Leo Karl Maria Cyril-Methodius Habsburg-Lorraine, Archduke of Austria (5 July 1893, Pula, Austria-Hungary – 28 April 1939,
Bestwina,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
) was an
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n military officer, a member of the
House of Habsburg-Lorraine
The House of Habsburg-Lorraine (german: Haus Habsburg-Lothringen) originated from the marriage in 1736 of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, Francis III, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, and Maria Theresa, Maria Theresa of Austria, later successively List ...
. He was the fifth child and the second son of
Archduke Charles Stephen of Austria
Archduke (feminine: Archduchess; German: ''Erzherzog'', feminine form: ''Erzherzogin'') was the title borne from 1358 by the Habsburg rulers of the Archduchy of Austria, and later by all senior members of that dynasty. It denotes a rank withi ...
and
Archduchess Maria Theresia, Princess of Tuscany
Archduke (feminine: Archduchess; German: ''Erzherzog'', feminine form: ''Erzherzogin'') was the title borne from 1358 by the Habsburg rulers of the Archduchy of Austria, and later by all senior members of that dynasty. It denotes a rank withi ...
.
Archduke Leo Karl was his father’s answer to the
Eastern European question, and became the would-be Regent of the Habsburgs' zone of influence in the Balkan region.
Early life
In 1913, Leo and his younger brother,
Wilhelm, enrolled at the Imperial Military Academy in
Wiener-Neustadt
Wiener Neustadt (; ; Central Bavarian: ''Weana Neistod'') is a city located south of Vienna, in the state of Lower Austria, in northeast Austria. It is a self-governed city and the seat of the district administration of Wiener Neustadt-Land Distr ...
. Upon reaching twenty years of age, which was the
age of majority in the Habsburg family, he was inducted into the
Order of the Golden Fleece
The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece ( es, Insigne Orden del Toisón de Oro, german: Orden vom Goldenen Vlies) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in 1430, to celebrate his marriage ...
, a chivalric order.
At this age, he was also inducted into the Upper House of Parliament. He served in the Austrian army until the fall of the
Habsburg Empire, after which he served with great distinction in the Polish army.
Marriage and family
In October 1922, he married Austrian noblewoman Maria-Klothilde von Thuillières Gfn von Montjoye-Vaufrey et de la Roche (1893–1978), known among family as "Maja", at St. Stephen Cathedral 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 ...
. The marriage was acceptable although
morganatic. Their children, among them Count Leo Stefan of Habsburg (12 June 1928 – 3 February 2020), were granted the title of
Count of Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
.
Later life
He lived on a portion of the
Żywiec family estate that he and his brother, Albrecht, inherited from their father. Leo raised his children as Germans.
He died of
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
on the 28 April 1939 at his estate in
Bestwina, in southern Poland. Since he did not leave a will, the property was inherited by his wife Maja.
He was buried in the local cemetery in
Bestwina, a countryside plot belonging to his family. Bestwina was also the location of the palace where he and his family moved to in 1933, after the death of his father, Karl Stefan.
References
Polish nobility
1893 births
1939 deaths
House of Habsburg-Lorraine
Austrian princes
People of World War I from Austria-Hungary
Polish Army officers
Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria
People from Pula
{{Europe-noble-stub