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 The German nobility (german: deutscher Adel) and royalty were status groups of the medieval society in Central Europe, which enjoyed certain privileges relative to other people under the laws and customs in the German-speaking area, until the b ...

and

Czech 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 ...

and they held the rank of

Princes of the Holy Roman Empire Prince of the Holy Roman Empire ( la, princeps imperii, german: Reichsfürst, cf. ''Fürst'') was a title attributed to a hereditary ruler, nobleman or prelate recognised as such by the Holy Roman Emperor. Definition Originally, possessors o ...

. The family belongs to the

high nobility Traditional rank amongst European royalty, peers, and nobility is rooted in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Although they vary over time and among geographic regions (for example, one region's prince might be equal to another's grand duk ...

and traces its roots to the Lords of Seinsheim during the Middle Ages. The current head of the family is Karel, the 12th Prince of Schwarzenberg, a Czech politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. The family owns properties and lands across Austria, Czech Republic, Germany and Switzerland. The family is traditionally based in Bohemia ( Czech Republic), where its ancestral seat is.

History

Origin

The family stems from the Lords of Seinsheim, who had established themselves in Franconia during the Middle Ages. A branch of the Seinsheim family (the non-Schwarzenberg portion died out in 1958) was created when Erkinger of Seinsheim acquired the Franconian territory of Schwarzenberg and the castle of Schwarzenberg in

Scheinfeld Scheinfeld is a town in the Neustadt (Aisch)-Bad Windsheim district, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 14 km northwest of Neustadt (Aisch), and 40 km east of Würzburg. Schloss Schwarzenberg is adjacent to the town. The town is home ...

during the early part of the 15th century. He was then granted the title of '' Freiherr'' (Baron) of Schwarzenberg in 1429. At that time, the family also possessed some fiefdoms in Bohemia.

Ascent and expansion

In 1599, the Schwarzenbergs were elevated to

Imperial Count 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 ...

s, and the family was later raised to princely status in 1670. In 1623 came the Styrian Dominion of Murau into the Schwarzenberg family due to the marriage of Count Georg Ludwig of Schwarzenberg (1586–1646) with Anna Neumann von Wasserleonburg (1535–1623). Furthermore, the House of Schwarzenberg acquired extensive land holdings in Bohemia in 1661 through a marriage alliance with the

House of Eggenberg The House of Eggenberg was the name of an influential Austrian noble family from Styria, who achieved princely rank in the 17th century. The family's last male heir died in 1717, bringing an end to the House of Eggenberg. History The origin o ...

. In the 1670s, the Schwarzenbergs established their primary seat in Bohemia and, until 1918, their main residence was in

Český Krumlov Český Krumlov (; german: Krumau, , or ''Böhmisch Krumau'') is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. The historic centre with the Český Krumlov Castle complex is protected by law as an urban monument reservation, and sin ...

, Bohemia (now in Czech Republic).

Schwarzenberg/Sulz family unification

Due to the absence of a male heir and his only daughter Maria Anna married to Prince Ferdinand of Schwarzenberg, Johann Ludwig II Count of Sulz proposed a family unification between the Counts of Sulz and Princes of Schwarzenberg at the Imperial Court. His request was granted, which not only transferred all legal and property rights upon his death in 1687 from the Sulz family to the Schwarzenberg family, but assured that the Sulz family continues in the Schwarzenberg family. The visible affirmation of this bond was the merging of the coat of arms. Zámek Jinonice, erb nad vjezdem.jpg, Alliance crest on Jinonice castle Schwarzenberg1696.jpg, Ferdinand & Maria Anna Schwarzenberg1696rs.jpg, Alliance crest on Schwarzenberg Ducat, which was the own currency issued by the House of Schwarzenberg

Two princely lines

At the beginning of the 19th century, the House of Schwarzenberg was divided into two princely-titled lines (''

majorat ''Majorat'' () is a French term for an arrangement giving the right of succession to a specific parcel of property associated with a title of nobility to a single heir, based on male primogeniture. A majorat (fideicommis) would be inherited by t ...

s''). This division was already foreseen in the will of Prince Ferdinand (1652-1703). However, the absence of two male heirs until Joseph II and Karl I Philipp inhibited the execution. The senior branch, which held not only the Palais Schwarzenberg in Vienna, but also the Dominions of Scheinfeld, Krumlov, Frauenberg and Murau, died out in the male line in 1979 upon the death of Joseph III of Schwarzenberg, who was the 11th Prince of Schwarzenberg. The cadet branch, which was established by

Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg Karl Philipp, Fürst zu Schwarzenberg (or Charles Philip, Prince of Schwarzenberg; 18/19 April 1771 – 15 October 1820) was an Austrian Generalissimo. He fought in the Battle of Wagram (1809) but the Austrians lost decisively against Napole ...

at Orlík Castle, continues to the present day. The two branches have now been re-united under the current head of the family, Karl VII of Schwarzenberg, who is the 12th Prince of Schwarzenberg. He is a Czech politician and served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. Adolf, Jan Nepomuk, Josef Schwarzenberg.jpg, The three last Princes of the primogeniture: Adolf (l.), Johann II (m.) and Josef III (r.) Msc 2007-Sunday, 09.00 - 11.00 Uhr -Moerk084 Schwarzenberg.jpg, The heir of both lines: Karl VII/I Schwarzenberští zaměstnanci, Orlík.jpg, The last Prince of the secundogeniture: Karl VI (m.)

Present time

Due to the unification of the family-headship under Karl VII Schwarzenberg, the fidei commissa of both the primogeniture / Hluboka line and the

secundogeniture A secundogeniture (from la, secundus "following, second," and "born") was a dependent territory given to a younger son of a princely house and his descendants, creating a cadet branch. This was a special form of inheritance in which the second a ...

/ Orlik line came under the single ownership of the last-mentioned prince. Karl VII created in the 1980s the current structure of the family belongings. The German and Austrian properties from the primogeniture were embedded (with some exceptions) into the ''Fürstlich Schwarzenberg'sche Familienstiftung'' (Princely Schwarzenberg Family-Foundation) based in

Vaduz Vaduz ( or , High Alemannic pronunciation: [])Hans Stricker, Toni Banzer, Herbert Hilbe: ''Liechtensteiner Namenbuch. Die Orts- und Flurnamen des Fürstentums Liechtenstein.'' Band 2: ''Die Namen der Gemeinden Triesenberg, Vaduz, Schaan.'' Hrsg. ...

. The art collection, which includes the painting ''The Abduction of Ganymede'' by

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradi ...

or an important collection of works by Johann Georg de Hamilton, is held in the separate ''Fürstlich Schwarzenberg'sche Kunststiftung'' (Princely Schwarzenberg Art-Foundation). The Czech property of the secundogeniture is held privately. The members of the family follow careers in the private or military sector. Peter Paul Rubens - The Abduction of Ganymede - WGA20282.jpg, RUBENS: The Abduction of Ganymede (between 1611 and 1612) Hunting scene in Hluboka 1865.jpg, Hunting scene with the Princely family in front of Hluboká Castle in 1865 Hamilton Hirschhetze.jpg, HAMILTON: Hirschhetze (1710)

Frisian and Prussian line

Michael II Baron zu Schwarzenberg (†1469), oldest son of Erkinger I (1362–1437), was married twice. First with Gertrud (Bätze) von Cronberg (†1438), from whom the princely line descends. His second marriage was with Ursula (''Frankengrüner'') Grüner (†~1484), from whom the Frisian and later the Prussian line originates. The children of Michael's and Ursula's alliance were never recognized by their half-siblings, as their first born son was born out of wedlock and the legitimisation only took place with the subsequent wedding. Johann Onuphrius (1513–1584), a great-grandson of Michael II and Ursula, is considered to be the progenitor of the Frisian Line. His marriage with Maria von Grumbach (†1564) ensured ''Groot Terhorne Castle'' until 1879 as the family seat in the Netherlands. The Frisian line was made a member of the

Dutch nobility The Dutch nobility is a small elite social class constisting of individuals or families recognized as noble, and with or without a title of nobility in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The existence of nobility was established in the Constitution ...

by a Royal decree of King William I of the Netherlands on August 28, 1814. Henceforth, the Dutch version thoe Schwartzenberg en Hohenlansberg was applied for this branch of the family. The Prussian Line was established as a cadet branch of the Frisian line with Georg Baron thoe Schwartzenberg en Hohenlansberg (1842–1918), who served as a

Rittmeister __NOTOC__ (German and Scandinavian for "riding master" or "cavalry master") is or was a military rank of a commissioned cavalry officer in the armies of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Scandinavia, and some other countries. A ''Rittmeister'' is typic ...

in the Imperial German Army. He and his descendants were made members of the Prussian nobility by an Imperial decree, issued by Emperor Wilhelm II, and are entitled to carry the German title '' Freiherr''.

Imperial immediate estates

The Schwarzenberg family held three Imperial Immediate Estates in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

. By coincidence the coat of arms of the ''Princely Landgraviate of Klettgau'' and the '' Earldom of Buchan'' in Scotland are the same. The Klettgau coat of arms can be found in the left heart shield of the Schwarzenberg coat of arms.

Notable family members

The House of Schwarzenberg produced many military commanders, politicians, church dignitaries (including a Cardinal), innovators and patrons of the arts. They were related to a number of European aristocratic families, notably the

Lobkowicz The House of Lobkowicz (''Lobkovicové'' in modern Czech, sg. ''z Lobkovic''; ''Lobkowitz'' in German) is a Czech noble family that dates back to the 14th century and is one of the oldest Bohemian noble families. The family also belong to the G ...

( cz, Lobkovicové) family. Some of the most noteworthy members of the Schwarzenberg family are:

Property and residences

Germany

The Schwarzenberg family holding included the following residences in Germany:

Bohemia

The Schwarzenberg land holdings in Bohemia included the

Duchy of Krumlov The Duchy of Krumlov (''Krumau'' in German) was a titular duchy in the southern part of the Kingdom of Bohemia, comprising the town of Český Krumlov and its surrounding territories, now in the Czech Republic. In 1628, it was given to Hans Ulri ...

, the town of

Prachatice Prachatice (; german: Prachatitz) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation. Administrative parts Prac ...

and Orlík Castle. The family also acquired the property of the

House of Rosenberg The House of Rosenberg ( cs, Rožmberkové, sg. ''z Rožmberka'') was a prominent Bohemian noble family that played an important role in Czech medieval history from the 13th century until 1611. Members of this family held posts at the Pragu ...

( cz, Rožmberkové). On their lands, the Schwarzenbergs created ponds, planted forests and introduced new technologies in agriculture. Upon the establishment of the

Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia; cs, Protektorát Čechy a Morava; its territory was called by the Nazis ("the rest of Czechia"). was a partially annexed territory of Nazi Germany established on 16 March 1939 following the German oc ...

in 1939, the possessions of Prince Adolph of Schwarzenberg were seized by the Nazi authorities. He managed to flee, but his cousin Heinrich, Duke of Krumlov, was arrested and deported. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

n government stated, by law No. 143/1947 from August 13, 1947 ''(Lex Schwarzenberg)'', that the assets of the Schwarzenberg-Hluboká primogeniture passed to the Land of Bohemia. The Schwarzenberg family holding included the following residences in Bohemia:

Austria

The Schwarzenberg family holdings included the following residences in Austria:

Ecclesiastical buildings and places

The following religious places are linked to the Schwarzenberg family either as burial or memorial places:

Monuments and memorials

The following monuments are erected for the Schwarzenberg family and its members:

The Family

Heads of the family and title progression

Dynasty

The names hereby presented are those of all the direct successors of the Prince John I of Schwarzenberg (1742–1789). They have been respectively divided into the two branches of Krumlov and Orlik, including the contemporary generations. For the genealogy to be easier to consult, the male successors alone are listed, and they are accompanied with noteworthy information where necessary. In bold the names of the members of the eldest part of the family. * Jan I Nepomuk (1742–1789), 5th Prince of Schwarzenberg, 10th (3rd of his line) Duke of Krumlov ** A1. Josef II Jan (1769–1833), 6th Prince of Schwarzenberg, 11th (4th of his line) Duke of Krumlov (1789–1833), founder of the main branch of the family (that of Frauenberg-Krummau) *** B1. Jan Adolf II (1799–1888), 7th Prince of Schwarzenberg, 12th (5th of his line) Duke of Krumlov (1833–1888) **** C1. Adolf Josef (1832–1914), 8th Prince of Schwarzenberg, 13th (6th of his line) Duke of Krumlov (1888–1914) ***** D1. Jan II Nepomuk (1860–1938), 9th Prince of Schwarzenberg, 14th (7th of his line) Duke of Krumlov (1914–1938) ****** E1. Adolph Jan (1890–1950), 10th Prince of Schwarzenberg, 15th (8th of his line) Duke of Krumlov (1938–1950) ****** E2. Karl (1892–1919) ****** E3. Edmund Černov (1897–1932), Called "Black Sheep" as a consequence of the refusal of his surname ***** D2. Alois (1863–1937) ***** D3. Felix (1867–1946),

Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army (, literally "Ground Forces of the Austro-Hungarians"; , literally "Imperial and Royal Army") was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint arm ...

****** E1. Josef III (1900–1979), 11th Prince of Schwarzenberg (1950–1979), last member of the eldest side of the dynasty ****** E2. Heinrich (1903–1965), 16th (9th of his line) Duke of Krumlov (1950–1965) (adopted G1. Karel (VII/I)) ***** D4. Georg (1867–1952) ***** D5. Karel (1871–1902) **** C2. Cajus (1839–1841) *** B2. Felix (1800–1852), Prime Minister of the Austrian Empire *** B3. Friedrich (1809–1885), Archbishop of Prague ** A2. Karel I Philipp (1771–1820), Prince of Schwarzenberg, founder and chief of the second line of the family (Orlík) *** B1. Friedrich (1800–1870), who renounced his right of majorat in favour of his brother *** B2. Karel II (1802–1858) **** C1. Karel III (1824–1904) ***** D1. Karel IV (1859–1913) ****** E1. Karl V (1886–1914), Major

in WWI ******* F1. Karel VI (1911–1989), Lieutenant Czechoslovak Army, Dr.phil. ******** G1. Karel (VII / I) Schwarzenberg (born 1937), 12th Prince of Schwarzenberg (from 1979), 17th (10th considering his original line) Duke of Krumlov (from 1965), Former Minister of the Foreign Affairs and candidate to the head of state for the Czech Republic in 2013. He unified the two lines of the family. ********* H1. Johannes Nepomucenus (born 1967), current CEO of the family companies ******** G2. Friedrich (1940–2014), Dr.rer.oec. ********* H1. Ferdinand (born 1989), Forbes 30 under 30 (Czech edition, 2019),

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

Swiss Armed Forces The Swiss Armed Forces (german: Schweizer Armee, french: Armée suisse, it, Esercito svizzero, rm, Armada svizra; ) operates on land and in the air, serving as the primary armed forces of Switzerland. Under the country's militia system, re ...

******* F2. Franz (1913–1992), Professor at Loyola University Chicago, Dr.jur. ******** G1. Jan (born 1957),

Officer of the United States An officer of the United States is a functionary of the executive or judicial branches of the federal government of the United States to whom is delegated some part of the country's sovereign power. The term "officer of the United States" is not a ...

, U.S. Navy Captain, former US Navy Special Operations Officer, Deputy Dir. of US Pacific Command's Joint Interagency Coordination Group for Counter-terrorism and Commander of the Combined Joint Task Force Paladin in Afghanistan ********* H1. Alexander (born 1984),

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is ...

****** E2. Ernst (1892–1979), Major Czechoslovak Army ****** E3. Josef (1894–1894) ****** E4. Johann von Nepomuk (1903–1978), Austrian Ambassador, Dr.jur.utr. ******* F1. Erkinger (born 1933), Dr. phil., archaeologist ******** G1. Johannes (born 1963), Dr.rer.nat., Dr.med.univ. ******** G2. Alexander (born 1971), ********* H1. Karl Philipp (born 2003) ***** D2. Friedrich (1862–1936) *** B2. Leopold (1803–1873), Austrian Marshal

Family tree: secundogeniture

Titles

Titles of the members of the family

The title of the head of the princely family is: * HSH The Prince of Schwarzenberg, Duke of Krumlov, Count of Sulz, Princely

Landgrave Landgrave (german: Landgraf, nl, landgraaf, sv, lantgreve, french: landgrave; la, comes magnus, ', ', ', ', ') was a noble title used in the Holy Roman Empire, and later on in its former territories. The German titles of ', ' (" margrave"), ...

of Klettgau **(german: S.D. der Fürst zu Schwarzenberg, Herzog von Krummau, Graf von Sulz, gefürsteter Landgraf im Klettgau) The title of the wife of the head of the family would be: * HSH The Princess of Schwarzenberg, Duchess of Krumlov, Countess of Sulz, Princely Landgravine of Klettgau **(german: I.D. die Fürstin zu Schwarzenberg, Herzogin von Krummau, Gräfin von Sulz, gefürstete Landgräfin im Klettgau) The title of the first born son and heir of the family is: * HSH The Hereditary Prince of Schwarzenberg, Duke of Krumlov, Count of Sulz,

of Klettgau **(german: S.D. der Erbprinz zu Schwarzenberg, Herzog von Krummau, Graf von Sulz, Landgraf im Kledage) The title of the wife of the first born son and heir of the family would be: * HSH The Hereditary Princess of Schwarzenberg, Duchess of Krumlov, Countess of Sulz, Landgravine of Klettgau **(german: I.D. die Erbprinzessin zu Schwarzenberg, Herzogin von Krummau, Gräfin von Sulz, Landgräfin im Klettgau) The title of all other female members of the family is: * HSH Princess ''Name'' of Schwarzenberg, Countess of Sulz,

Landgravine Landgrave (german: Landgraf, nl, landgraaf, sv, lantgreve, french: landgrave; la, comes magnus, ', ', ', ', ') was a noble title used in the Holy Roman Empire, and later on in its former territories. The German titles of ', ' ("margrave"), ...

of Klettgau **(german: ''I.D. Prinzessin ''Name'' zu Schwarzenberg, Gräfin von Sulz, Landgräfin im Klettgau'', italic=unset) The title of all other male members of the family is: * HSH Prince ''Name'' of Schwarzenberg, Count of Sulz,

of Klettgau **(german: ''S.D. Prinz ''Name'' zu Schwarzenberg, Graf von Sulz, Landgraf im Klettgau'', italic=unset) Although the family is entitled to use the ''von und zu'', only the ''zu'' is applied. Moreover, all members of the family are allowed to use the title ''Fürst'' / ''Fürstin''. However, this is not anymore practiced since the late 19th century and the cognates refer to themselves as ''Prinz'' / ''Prinzessin''.

Title progression

* Baron of the Holy Roman Empire
'' Preßburg 10.8.1429'' * Crown of a Count of France (variant)

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

5.6.1599'' * ''Landsmannschaft in Steiermark''
''6.4.1647'' * Bohemian Inkolat
'' Regensburg 25.4.1654'' * Hungarian Indigenat
''1659'' * Princely Hat