The Coudenhove-Kalergi family is a Bohemian noble family of mixed

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

and

Cretan Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

descent, which was formed after Count Franz Karl von Coudenhove (1825–1893) married Marie Kalergi (1840–1877). The Coudenhoves were

counts 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.L. G. Pine, Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty'' ...

of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

since 1790 and were prominent in the

Habsburg Netherlands Habsburg Netherlands was the Renaissance period fiefs in the Low Countries held by the Holy Roman Empire's House of Habsburg. The rule began in 1482, when the last House of Valois-Burgundy, Valois-Burgundy ruler of the Netherlands, Mary of Burgu ...

. After the upheaval of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

, they moved to

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 ...

. The

Kallergis family The Kallergis family ( el, Καλλέργης) is a Cretan Greek aristocratic family which claims descent from Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas, and were at one stage the most powerful noblemen of Crete. Origin According to later tradi ...

had enjoyed high status in

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

, having been sent there by Byzantine emperor

Alexios II Komnenos Alexios II Komnenos ( gkm, Αλέξιος Β' Κομνηνός; 14 September 1169, p. 383September 1183), Latinized Alexius II Comnenus, was Byzantine emperor from 1180 to 1183. He ascended to the throne as a minor. For the duration of his shor ...

in the mid-12th century."One Europe"
''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

''. November 29, 1943. They remained there during the Venetian occupation (1204–1669) and subsequently moved to the Venetian-held Ionian Islands. Their ''

palazzo A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

'' in

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 ...

is still standing.

History

The Coudenhove family dates back to the

Duchy of Brabant The Duchy of Brabant was a State of the Holy Roman Empire established in 1183. It developed from the Landgraviate of Brabant and formed the heart of the historic Low Countries, part of the Burgundian Netherlands from 1430 and of the Habsburg Neth ...

nobleman and crusader

Gerolf I de Coudenhove Gerolf or Gerulf (c. 850 – 895/896) was the second count of this name who is attested in the area of Friesland (which also included Holland at the time). Gerolf's main area of power seems to have been in Kennemerland. Count Gerolf is often regard ...

(died 1259) and after it fought for the

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 ...

s in the

Dutch Revolt The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) (Historiography of the Eighty Years' War#Name and periodisation, c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and t ...

, the family moved to

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

before the Habsburgs and Coudenhoves left after the Austrian Netherlands (Belgium) was taken by the Revolutionary French Republic. The

is a

noble family originating from the 11th or 12th century, which claims descent from the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

Emperor

Nikephoros II Phokas Nikephoros II Phokas (; – 11 December 969), Latinized Nicephorus II Phocas, was Byzantine emperor from 963 to 969. His career, not uniformly successful in matters of statecraft or of war, nonetheless included brilliant military exploits whi ...

. During the Venetian rule over Crete, the Kallergis family was one of the most important

Greek Orthodox The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek language, Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the Eastern Orthodox Church, entire body of Orthodox (Chalced ...

families on the island.

Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi Richard Nikolaus Eijiro, Count of Coudenhove-Kalergi (16 November 1894 – 27 July 1972) was an Austrian-Japanese politician, philosopher and Count of Coudenhove-Kalergi. A pioneer of European integration, he served as the founding president of ...

describes in his book ''An idea conquers the world'' the Kallergis name is composed of the Greek word ''kalon'' (=beautiful) and ''ergon'' (from ergō="work, task, deed, accomplishment, or purpose") reek: Καλλ(ι)έργης > Καλλέργης, known in many versions as Kalergis, Calergis, Kallergi, Callergi, Calergi The two families united when, on 27 June 1857 in Paris, Count Franz Karl von Coudenhove (1825–1893) married Marie Kalergi, only daughter of Polish pianist Maria Nesselrode and her husband, Jan Kalergis. The lands thus combined included the Zamato estate in the Carinthian mountains, the castle of

Ottensheim Ottensheim is a municipality in the district of Urfahr-Umgebung in the Austrian state of Upper Austria. In July 2008 it hosted the World Rowing Championships, and it did so again in 2019. History First settlements in this area date from about 4 ...

Upper Austria Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, a ...

, and the Ronsperg ( cs, Poběžovice) estate and castle in western Bohemia. Franz and Marie had six children, including

Heinrich Heinrich may refer to: People * Heinrich (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Heinrich (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Hetty (given name), a given name (including a list of peo ...

, the first count to use the double-barrelled name. In 1917 when Heinrich's eldest son, Johannes Evangelist Virgilio Coudenhove-Kalergi, was 24 years old, he asked Emperor

Charles I of Austria Charles I or Karl I (german: Karl Franz Josef Ludwig Hubert Georg Otto Maria, hu, Károly Ferenc József Lajos Hubert György Ottó Mária; 17 August 18871 April 1922) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary (as Charles IV, ), King of Croatia, ...

to give him the title Coudenhove-Kalergi of Ronspergheim (von Ronspergheim), and the Emperor granted this request.

Family members

* Count Heinrich von Coudenhove-Kalergi (1859–1906), who married

Mitsuko Aoyama Mitsuko Thekla Maria, Countess of Coudenhove-Kalergi (german: Mitsuko Thekla Maria Gräfin von Coudenhove-Kalergi; 7 July 1874 27 August 1941), formerly known as , was one of the first Japanese people to immigrate to Europe, after becoming the wi ...

and had: ** Johannes Evangelist Virgilio Coudenhove-Kalergi von Ronspergheim (1893–1965), author of the

cannibalism Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is well documented, b ...

novel ''Ich fraß die weiße Chinesin'' (I ate the white Chinese) by the pen name Duca di Centigloria. *** Marie-Electa Thekla Elisabeth Christine Helene Sophie "Marina" Coudenhove-Kalergi von Ronspergheim (1927–2000), daughter of Johannes and his first wife Lilly. Married in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

in 1954. Died in Los Angeles in 2000. ** Count Richard Nikolaus von Coudenhove-Kalergi (1894–1972), Austrian writer, politician and founder of the

International Paneuropean Union The International Paneuropean Union, also referred to as the Pan-European Movement and the Pan-Europa Movement, is the oldest European unification movement. It began with the publishing of Count Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi's manifesto ''P ...

** Gerolf Coudenhove-Kalergi / Count Gerolf von Coudenhove-Kalergi (1896–1978) *** Hans-Heinrich Richard Gerolf Karl Urban Maria Omnes Sancti Coudenhove-Kalergi (born 1926) **** Sophia Bowie Marie Coudenhove-Kalergi (born 1970) **** Dominik Cornelius Valentin Gerolf Eugene Coudenhove-Kalergi (born 1973), in 2009 he married

Vincenz Liechtenstein Prince Vincenz of Liechtenstein, known in Austria as Vincenz Liechtenstein (30 July 1950, in Graz – 14 January 2008, in Deutschfeistritz, Styria) was an Austrian politician (ÖVP). He was a grandson of Charles I of Austria, the last Austrian Em ...

's daughter Princess Adelheid Marie Beatrice Zita (born 1981). ***** Xenia Marie Cornelia Hélène Zita Anna Therese Hildegard Omnes Sancti Coudenhove-Kalergi (born 2011) ***** Tatiana Maria Mitsuko Benedikta Zita Sophie Ferdinandine Gisela Omnes Sancti Coudenhove-Kalergi (born 2013) ***** Olympia Marie Gladys Zita Barbara Mauricette Elena Omnes Sancti Coudenhove-Kalergi (born 2016) *** Karl Jakob Maria Coudenhove-Kalergi (born 1928) ***

Barbara Coudenhove-Kalergi Barbara Coudenhove-Kalergi (born 15 January 1932, Prague) is an Austrian journalist. A member of the Coudenhove-Kalergi family, she is the daughter of Gerolf von Coudenhove-Kalergi and thus the niece of Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi and of Ida ...

(born 1932), Czech-Austrian journalist, Gerold's daughter *** Michael Coudenhove-Kalergi (born 1937), painter ** Elisabeth Maria Anna Coudenhove-Kalergi (1898–1936), secretary of

Engelbert Dollfuss Engelbert Dollfuß (alternatively: ''Dolfuss'', ; 4 October 1892 – 25 July 1934) was an Austrian clerical fascist politician who served as Chancellor of Austria between 1932 and 1934. Having served as Minister for Forests and Agriculture, he a ...

** Olga Marietta Henriette Maria Coudenhove-Kalergi (1900–1976) **

Ida Friederike Görres Ida Friederike Görres (2 December 1901, in Schloss Ronsperg, Bohemia – 15 May 1971, in Frankfurt am Main), born Elisabeth Friederike, Reichsgräfin von Coudenhove-Kalergi, was a Catholic writer. From the Coudenhove-Kalergi family, she was the ...

(1901–1971), sixth child of Heinrich von Coudenhove-Kalergi, Catholic author ** Karl Heinrich Franz Maria Coudenhove-Kalergi (1903–1987)

Ancestors

Coudenhove family

* Franz Ludwig von Coudenhove (1783−1851), adjutant of

Archduke Charles Archduke Charles Louis John Joseph Laurentius of Austria, Duke of Teschen (german: link=no, Erzherzog Karl Ludwig Johann Josef Lorenz von Österreich, Herzog von Teschen; 5 September 177130 April 1847) was an Austrian field-marshal, the third s ...

army * Maximilian von Coudenhove (1805−1889), Austrian ''feldmarschallleutnant'' * Franz Karl von Coudenhove (1825–1893), father of Heinrich von Coudenhove-Kalergi (1859–1906) * Max von Coudenhove / Max Julius Viktor Maria von Coudenhove (1865–1928), Austrian diplomat

Kalergis family

Dimitrios Kallergis Dimitrios Kallergis ( el, Δημήτριος Καλλέργης; 18038 April 1867) was a fighter of the Greek War of Independence, major general, politician and one of the most important protagonists of the 3 September 1843 Revolution. Life ...

(1803–1867), foreign minister of Greece, minister of military affairs of Greece * Maria Nesselrode (1822–1874), pianist and '' patronne'' having a relationship with many famous people:

Heine Heine is both a surname and a given name of German origin. People with that name include: People with the surname * Albert Heine (1867–1949), German actor * Alice Heine (1858–1925), American-born princess of Monaco * Armand Heine (1818–1883) ...

, Balzac, Chateaubriand,

Musset Alfred Louis Charles de Musset-Pathay (; 11 December 1810 – 2 May 1857) was a French dramatist, poet, and novelist.His names are often reversed "Louis Charles Alfred de Musset": see "(Louis Charles) Alfred de Musset" (bio), Biography.com, 2007 ...

, Mérimée,

Delacroix Delacroix is a French surname that derives from ''de la Croix'' ("of the Cross"). It may refer to: People * Caroline Delacroix (1883–1945), French-Romanian mistress of Leopold II of Belgium * Charles-François Delacroix (1741–1805), ...

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

, Chopin; wife of Jan Kalergis ** Marie Kalergi (1840–1877), mother of Heinrich von Coudenhove-Kalergi (1859–1906)

References

External links

Sothebys auction

Coudenhove genealogy
{{Authority control