Franz Ludwig Johann Baptist Count von Meran, Baron von Brandhofen (11 March 1839 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 ...

– 27 March 1891 in

Opatija Opatija (; it, Abbazia; german: Sankt Jakobi) is a town and a municipality in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in western Croatia. The traditional seaside resort on the Kvarner Gulf is known for its Mediterranean climate and its historic buildings r ...

) was an Austrian nobleman and

Viennese Viennese may refer to: * Vienna, the capital of Austria * Viennese people, List of people from Vienna * Viennese German, the German dialect spoken in Vienna * Music of Vienna, musical styles in the city * Viennese Waltz, genre of ballroom dance * V ...

courtier.

Family

Franz was the only child of the

morganatic marriage Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...

between

Archduke Johann of Austria Archduke John of Austria (german: Erzherzog Johann Baptist Joseph Fabian Sebastian von Österreich; 20 January 1782 – 11 May 1859), a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, was an Austrian field marshal and imperial regent (''Reichsverwes ...

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

and Anna Plochl, and a grandson of the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II. On 8 July 1862 at

Ottenstein Ottenstein is a municipality in the district of Holzminden, in Lower Saxony, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russ ...

, Germany, he married Countess Theresia von

Lamberg The House of Lamberg is the name of an ancient Austrian noble family, whose members occupied significant positions within Holy Roman Empire and later in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. History The family name first appeared in the 14th century in ...

(1836–1913), the second child and only daughter of Franz Philipp, Count von Lamberg and his wife, Countess Caroline Hoyos zu Stichsenstein.

Life and career

His father having eloped with his mother (the daughter of a postmaster at

Bad Aussee Bad Aussee (Central Bavarian: ''Bod Ossee'') is a town in the Austrian state of Styria, located at the confluence of the three sources of the Traun River in the Ausseerland region. Bad Aussee serves as the economic and cultural center of the Styri ...

) in defiance of Archduke Johann's brother, Emperor Francis, Franz was entitled to inherit none of his father's positions or

entailed In English common law, fee tail or entail is a form of trust established by deed or settlement which restricts the sale or inheritance of an estate in real property and prevents the property from being sold, devised by will, or otherwise alien ...

possessions. However, the esteem in which his father was held by both emperor and nation as a general and patron of the arts shielded Franz from some of the scandal and consequences of the circumstances of his birth. He was born legitimate but a commoner, and thus he was not permitted to bear the

Habsburg-Lorraine The House of Habsburg-Lorraine (german: Haus Habsburg-Lothringen) originated from the marriage in 1736 of Francis III, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, and Maria Theresa of Austria, later successively Queen of Bohemia, Queen of Hungary, Queen of Cr ...

surname of his father's dynasty. His mother had been ennobled by the emperor five years after her marriage to the archduke, becoming Baroness (''

Freifrau (; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , literally "free lord" or "free lady") and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire ...

'') von Brandhofen on 4 July 1834, and Franz shared in her title after his birth. He was raised to

comital 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 York: ...

rank as Count (''

Graf (feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title of "earl" (whose female version is "coun ...

'') von

Meran Merano (, , ) or Meran () is a city and ''comune'' in South Tyrol, northern Italy. Generally best known for its spa resorts, it is located within a basin, surrounded by mountains standing up to above sea level, at the entrance to the Passeier ...

on 29 April 1844 (

letters patent Letters patent ( la, litterae patentes) ( always in the plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, president or other head of state, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, titl ...

issuing 30 December 1845, Vienna). While still a child, he had been designated a ''Landmann'' in Styria, Carinthia, Carniola, Tyrol and Austria, and was accorded a seat in the Austrian House of Lords on 24 November 1842. After his father's death in 1859 at ''Palais Meran'' in

Graz Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...

, the manors of

Schenna Schenna (; it, Scena ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in South Tyrol in northern Italy, located in the Passeier Valley, about northwest of the city of Bolzano. Geography As of 30 November 2010, it had a population of 2,841 and an area of .All de ...

Stainz Stainz is a municipality in the district of Deutschlandsberg in the Austrian state of Styria. A notable building there is Schloss Stainz, a former monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters an ...

and Gut Brandhof (near

Mariazell Mariazell (Central Bavarian: ''Mariazöö'') is an Austrian city in the southeastern state of Styria. Well known for being a hub of winter sports and a pilgrimage destination, it is located north of Graz. It is picturesquely situated in the valle ...

) were combined into a ''

fideicommis A ''fideicommissum'' is a type of bequest in which the beneficiary is encumbered to convey parts of the decedent's estate to someone else. For example, if a father leaves the family house to his firstborn, on condition that they will bequeath it to ...

'' for him and his future descendants. He served the Habsburg emperors as

Imperial and Royal The phrase Imperial and Royal (German: ''kaiserlich und königlich'', ), typically abbreviated as ''k. u. k.'', ''k. und k.'', ''k. & k.'' in German (the "und" is always spoken unabbreviated), ''cs. és k. (császári és királyi)'' in Hungari ...

Chamberlain Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...

, member of the

Aulic Council The Aulic Council ( la, Consilium Aulicum, german: Reichshofrat, literally meaning Court Council of the Empire) was one of the two supreme courts of the Holy Roman Empire, the other being the Imperial Chamber Court. It had not only concurrent juri ...

and as a general in the Imperial army, becoming in 1868 a knight of 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 ...

. He died at

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

on 27 March 1891, aged 52.

Descendants

Seven children were born from his marriage to Countess Theresia von

(1836–1913), and they bore the titles ''Count/Countess von Meran, Baron/Baroness von Brandhofen'' and inter-married with prominent families of the Austro-Hungarian nobility: * Countess Anna Maria (1864–1935) * Countess Maria Johanna (1865–1935) * Johann Stephan, Count von Meran (1867–1947), who wed in 1891 his cousin, Countess Ladislaja von

with whom he had nine children; including Ladislaja Johanna Franziska; their grandchildren include conductor Count Nikolaus de la Fontaine und d'Harnoncourt-Unverzagt and politician Karl-Theodor, Baron von und zu Guttenberg * Franz Peter (1868–1949), who in 1902 wed Princess Marie Johanna Franziska Sophie, daughter of Prince Louis and Princess Mary of Liechtenstein * Countess Karoline Johanna (1870–1944) * Count Rudolf Johann (1872–1959), who in 1917 wed Princess Johanna von Auersperg, granddaughter of

Prince Adolf of Auersperg Prince Adolf Wilhelm Carl Daniel von Auersperg (21 July 1821 in Vlašim, Bohemia – 5 January 1885 in Schloss Goldegg, Neidling) was an Austro-Bohemian statesman. He served as 8th Minister-President of Cisleithania. Biography After studying la ...

* Count Albrecht Johann (1874–1928)

Family

Life and career

Descendants

Ancestry

References

Further reading