Mathias Franz
Graf
(; feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility and later also of the Russian nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title ...
von
The term () is used in German surnames either as a nobiliary particle indicating a noble patrilineality, or as a simple preposition used by commoners that means or .
Nobility directories like the often abbreviate the noble term to ''v.'' ...
Chorinsky
Freiherr
(; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , ) and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and in ...
von Ledske
[Österreichische Staatsarchiv (ÖStA) (Austrian State Archives (ÖStA)); Allgemeines Adelsarchiv der österreichischen Monarchie (General Archive of Nobility of the Austrian Monarchy), Author: Karl Friedrich Benjamin Leupold, Publisher: Hoffmeister, Wien (Vienne), 1789, Volume 1, Issue 2, Page 179-184, in German.][Adels-Lexikon (Nobility Lexicon), Author: Johann Christian von Hellbach, Publisher: Bernhard Friedrich Voigt, Ilmenau, 1825, Volume 1 A to K, Page 230, in German.][Der Adel der böhmischen Krönländer: ein Verzeichnis derjenigen Wappenbriefe und Adelsdiplome welche in den Böhmischen Saalbüchern der Adelsarchives im k.k. Ministerium des Innern in Wien eingetragen sind (The Nobility of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown: a roster of the coat of arms and letters patent of nobility that are registered in the Bohemian Hall-books of nobility archives at the Imperial and Royal Ministry of Interior in Vienna), Author: August von Doerr, Publisher: Verlag von Fr. Rivnac, Prag (Prague), 1900, Page 196 and 246, in German.][ Neues Preussisches Adels-Lexicon (New Prussian Nobility Lexicon), Gebrüder Reichenbach, Leipzig, 1839, Supplement Volume/Vol. 5, Page 100-103, in German.][Der Adel von Böhmen, Mähren und Schlesien: ein alphabetisch geordnetes Verzeichnis..., (The Nobility of Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia: an alphabetical directory...,), Author: Anton Schimon, Publisher: P. Gerzabek, Prag (Prague), 1859, Page 20, in German.] (in English: ''Mathias Franz Count of Chorinsky Baron of Ledske''; ; ) (4 October 1720 in
Pačlavice – 30 October 1786 in
Kuřim
Kuřim (; ) is a town in Brno-Country District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 12,000 inhabitants. It is the most populated town of Brno-Country District.
Geography
Kuřim is located about north of Brno. It lies m ...
,
Moravia
Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia.
The medieval and early ...
) was first
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Brno, Imperial and Royal senior
Privy Counsellor
The Privy Council, formally His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its members, known as privy counsellors, are mainly senior politicians who are current or former ...
of the Imperial and Royal Privy Council of the
Habsburg monarchy
The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...
and with his equally eminent brothers
[Brothers of Mathias Franz: (1). Franz Johann (b. 24 April 1725), (2). Johann Nepomuk (b. ?), (3). Ignaz Dominic (b. 20 August 1729), (4). Michael Wenzel (b. 4 December 1736); each Graf von Chorinsky Freiherr von Ledske, except brother Johann Nepomuk who died in 1760 (prior to elevation to Counts in 1761) from fatal battle wounds received in the Battle of Torgau, held the hereditary birth name and title ''Freiherr von Chorinsky und Ledske''. Sisters of Mathias Franz: (1) Maria Anna (b. 14 March 1716); (2) Josepha (b. ?); (3) Franziska (b. ?); each held the hereditary birth name and title ''Freiin von Chorinsky und Ledske''.] the first
Count
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: ...
s of Chorinsky.
[Geographisches Handbuch von dem östreichischen Staate: Böheim, Mahren, und Schlesien. (Geographical Handbook of the Austrian States: Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia.), Author: Ignaz de Luca, Publisher: J. B. Degen, Wien (Vienne), 1791, Volume 3, Page 66, 165, 219, 236, in German.][Österreichisches Adels-Lexikon: des achtzehnten u. neunzehnten Jahrhunderts (Austrian Nobility Lexicon: of the eighteenth and nineteenth century), Author: Johann Georg Megerle von Mühlenfeld, Publisher: Mörscher and Jasper, Wien (Vienne), 1822, Page 15, in German.]
Family history and biography
Mathias Franz was a descendant of an eminent and ancient Bohemian-Moravian-Silesian
noble house well known in this region since the 15th century, with earlier origins leading from the
Piast dynasty
The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented List of Polish monarchs, Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I of Poland, Mieszko I (–992). The Poland during the Piast dynasty, Piasts' royal rule in Pol ...
of Poland and a ''Chorynski'' branch of the "
Abdank szlachta
The ''szlachta'' (; ; ) were the nobility, noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Depending on the definition, they were either a warrior "caste" or a social ...
" nobility,
[Der Schlesische Adel (The Silesian Nobility), Author: Johannes Sinapius, Publisher: Michael Rohrlach, Leipzig and Breslau, 1728, Volume 2, Page 563, in German.][Orbis Polonus, splendoribus Coeli, Triumphis Mundi, pulcritudine Animantium, decore Aquitilium de condecoratus: in quo antiqua Sarmatarum Gentilia, pervetustæ Nobilitatis Poloniæ Insignia relucent, Author: Simon Okolski, Kraków, 1641–43, Volume 1, Page 722, in Latin.][Gothaisches Genealogisches Taschenbuch der Gräflichen Häuser 1874 (]Almanach de Gotha
The ''Almanach de Gotha'' () is a directory of Europe's royalty and higher nobility, also including the major governmental, military and diplomatic corps, as well as statistical data by country. First published in 1763 by C. W. Ettinger in ...
; Gotha’s Genealogical Handbook of noble (count) houses 1874), Author: Justus Perthes, Publisher: Perthes-Verlag, Gotha, Page 164, in German.[Gothaisches Genealogisches Taschenbuch der Deutschen Gräflichen Häuser aus das Jahr 1828 (]Almanach de Gotha
The ''Almanach de Gotha'' () is a directory of Europe's royalty and higher nobility, also including the major governmental, military and diplomatic corps, as well as statistical data by country. First published in 1763 by C. W. Ettinger in ...
; Gotha’s Genealogical Handbook of German noble (count) houses from the year 1828), Author: Justus Perthes, Publisher: Perthes-Verlag, Gotha, Page 35, in German.[Die fürstlichen, gräflichen und freiherrlichen Familien des österreichischen Kaiserstaates (The princely, count and baron families of the Austrian Empire), Author: Jacob A. F. Hyrtl, Publisher: Schaumburg & Company, Wien (Vienne), 1852, Volume 2, Page 37-39, in German.] in 1293 two noble
Knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity.
The concept of a knighthood ...
’s ''Babeslaus de Chorinsky'' and his son ''Laticus de Chorinsky'' served at the
court
A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and Administration of justice, administer justice in Civil law (common law), civil, Criminal law, criminal, an ...
of
Henry V, Duke of Legnica
Henry V (, ; – 22 February 1296), called the Fat (, ) was a Duke of Jawor from 1273, of Legnica from 1278, and Duke of Wrocław from 1290.
He was the eldest son of Bolesław II the Bald, Bolesław II the Bald, Duke of Legnica and Hedwig, daug ...
and
Duke of Silesia
The Duke of Silesia was the title of sons and descendants of the Polish Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth. In accordance with the last will and testament of Bolesław, upon his death his lands were divided into four or five hereditary provinces distri ...
, seated in the
Duchy of Silesia
The Duchy of Silesia (, ) with its capital at Wrocław was a medieval provincial duchy of Poland located in the region of Silesia. Soon after it was formed under the Piast dynasty in 1138, it fragmented into various Silesian duchies. In 1327, t ...
.
The earliest known ancestral seat or estate, among many others later acquired across the Bohemian-Moravian-Silesian lands, was
Choryně with its dominion in the
Zlín Region
Zlín Region () is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the south-eastern part of the historical region of Moravia. It is named after its capital Zlín. Together with the Olomouc Region it forms a cohesion area of Central M ...
and
fortress
A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...
Ledske with its dominion in the
Hradec Králové Region
Hradec Králové Region (, ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic located in the north-eastern part of the historical region of Bohemia. It is named after its capital Hradec Králové. The region neighbours the Pardubice Region in t ...
where today only remnants of the fortification can be found,
[Chronicon Alsatiae (Edelsasser Chronick), Author: Bernhart Hertzogs, Publisher: Johann Fischart, Straßburg (Strasbourg), 1592, in German and Latin.] today the village is named Ledská and is part of the
Hřibiny-Ledská municipality in the present-day
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
.
Already established and recognized for centuries and highly esteemed within the Holy Roman Empire, Mathias Franz together with his equally eminent brothers
were each venerated for their own exceptional services to the
Bohemian Crown and elevated as the first Counts of Chorinsky on 12 December 1761 by Empress of the Holy Roman Empire and
Archduchess Maria Theresa
Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position suo jure, in her own right. She was the ...
in her sovereignty as
Queen regnant
A queen regnant (: queens regnant) is a female monarch, equivalent in rank, title and position to a king. She reigns ''suo jure'' (in her own right) over a realm known as a kingdom; as opposed to a queen consort, who is married to a reigning ...
of
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
.
On 3 April 1798 the House of Chorinsky-Ledske were named chief banner-bearers (German ''Oberst-Erblandpanier-Träger'') of the peerage of Bohemia.
Career
Mathias Franz studied in
Olomouc
Olomouc (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 103,000 inhabitants, making it the Statutory city (Czech Republic), sixth largest city in the country. It is the administrative centre of the Olomouc Region.
Located on the Morava (rive ...
; on 5 April 1743 he was ordained a
Roman Catholic priest
The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in common English usage ''priest'' re ...
; later that year he became
Canon
Canon or Canons may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author
* Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture
** Western canon, th ...
of the
collegiate chapter of
St. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Brno and in 1752 the
Dean.
[The Diocese of Brno, official website, in Czech.](_blank)
/ref> On 16 October 1769 Mathias Franz received episcopal consecration as Titular Bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.
By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...
of ''Samaria
Samaria (), the Hellenized form of the Hebrew name Shomron (), is used as a historical and Hebrew Bible, biblical name for the central region of the Land of Israel. It is bordered by Judea to the south and Galilee to the north. The region is ...
'' and Auxiliary Bishop
An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions.
...
of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hradec Králové
The Diocese of Hradec Králové (, ) is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church located in the city of Hradec Králové in the Ecclesiastical Province of Prague in the Czech Republic.
History
On 10 November 1664, the diocese was established from ...
, in 1776 Auxiliary Bishop of Olomouc.Empress regnant
A queen regnant (: queens regnant) is a female monarch, equivalent in rank, title and position to a king. She reigns '' suo jure'' (in her own right) over a realm known as a kingdom; as opposed to a queen consort, who is married to a reigni ...
Maria Theresia of the Holy Roman Empire,Pope Pius VI
Pope Pius VI (; born Count Angelo Onofrio Melchiorre Natale Giovanni Antonio called Giovanni Angelo or Giannangelo Braschi, 25 December 171729 August 1799) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1775 to hi ...
confirmed his appointment on 5 December 1777 as the first bishop of the newly established Roman Catholic Diocese of Brno, and in that same year he was officially installed in that city.Imperial and Royal
The phrase Imperial and Royal (, ) refers to the court/government of the Habsburgs in a broader historical perspective. Some modern authors restrict its use to the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918.
During that period, it in ...
(German '' k.u.k.'') Privy Council of the Habsburg monarchy.
Parents
His parents were Franz Karl Baron of Chorinsky and Ledske and first wife Maria Catherina Baroness Kottulinsky of Kottulin and Krzizkowitz.Margraviate of Moravia
The Margraviate of Moravia (; ) was one of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown within the Holy Roman Empire and then Austria-Hungary, existing from 1182 to 1918. It was officially administered by a margrave in cooperation with a provincial diet. I ...
, and Lord
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the Peerage o ...
of the principalities Veselí and Pačlavice.
Coat of arms
Blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...
, altered and adopted post-1761: Gold (Or) shield, with two bison
A bison (: bison) is a large bovine in the genus ''Bison'' (from Greek, meaning 'wild ox') within the tribe Bovini. Two extant taxon, extant and numerous extinction, extinct species are recognised.
Of the two surviving species, the American ...
horns centred within, the right bison horn is black (Sable) with three silver (Argent) crayfish
Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the infraorder Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. Taxonomically, they are members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea. They breathe through feather-like gills. Some spe ...
claws attached outwards, the left bison horn is silver (Argent) with three black (Sable) crayfish claws attached outwards, the shield (or mantel surrounding if present) is crowned with a nine pearl count-coronet
In British heraldry, a coronet is a type of crown that is a mark of rank of non-reigning members of the royal family and peers. In other languages, this distinction is not made, and usually the same word for ''crown'' is used irrespective of ra ...
ranking. The coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...
is often found with a mantel surrounding; a purple cloak with ermine lining, tasselled and fringed with gold (Or) string, and shield supporter
In heraldry, supporters, sometimes referred to as ''attendants'', are figures or objects usually placed on either side of the shield and depicted holding it up.
Historically, supporters were left to an individual's free choice and were assu ...
s being two human male figures.
Some variations of the coat of arms are also seen with the addition of the bison horns represented again surmounted above a two-pearled leafed crown
A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, parti ...
resting on a front facing barred Knight's helmet with jewelled necklace (a similar blazon as found on the original coat of arms borne prior to addition of the count-coronet ranking post-1761).
Miscellaneous
As name spellings were historically fairly fluid, especially given the different languages used in the region, the main name of "Chorinsky" is also sometimes found in documents as Chorynski, Chorensky, Chorenski, Chorynsky and Chorinska (the last being a female form), and "Ledske" is found as Ledska, Ledetz and Letske.
Gloria, Princess of Thurn and Taxis
Gloria, Dowager Princess of Thurn and Taxis (''Mariae Gloria Ferdinanda Joachima Josephine Wilhelmine Huberta''; born Countess Gloria von Schönburg-Glauchau, 23 February 1960) is a German socialite, businesswoman, Catholic activist, art collec ...
(née Gräfin von Schönburg-Glauchau), of the German Princely House of ''Thurn und Taxis
The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis (, ) is a family of German nobility that is part of the ''Briefadel''. It was a key player in the mail, postal services in Europe during the 16th century, until the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, and ...
'', has paternal ancestors from the House of Chorinsky-Ledske. Her paternal great-great-grandfather is Victor Paul Graf von Chorinsky Freiherr von Ledske (1838–1901) and her paternal great-grandmother is Franziska (Fanny) Anna Gräfin von Chorinsky Freiin von Ledske (1876–1963).
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathias Franz Graf von Chorinsky Freiherr von Ledske
Noble families of the Holy Roman Empire
Moravian nobility
Counts of Austria
Silesian nobility
Prussian nobility
Polish nobility
Counts in Germany
18th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the Holy Roman Empire
1720 births
1786 deaths
People from Kroměříž District
Clergy from Brno