 1914 the death of his uncle, Francis
Ferdinand , made Charles heir to the throne. He showed skill as a commander
in World War I. After his accession he put out peace feelers. His correspondence
with his brother-in-law, Prince Sixtus of Bourbon-Parma , justified French claims
to Alsace-Lorraine. The Allies published (Apr., 1918) the correspondence, thus
causing friction between Austria and Germany and diminishing Charles's popularity.
Charles vainly tried to save the Austro-Hungarian monarchy by proclaiming (Oct.
16, 1918) an Austrian federative state. Hungary and Czechoslovakia declared
their independence, and on Nov. 3, Charles had to consent to unconditional surrender
in the armistice concluded with General Armando Diaz. Charles abdicated as emperor
of Austria on Nov. 11 and as king of Hungary on Nov. 13; early in 1919 he and
his family went into exile in Switzerland. After the triumph of the monarchists
in Hungary in 1920, he attempted unsuccessfully to regain the Hungarian throne
in Mar., 1921, and again in October, when the regent, Horthy, had him arrested.
Charles and his family were exiled to Madeira by a special law and all their
property was confiscated. Charles died there of pneumonia on April 1st 1922.
His son, Archduke Otto, inherited his claim to the throne. Until l929 the family
lived in Lequeitio Spain.
1892-1989, last empress of Austria and queen of Hungary. The daughter
of Duke Robert of Parma, she was married (1911) to Archduke Charles Francis,
who in 1916 became emperor as Charles I . She exercised great influence over
her husband and was blamed for Charles's letters to her brother, Sixtus of Bourbon-Parma
, during World War I that corroborated French claims to Alsace-Lorraine. She
was also blamed for Charles's attempts to regain his throne after the war. After
her husband's death (1922), Zita brought up her large family in Belgium. She
never renounced her ambition to see Archduke Otto, her son (see Hapsburg, Otto
von ), crowned king of Hungary and possibly emperor of Austria. From 1940 to
1949 Zita lived in the United States and in Canada; she later lived in Switzerland.
Otto von Habsburg, Austrian archduke and former pretender to the Austro-Hungarian throne, son of emperor Charles I and Empress Zita.
On November 20th 1930, Otto celebrated his eighteenth birthday which meant that he had come of age and could inherit the titles of his late father. This event was celebrated in the Habsburgs' private chapel when Queen Zita read out a declaration to the effect that in accordance with the laws of the house of Habsburg and with the will of her late husband she ceased to bee the legal guardien of her son Otto. Following this Otto was hailed as Emperor and King as well as head of the whole house of Habsburg-Lotharing. From 1933 onwards he fought against National Socialism which led the Nazis to issue a war-rant for his arrest after they had occupied Austria in March l 938. Otto opposed the annexation of Austria by Hitler and was therefore charged with treason and forced to flee to America. He made an unsuccessful attempt to form an Austrian legion to fight Germany. Since 1936 member of the Paneuropean Union its representative in Washington from 1940 till 1944. 1944 to l954 mainly in France except for a few months in Austria in l945. From 1942 he worked actively to prevent the planned expulsion of Germans from the Eastern territories. During World War II Otto von Habsburg used his connections in Spain and Portugal to save some 50 000 European Jews from the clutches of the Nazis. Since l954 he has lived in Pöcking Bavaria. In 1951 he married Regina Princess of Sachsen-Méiningen. In 1961, he relinquished his claims to the throne and subsequently was allowed to visit Austria.
During the Hungarian uprising in 1956 he sent a stream of memoranda of Western governments asking for support for those taking part in the uprising and later for those forced to flee from Hungary. After the uprising had been crushed he was tireless in his afforts to keep the outside world interested in what Hungary. Many Hungarians living in exile have said what a great inspiration Otto von Habsburg was to them.
He has never lost contact with Hungary and he always followed Hungarian affairs with great interest. When he was asked who he had learnt to speak Hungarian he replied that Hungarian was in fact "one of his mother tongues" since at home he had always spoken Hungarian. Since 1957 Vice-President of the Paneuropean Union and af1Coudenhove-Kalergi in l973 its President. Since June l979 European Parliament elected for Bavaria on the list of the CSU reeleced in 1984 and 1989.
On July 13th 1988 with the approval of the Hungarian leadership of the time Otto von Habsburg crossed the Hungarian border for the first time. Even in the difficult years in exile he had remained a Hungarian. Studies Primary school in Switzerland and Portugal secondary school acoording to the Austrian and Hungarian curricula in Spain University studies in Louvain Belgium. 1935 doctorate in Political and Social Sciences.
Scientific activities: Until now 27 books published in seven languages on history politics and world affairs with special emphasis on European politic tures all over the world on all continents except Australia among these a weekly column on world affairs since 1953 appearing in 21 daily papers in five languages. He is an author and lecturer, he wrote The Social Order of Tomorrow(1957, tr. 1959) and a biography of the emperor Charles V (tr. 1970).(His achievenmts: Membership a.o. Académie des Sciences Morales
et Politiques Institut de France in Paris Real Academia de Ciencias Morales
y Politicas in Madrid Academia da Cultura Portugesa in Lisbon Academia Mejicana
de Derecho Mexico Académie du Royaume du Maroc in Rabat Professor h.c. of Xaveriana
University in Bogotá (Columbia) Nonorary Nlember of the Institul Marinha in
Portugal. Honorary Fellowship of Jerusalem University honorary doctorates of
the universities of Nancy Tampa/Florida Ferrara Pécs etc. Orders decorations
honours Grand Cross of the Papal Order of I with Grand Cordon and Star Bavarian
Order of Merit (Bayerischet Grand Cross of the Luxembourg Order of the Golden
Lion Grand Cross of the Order Carlos III of Spain Orden de Africa Féderal Distinguishei
(Bundesverdienstkreuz) of the Féderal Republic of Germany l987 etc. etc. European
Karls-Preis of the Sudeten-German Landsmannschaft Plaque Honour for achievements
in the field of nationality rights and the German East Medaille du Merite Européen
of Luxemburg Robert-Schuman Gold Medal 1977 Gold Medal of the city of Paris
Konrad Adenauer Award 1977 Louise Weiss Award International Humanitarian Award
of the Jewish `Anti/Defamation League' Medal of Europe of the Free State of
Bavaria 1991 etc.)
The eldest son and heir to the dynasty
is Karl, who lives in Austria and has served in the Austrian army and
now is a member of the European Parliament like his father. He has worked hard
to keep the family in the public limelight, even hosting a popular television
game show. He works quietly to change the Austrian laws of 1919 that forbid
the Habsburgs from holding any political office and has often been mentioned
as a possible Chancellor of the Austrian Republic. In 1993 Karl married Francesca
Thyssen-Bornemisza who is well known in European high society. They currently
have two children.
György, in keeping with the old Habsburg tradition of connecting family members to distinct parts of the Empire, lives in Budapest. As with Karl, he has taken a dynamic, public presence and revived the fame of the Habsburg family name. He is an executive for MTM-SBS TV, director of MTM Communications and is a Hungarian special ambassador to lobby for EEU membership for Hungary. He is married to Duchess Eilika von Oldenburg.
György and Eilika getting married in the Budapest Bazilika
Monika is married to the Duke of San
Angelo, has three children and lives in Balaguer, Spain.
Michaela, Monika's twin sister, is married to
Eric Allen d'Antin, has two children and lives is Florida.
Andrea is married to Eugen von Neipperg, has five
children and lives in Schwaigern, Germany.
Gabriella is married to Christian Meister, has
three children and lives in Germany.
Walburga is married to Archibald Douglas, has
one son and lives in Sweden.