Ferdinand Wilhelm Eusebius Prince of Schwarzenberg (Brussels, May 23, 1652 - October 22, 1703) was a German-Bohemian nobleman from the

Schwarzenberg family The House of Schwarzenberg is a German ( Franconian) and Czech (Bohemian) aristocratic family, and it was one of the most prominent European noble houses. The Schwarzenbergs are members of the German nobility and Czech nobility and they held th ...

Biography

Ferdinand was born the son of Count Johann Adolph von Schwarzenberg (raised to the rank of prince in 1670) and Maria Justina Countess von Starhemberg. Study trips took him to Besançon, Rome and Prague. Due to his father's good relationship with the imperial court, Ferdinand received the office of imperial chamberlain as early as 1668. In 1679 he acquired the nickname ''Pestkönig'' (''Plague King'') in Vienna, because he was responsible on the one hand for maintaining order during the outbreak of the Great Plague of Vienna, and on the other hand for organizing the care of the sick, contributing from his own financial resources. Even during the

Siege of Vienna Sieges of Vienna may refer to: * Siege of Vienna (1239) * Siege of Vienna (1276) * Siege of Vienna (1287) * Siege of Vienna (1477), unsuccessful Hungarian attempt during the Austro–Hungarian War. *Siege of Vienna (1485), Hungarian victory during ...

by the Turks in 1683, Ferdinand took care of the population. In 1685 he was appointed

Oberhofmarschall The ''Hofmarschall'' (plural: Hofmarschälle) was the administrative official in charge of a princely German court, supervising all its economic affairs. Historically, every civil service was regarded as court service (e.g. the Russian nobility is ...

by the Emperor and in 1688 he was accepted 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 ...

. In 1692 he finally became the Empress's Oberhofmeister. Despite his many social works, Ferdinand increased the fortune of his house through effective administration. Through his marriage to Maria Anna, heiress of the

Counts of Sulz 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 Yor ...

, he won the Landgraviate of Klettgau for his successors, which, in addition to economic advantages, also brought about an improvement in status, since it was an imperial domain.

Marriage and offspring

Ferdinand married Maria Anna Countess von Sulz in 1674 and had ten children, four of whom died in childhood: *Adolph Ludwig (1676–1690) * Adam Franz Karl (1680–1732), 3rd Prince of Schwarzenberg *Maria Franziska Justina (1677–1737), married Egon Landgrave von Fürstenberg-Stühlingen *Maria Anna Philippine (* 1688), married Count Franz Karl von Kolowrat-Liebsteinsky *Maria Elisabeth Luise (1689–1739), married Ferdinand August Prince of Lobkowitz *Maria Johanna Nothburga (* 1692), married Franz Leopold Count von Sternberg

Sources

* the article in the

German Wikipedia The German Wikipedia (german: Deutschsprachige Wikipedia) is the German-language edition of Wikipedia, a free and publicly editable online encyclopedia. Founded on March 16, 2001, it is the second-oldest Wikipedia (after the English Wikipedia), ...

, Ferdinand (Schwarzenberg).
BLKÖ:Schwarzenberg, Ferdinand Wilhelm Euseb Fürst
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferdinand of Schwarzenberg, Prince 1652 births 1703 deaths 17th-century Austrian people Austrian Empire politicians Ferdinand Bohemian nobility German Bohemian people