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 Kingdom of Bohemia around 1600, where it became one of the leading families 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 them ...

. It produced several notable

Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

statesmen, military officers and diplomats.

Origin

The ''Clario de Riva'' family were lords of Riva del Garda. One brother moved to the neighboring County of Tyrol around 1500, in the service of Emperor Maximilian I, the other brother sided with the emperor's enemy, the Republic of Venice, and remained in the Friuli province where his descendants later extinguished. Franz von Clary moved from Tyrol to the Kingdom of Bohemia and acquired the Dobříčany estates at

Liběšice Liběšice may refer to the following places in the Czech Republic: * Liběšice (Litoměřice District) * Liběšice (Louny District) Liběšice (german: Libeschitz) is a municipality and village in Louny District in the Ústí nad Labem Region ...

in 1622/23, a property confiscated from protestants that were banned from Bohemia. Some Tyrolian possessions also remained in the family. His son Hieronymus von Clary married Countess Anna Maria von Aldringen, sister and heiress of the Thirty Years War's Austrian general count

Johann von Aldringen Johann Reichsgraf von Aldringen (sometimes spelled Altringer or Aldringer; 10 December 158822 June 1634) was an Austrian soldier active before and during the Thirty Years' War. He was born in Luxembourg in the Duchy of Luxembourg,arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

of both families. Ever since, the family has been known as ''Clary und Aldringen'' (or ''Clary-Aldringen'').

History

The princes of Clary und Aldringen have been one of the most prominent families of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Bohemia. (TTO) Teplický zámek - Teplice 517-14 B

The rise of the family started when Franz von Clary left his ancestral lands in Tyrol to settle in the Kingdom of Bohemia. In 1623, Clary bought properties in the Ústí nad Labem region. However, it was the inheritance of

Johann von Aldringen Johann Reichsgraf von Aldringen (sometimes spelled Altringer or Aldringer; 10 December 158822 June 1634) was an Austrian soldier active before and during the Thirty Years' War. He was born in Luxembourg in the Duchy of Luxembourg,Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

n noble families. The Aldringens were a catholic noble family from the Spanish Netherlands. In 1634, Johann von Aldringen had received from

Emperor Ferdinand II Ferdinand II (9 July 1578 – 15 February 1637) was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, Hungary, and Croatia from 1619 until his death in 1637. He was the son of Archduke Charles II of Inner Austria and Maria of Bavaria. His parents were dev ...

the ownership of lands in and around the wealthy city of Teplitz ( Teplice), shortly before confiscated from the protestant count

Vilém Kinský Count Wilhelm Kinsky von Wchinitz (; ; 1574 – 25 February 1634) was a Czech landowner and a statesman. By birth, he was member of the House of Kinsky, which belonged to the highest circle of Bohemian aristocracy. Early life Wilhelm was bo ...

who had been assassinated together with Wallenstein, with Aldringen being one of the plotters of this murder. However, Aldringen died in a battle the same year, without issue. After some inheritance quarrels among his siblings, Emperor Ferdinand II recognized his sister Anna Maria as heiress of the Teplice estates. Since then, the Clary-Aldringens were the most powerful nobles of the

Sudetes The Sudetes ( ; pl, Sudety; german: Sudeten; cs, Krkonošsko-jesenická subprovincie), commonly known as the Sudeten Mountains, is a geomorphological subprovince in Central Europe, shared by Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. They consis ...

, the German speaking northern parts of Bohemia. Consequently, the rise of the family sped up and, in 1666, the Clary-Aldringens were raised to the rank of Count of the Holy Roman Empire by

Emperor Joseph I , father = Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor , mother = Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg , birth_date = , birth_place = Vienna, Austria , death_date = , death_place = Vienna, Austria , burial_place = Imperial Crypt, Vienna , r ...

. In 1767, ''

Reichsgraf Imperial Count (german: Reichsgraf) was a title in the Holy Roman Empire. In 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 ...

'' Wenzel von Clary und Aldringen, the Imperial Treasurer (and Emperor Joseph II's private council member), was raised to princely rank. Members of the family became hereditary members of the Austrian '' Reichsrat'' (Imperial Council). From that date, the princely title of ''

Fürst ' (, female form ', plural '; from Old High German ', "the first", a translation of the Latin ') is a German word for a ruler and is also a princely title. ' were, since the Middle Ages, members of the highest nobility who ruled over states of ...

'' (Prince) von Clary und Aldringen was borne by the head of the family, who was styled as '' Durchlaucht'' (Serene Highness). Junior members bore the title of '' Graf'' (Count) or ''Gräfin'' (Countess) von Clary und Aldringen and were styled as '' Erlaucht'' (Illustrious Highness). During the Napoleonic Wars, the family's Teplitz castle was the headquarters of the Sixth Coalition against Napoleon, uniting the monarchs of Austria, Prussia and Russia. There was first signed the triple alliance against

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

that led to the coalition victory at the nearby Battle of Kulm and eventually instated the Holy Alliance, officially signed in Paris on September 26, 1815. In 1832, two sisters of Prince Edmund (1813–1894) married into the

Radziwiłł family The House of Radziwiłł (; lt, Radvila; be, Радзівіл, Radzivił; german: link=no, Radziwill) is a powerful magnate family originating from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later also prominent in the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland. ...

, Mathilde (1806–1896) married Prince Wilhelm Radziwiłł (1797-1870), a son of Louise of Prussia, while her younger sister Leontine (1811-1890) married Wilhelm's younger brother, Prince

Bogusław Fryderyk Radziwiłł Prince Bogusław Fryderyk Radziwiłł (3 January 1809 – 2 January 1873) was a Polish nobleman and Prussian military officer and politician. At the time Poland was partitioned, he lived in the Kingdom of Prussia, where he was a member of t ...

. During the 19th century, the family hosted

royalty Royalty may refer to: * Any individual monarch, such as a king, queen, emperor, empress, etc. * Royal family, the immediate family of a king or queen regnant, and sometimes his or her extended family * Royalty payment for use of such things as int ...

several times at their Teplitz castle: in 1835, they received King

Frederick William III of Prussia Frederick William III (german: Friedrich Wilhelm 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, wh ...

, Emperor Nicholas I of Russia and Emperor

Franz I of Austria Francis II (german: Franz II.; 12 February 1768 – 2 March 1835) was the last Holy Roman Emperor (from 1792 to 1806) and the founder and Emperor of Austria, Emperor of the Austrian Empire, from 1804 to 1835. He assumed the title of Emperor of ...

, hosting a ceremony in memory of the treaty of the Sixth Coalition; in 1849, they received Emperor

Franz Joseph of Austria Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...

and Kings

Frederick William IV of Prussia Frederick William IV (german: Friedrich Wilhelm IV.; 15 October 17952 January 1861), the eldest son and successor of Frederick William III of Prussia, reigned as King of Prussia from 7 June 1840 to his death on 2 January 1861. Also referred to ...

and Frederick-August II of Saxony; in 1860, they received Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria and the Prince-Regent William of Prussia. During the late 19th century, the princely family maintained great influence within the

Austrian nobility The Austrian nobility (german: österreichischer Adel) is a status group that was officially abolished in 1919 after the fall of Austria-Hungary. The nobles are still part of Austrian society today, but they no longer retain any specific privil ...

. It thus played an important role in politics and diplomacy, as illustrated by the two younger brothers of Prince Carlos (1844–1920), Austro-Hungarian diplomat Prince

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' ...

(1848–1929) and his brother, the Minister-President of Austria 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 a Gothic fiction. Byr ...

(1852–1928). Siegfried's son Alfons (1887–1978) became the seventh prince, and took over the management of the family estate in 1920, after the Kingdom of Bohemia had become part of the First Czechoslovak Republic. He lost several thousand hectares in a land-reform, but redeveloped the family enterprises, including a brewery, spa resorts, restaurants, a coal mine, two sawmills, brickworks, lime works and a woodworking factory. However he lost his Bohemian ancestral estates through communist confiscation in 1945. Following the

expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia The expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia after World War II was part of a series of evacuations and deportations of Germans from Central and Eastern Europe during and after World War II. During the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, th ...

, the family has since lived in Frankfurt, Germany, and in Venice, Italy. Since March 2007, the head of the family is Hieronymus, 9th Prince of Clary und Aldringen (born 1944).

Notable members

* ''

Johann von Aldringen Johann Reichsgraf von Aldringen (sometimes spelled Altringer or Aldringer; 10 December 158822 June 1634) was an Austrian soldier active before and during the Thirty Years' War. He was born in Luxembourg in the Duchy of Luxembourg,Thirty Years War * Prince Wenzel von Clary und Aldringen, first Prince of Clary und Aldringen * Princess Elizabeth-Alexandrine von Clary und Aldringen, ''née'' Countess de Ficquelmont, daughter of Count Charles-Louis and Countess Dorothea de Ficquelmont, ''née''

Tiesenhausen Tiesenhausen is the name of a Baltic German nobility family. The origins of the family are in Lower Saxony. During the Baltic crusades they settled in Livonia in the first half of the 12th century. Bishops Albert of Riga and Herman of Tartu had a ...

Prince Siegfried von Clary-Aldringen Siegfried (Franz Johann Carl) Graf (from 1920, Fürst) von Clary und Aldringen (14 October 1848 – 11 February 1929) was an Austro-Hungarian diplomat during the time before World War I. Life He was born in Teplitz (now Teplice) on 14 October ...

(1848–1929), prominent Austro-Hungarian diplomat, son of the above *

Count Manfred von Clary-Aldringen Count Manfred von Clary-Aldringen (30 May 1852 Palais Mollard-Clary, Vienna12 February 1928 Castle Herrnau, Salzburg) was an Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian nobleman and statesman. He served as the 16th Minister-President of Cisleithania (therefo ...

(1852–1928),

statesman, Governor of the Austrian imperial lands of Silesia and

Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...

, minister-president of the Austrian part of the Empire (1889), and brother of the above

Residences

The Clary-Aldringens were great landowners, therefore they possessed enormous

estate Estate or The Estate may refer to: Law * Estate (law), a term in common law for a person's property, entitlements and obligations * Estates of the realm, a broad social category in the histories of certain countries. ** The Estates, representat ...

s in

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

, Tyrol and Lower Austria. The most important of all of their estates was that of Tepliz, which comprised the eponymous city as well as more than 70 towns and villages. It was one of the largest noble estates of the Sudetes and one of the largest private properties of Bohemia before its confiscation according to the

Beneš decrees The Beneš decrees, sk, Dekréty prezidenta republiky) and the Constitutional Decrees of the President of the Republic ( cz, Ústavní dekrety presidenta republiky, sk, Ústavné dekréty prezidenta republiky) were a series of laws drafted by t ...

. In consequence, the Clary-Aldringens had many residences, the grandest being: * Schloss Teplice (''Teplice Palace''), the primary seat of the family from the 16th century until its confiscation in 1945; *

Palais Mollard-Clary Palais Mollard-Clary is a Baroque architecture, Baroque palace in Vienna, Austria. It is located in the first district Innere Stadt, at Herrengasse 9. It was built from 1686 to 1689 for Count of the Holy Roman Empire, Imperial Count Franz Maximili ...

, the family palace in Vienna (sold in 1922); * Palazzo Clary in Venice, to this day owned by the present prince; * Schloss Herrnau (''Herrnau Castle'') in Salzburg, to this day owned by a younger branch of the counts of Clary-Aldringen.

Dubí Dubí (; german: Eichwald) is a spa town in Teplice District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,800 inhabitants. Administrative parts Town parts and villages of Běhánky, Bystřice, Cínovec, Drahůnky, Mstišov ...

's St-Mary's Church was built on the order of the Clary-Aldringens between 1898 and 1906 as a copy of the

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

church Santa Maria dell'Orto, to become their new family church. File:Palais Mollard-Clary, Vienna June 2006 322.jpg, Clary-Aldringen Palace in Vienna File:Palazzo Clary Venezia Zattere.jpg, Palazzo Clary, Venice File:SchlossHerrnau Eschenbachg21 3.jpg, Herrnau castle, Salzburg

Marriages

The Clary und Aldringen family is related by marriage to many other prominent families, including the following: Radziwill, Glam Gallas, Mensdorff-Pouilly, Ficquelmont, Pejácsevich, de Baillet-Latour, Kinsky, Eltz, Donnersmarck, and Hohenzollern Hechingen File:Elisabeth Clary-Aldringen.jpg, Elisabeth-Alexandrine

de Ficquelmont The House of Ficquelmont is the name of a noble family from Lorraine dating back to the 14th century whose filiation is established with Henry de Ficquelmont, knight, dead before 1386.Henri Jougla de Morenas, ''Grand Armorial de France'', tome II ...

, princess von Clary und Aldringen and her daughter, Edmée, countess di Robilant e Cereaglio File:Count Manfred von Clary-Aldringen.jpg,

Bibliography

* Alfons Clary-Aldringen, Memoirs: „Geschichten eines alten Österreichers“ ''(History of an old Austrian)'', Ullstein publishers, Frankfurt 1977, * Diana Mosley, Prince and Princess Clary. ''Loved Ones'', London 1985, pp. 132–153,

References

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