Otto von Habsburg
(german: Franz Joseph Otto Robert Maria Anton Karl Max Heinrich Sixtus Xaver Felix Renatus Ludwig Gaetan Pius Ignatius, hu, Ferenc József Ottó Róbert Mária Antal Károly Max Heinrich Sixtus Xaver Felix Renatus Lajos Gaetan Pius Ignác; 20 November 1912 4 July 2011),
was the last
crown prince
A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wi ...
of
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
from 1916 until the dissolution of the empire in November 1918. In 1922, he became the
pretender
A pretender is someone who claims to be the rightful ruler of a country although not recognized as such by the current government. The term is often used to suggest that a claim is not legitimate.Curley Jr., Walter J. P. ''Monarchs-in-Waiting'' ...
to the former thrones, head of the
House of 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 C ...
, and sovereign of the
Order of the Golden Fleece upon the death of his father. He resigned as Sovereign of the Golden Fleece in 2000 and as head of the Imperial House in 2007.
The eldest son of
Charles I and IV, the last
emperor of Austria
The Emperor of Austria (german: Kaiser von Österreich) was the ruler of the Austrian Empire and later the Austro-Hungarian Empire. A hereditary imperial title and office proclaimed in 1804 by Holy Roman Emperor Francis II, a member of the Hou ...
and
king of Hungary
The King of Hungary ( hu, magyar király) was the ruling head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 (or 1001) to 1918. The style of title "Apostolic King of Hungary" (''Apostoli Magyar Király'') was endorsed by Pope Clement XIII in 175 ...
, and his wife,
Zita of Bourbon-Parma
Zita of Bourbon-Parma (''Zita Maria delle Grazie Adelgonda Micaela Raffaela Gabriella Giuseppina Antonia Luisa Agnese''; 9 May 1892 – 14 March 1989) was the wife of Charles, the last monarch of Austria-Hungary. As such, she was the last Empres ...
, Otto was born as ''Franz Joseph Otto Robert Maria Anton Karl Max Heinrich Sixtus Xaver Felix Renatus Ludwig Gaetan Pius Ignatius von Habsburg'', third in line to the thrones, as Archduke Otto of Austria, Royal Prince of Hungary, Bohemia, and Croatia.
With his father's accession to the thrones in 1916, he was likely to become emperor and king. As his father never abdicated, Otto was considered by himself, his family and Austro-Hungarian legitimists to be the rightful emperor-king from his father's death in 1922.
Otto was active on the Austrian and European political stage from the 1930s, both by promoting the cause of Habsburg restoration and as an early proponent of
European integration—being thoroughly disgusted with
nationalism
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...
—and a fierce opponent of
Nazism
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) i ...
and
communism
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a ...
.
[Kaiser-Sohn Otto von Habsburg gestorben]
Deutsche Welle, 4 July 2011 He has been described as one of the leaders of the
Austrian Resistance
The Austrian resistance launched in response to the rise in fascism across Europe and, more specifically, to the Anschluss in 1938 and resulting occupation of Austria by Germany.
An estimated 100,000 people were reported to have participated i ...
. After the 1938 ''
Anschluss
The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938.
The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...
'', he was sentenced to death by the Nazis and fled Europe to the United States.
Otto von Habsburg was Vice President (1957–1973) and President (1973–2004) 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 ...
movement. From 1979 to 1999 he served as a
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament.
When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...
for the
Christian Social Union of Bavaria (CSU). As a newly elected Member of the European Parliament in 1979, Otto took a strong interest in the countries behind the Iron Curtain, and had an empty chair set up in the European Parliament to symbolize their absence. Otto von Habsburg played a notable role in the
revolutions of 1989
The Revolutions of 1989, also known as the Fall of Communism, was a revolutionary wave that resulted in the end of most communist states in the world. Sometimes this revolutionary wave is also called the Fall of Nations or the Autumn of Nat ...
, as a co-initiator of the
Pan-European Picnic
The Pan-European Picnic (german: Paneuropäisches Picknick; hu, páneurópai piknik; sk, Paneurópsky piknik) was a peace demonstration held on the Austrian- Hungarian border near Sopron, Hungary on 19 August 1989. The opening of the border ...
. Later he was a strong supporter of the EU membership of central and eastern European countries. A noted intellectual, he published several books on historical and political affairs. Otto has been described as one of the "architects of the European idea and of European integration" together with
Robert Schuman,
Konrad Adenauer
Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer (; 5 January 1876 – 19 April 1967) was a German statesman who served as the first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1949 to 1963. From 1946 to 1966, he was the first leader of the Christian Dem ...
, and
Alcide De Gasperi
Alcide Amedeo Francesco De Gasperi (; 3 April 1881 – 19 August 1954) was an Italian politician who founded the Christian Democracy party and served as prime minister of Italy in eight successive coalition governments from 1945 to 1953.
De Gas ...
.
Otto was exiled in 1919 and grew up mostly in Spain. His devout Catholic mother raised him according to the old curriculum of Austria-Hungary, preparing him to become a Catholic monarch. During his life in exile, he lived in Switzerland,
Madeira, Spain, Belgium, France, the United States, and from 1954 until his death, finally in
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
(Germany), in the residence Villa Austria. At the time of his death, he was a citizen of Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Croatia, having earlier been
stateless and , and he possessed passports of the
Order of Malta
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...
and Spain.
His funeral took place at
St. Stephen's Cathedral in
Vienna
en, Viennese
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on 16 July 2011; he was entombed in the
Imperial Crypt in Vienna and
his heart buried in
Pannonhalma Archabbey
The Benedictine Pannonhalma Archabbey or Territorial Abbey of Pannonhalma (lat. ''Archiabbatia'' or ''Abbatia Territorialis Sancti Martini in Monte Pannoniae'') is a medieval building in Pannonhalma, one of the oldest historical monuments in Hun ...
in Hungary.
Early life
![Kroenung Budapest Karl und Zita 1916a](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Kroenung_Budapest_Karl_und_Zita_1916a.jpg)
Otto was born at
Villa Wartholz
The Villa Wartholz or Castle Wartholz is a former imperial villa in Reichenau an der Rax in Lower Austria.
History
Villa Wartholz was designed by Heinrich von Ferstel in the historicist style in the years 1870 to 1872 for Archduke Karl Ludwi ...
in
Reichenau an der Rax
Reichenau an der Rax is a market town in the Austrian state of Lower Austria, situated at the foot of the Rax mountain range on the '' Schwarza'' river, a headstream of the Leitha.
History
Reichenau castle was first mentioned in a 1256 deed. Duk ...
,
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
, during the reign of his great-grand uncle,
Franz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...
. He was baptised Franz Joseph Otto Robert Maria Anton Karl Max Heinrich Sixtus Xaver Felix Renatus Ludwig Gaetan Pius Ignatius on 25 November 1912 at Villa Wartholz by the Prince-Archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal
Franz Xaver Nagl. This name was chosen so that he might reign as "Franz Joseph II" in the future. His godfather was the Emperor
Franz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...
(represented by
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria); his godmother was his grandmother
Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal
''Infante'' (, ; f. ''infanta''), also anglicised as Infant or translated as Prince, is the title and rank given in the Iberian kingdoms of Spain (including the predecessor kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Navarre, and León) and Portugal to th ...
.
In November 1916, Otto became Crown Prince of
Austria, Hungary, Bohemia and Croatia when his father, Archduke Charles, acceded to the throne. However, in 1918, after the end of the First World War, the monarchies were abolished, the republics of
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 ...
and
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...
were founded in their place, and the family was forced into exile in
Madeira.
Hungary did become a kingdom again, but Charles was never to regain the throne. Instead,
Miklós Horthy
Miklós Horthy de Nagybánya ( hu, Vitéz nagybányai Horthy Miklós; ; English: Nicholas Horthy; german: Nikolaus Horthy Ritter von Nagybánya; 18 June 1868 – 9 February 1957), was a Hungarian admiral and dictator who served as the regent ...
ruled as regent until 1944, in a kingdom without a king.
Otto spoke
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
,
Hungarian,
Croatian, English,
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
, French and
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
fluently. In later life, he would write some forty books in German, Hungarian, French and Spanish. His mother made him learn many languages because she believed he one day might rule over many lands.
Years in exile
Otto's family spent the subsequent years in Switzerland, and on the Portuguese island of
Madeira, where 34-year-old Charles died in 1922, leaving the nine-year-old Otto
pretender
A pretender is someone who claims to be the rightful ruler of a country although not recognized as such by the current government. The term is often used to suggest that a claim is not legitimate.Curley Jr., Walter J. P. ''Monarchs-in-Waiting'' ...
to the throne. On his father's deathbed, his mother, Empress Dowager Zita, told Otto, "your father is now sleeping the eternal sleep—you are now Emperor and King". The family eventually relocated to the
Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
town of
Lekeitio
Lekeitio (; es, Lequeitio) is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Spanish Autonomous Community of Basque Country, northeast from Bilbao. The municipality has 7,307 inhabitants (2019) and is one of the most importa ...
, where forty Spanish
grandees bought them a villa.
Meanwhile, the Austrian parliament had officially expelled the Habsburg dynasty and confiscated all the official property via the
Habsburg Law
The Habsburg Law (''Habsburgergesetz'' (in full, the Law concerning the Expulsion and the Takeover of the Assets of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine) ''Gesetz vom 3. April 1919 betreffend die Landesverweisung und die Übernahme des Vermögens des H ...
of 3 April 1919. Charles was banned from ever returning to Austria again, while Otto and other male members could return only if they renounced all claims to the throne and accepted the status of private citizens.
In 1935, he graduated with a
PhD degree in Political and Social Sciences from the
University of Louvain in Belgium. His thesis was on "the right, born of usage and of the peasant law of inheritance, of the indivisibility of rural land ownership in Austria".
In 1937 he wrote,
![Bundesarchiv Bild 102-14237, Otto von Habsburg und Graf von Degenfeld](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Bundesarchiv_Bild_102-14237%2C_Otto_von_Habsburg_und_Graf_von_Degenfeld.jpg)
He continued to enjoy considerable public support in Austria; from 1931 to 1938, 1,603 Austrian municipalities named Otto an honorary citizen.
John Gunther
John Gunther (August 30, 1901 – May 29, 1970) was an American journalist and writer.
His success came primarily by a series of popular sociopolitical works, known as the "Inside" books (1936–1972), including the best-selling ''Insid ...
believed that Zita was less popular among Austrians, however, writing in 1936 that "restoration would be a good deal closer if Otto's return would not mean also the return of his mother—to say nothing of hundreds of assorted and impoverished Habsburg cousins and aunts, who would flock to Vienna like ants to a keg of syrup". A greater obstacle, he wrote, was the opposition of Czechoslovakia and
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
, which feared that their people might want to rejoin a recreated monarchy.
World War II
Otto denounced Nazism, stating:
He strongly opposed the ''
Anschluss
The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938.
The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...
'', and in 1938 requested Austrian Chancellor
Kurt Schuschnigg
Kurt Alois Josef Johann von Schuschnigg (; 14 December 1897 – 18 November 1977) was an Austrian Fatherland Front politician who was the Chancellor of the Federal State of Austria from the 1934 assassination of his predecessor Engelbert Doll ...
to resist
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
. He supported international intervention
[ and offered to return from exile to take over the reins of government to repel the Nazis.] According to Gerald Warner, "Austrian Jews were among the strongest supporters of a Habsburg restoration, since they believed the dynasty would give the nation sufficient resolve to stand up to the Third Reich".
Following the German annexation of Austria, Otto was sentenced to death by the Nazi regime; Rudolf Hess ordered that Otto was to be executed immediately if caught. As ordered by Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
, his personal property and that of the House of Habsburg were confiscated. It was not returned after the war. The so-called "Habsburg Law
The Habsburg Law (''Habsburgergesetz'' (in full, the Law concerning the Expulsion and the Takeover of the Assets of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine) ''Gesetz vom 3. April 1919 betreffend die Landesverweisung und die Übernahme des Vermögens des H ...
", which had previously been repealed, was reintroduced by the Nazis. Otto's supporters, the leaders of the Austrian legitimist movement, were arrested by the Nazis and largely executed ( Stefan Zweig's novella ''The Royal Game
''The Royal Game'' (also known as Chess Story; in the original German ''Schachnovelle'', "Chess Novella") is a novella by the Austrian author Stefan Zweig written in 1941, the year before the author's death by suicide. In some editions, the title ...
'' is based on these events). Otto's cousins Max, Duke of Hohenberg, and Prince Ernst of Hohenberg
Prince Ernst of Hohenberg (''Ernst Alfons Franz Ignaz Joseph Maria Anton von Hohenberg''; 27 May 1904 – 5 March 1954) was the second son of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his morganatic wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, who were ...
were arrested in Vienna
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by the Gestapo
The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe.
The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one orga ...
and sent to Dachau concentration camp where they remained throughout Nazi rule. Otto was involved in helping around 15,000 Austrians, including thousands of Austrian Jews, flee the country at the beginning of the Second World War.
After the German invasion of France
France has been invaded on numerous occasions, by foreign powers or rival French governments; there have also been unimplemented invasion plans.
* the 1746 War of the Austrian Succession, Austria-Italian forces supported by the British navy attemp ...
in 1940, the family left the French capital and fled to Portugal. On June 12 the Portuguese ruler António Salazar issued instructions to the Portuguese consulates in France to provide Infanta Maria Antónia of Portugal with Portuguese passports which would allow visas for her daughter Empress Zita and grandson Otto without violating Portuguese neutrality. The family is resided in Cascais during their exodus. When the German authorities pressed Salazar for Otto's extradition from Portugal, Salazar offered to protect Otto, but asked him as a friend to leave the country. Otto left, and lived from 1940 to 1944 in Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
In 1941, Hitler personally revoked the citizenship of Otto, his mother and his siblings, and the imperial-royal family found themselves stateless.
Otto was listed on the Nazi Sonderfahndungsliste G.B. ("Special Search List Great Britain"), and was the unofficial head of numerous resistance groups in Central Europe. These groups hated Nazi ideology and saw the resurgence of a Danube confederation as the only way for small states to exist between Germany and Russia. They championed the centuries-old Habsburg principle of "live and let live" among ethnic groups, peoples, minorities, religions, cultures and languages. These imperial resistance groups became embroiled in ferocious partisan warfare against Hitler, who profoundly hated the Habsburg family tradition. Many of these imperial resistance fighters (according to current estimates 4000-4500) were sent directly to concentration camps without trial, and over 800 were executed by the Nazis. Among them was Karl Burian, who was planning to blow up the Gestapo
The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe.
The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one orga ...
headquarters in Vienna, or Dr. Heinrich Maier
Heinrich Maier (; 16 February 1908 – 22 March 1945) was an Austrian Roman Catholic priest, pedagogue, philosopher and a member of the Austrian resistance, who was executed as the last victim of Hitler's régime in Vienna.
The resistance gr ...
, who passed on plans and production facilities for V-2 rocket
The V-2 (german: Vergeltungswaffe 2, lit=Retaliation Weapon 2), with the technical name ''Aggregat 4'' (A-4), was the world’s first long-range guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, was develop ...
s, Tiger tank Tiger tank may refer to:
*Tiger I, or ''Panzerkampfwagen'' Tiger ''Ausf. E'', a German heavy tank produced from 1942 to 1944
*Tiger II, or ''Panzerkampfwagen'' Tiger ''Ausf. B'', a German heavy tank produced from 1943 to 1945, also known as ''Kön ...
s and Messerschmitt airplanes to the Allies. In contrast to many other German resistance groups, the Maier group was informed very early about the mass murder of Jews through its contacts with the Semperit factory near Auschwitz.
During his wartime exile in the United States, Otto and his younger brothers were in direct contact with President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
and the federal government. His efforts to create an "Austrian Battalion" in the United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
were delayed and never implemented. However, he successfully convinced the U.S. to halt or limit the bombardment of Austrian cities, especially Vienna; due to this influence, bombardments on Vienna were delayed until 1943. Otto greatly desired Austria to be free, independent and democratic; he expressed concern that after the war the country was in danger of becoming a Soviet satellite state. Otto was commonly known in the U.S. as "Otto of Austria", and tried to keep his homeland and its neighbors in the minds of the American people by inaugurating a series of stamps (the Overrun Countries series
The Overrun Countries series was a series of thirteen commemorative postage stamps, each of five-cent denomination, issued by the United States over a fifteen-month period in 1943 and 1944 as a tribute to thirteen nations overrun, occupied, and/o ...
) featuring the German-occupied nations of Europe.
He obtained the support of Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...
for a conservative "Danube Federation", in effect a restoration of Austria-Hungary, but Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...
put an end to these plans. Otto lobbied for the recognition of an Austrian government-in-exile, for the rights of the German-speaking population of South Tyrol
it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol
, settlement_type = Autonomous area, Autonomous Provinces of Italy, province
, image_skyline = ...
, against the deportation of the German-speaking inhabitants of Bohemia and eastern Europe, and against letting Stalin rule Eastern Europe.
After World War II
At the end of the war, Otto returned to Europe and lived for several years in France and Spain.
As he did not possess a passport and was effectively stateless, he was given a passport of the Principality of Monaco, thanks to the intervention of Charles de Gaulle in 1946. The Sovereign Military Order of Malta
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...
, of which he was a knight, also issued him a diplomatic passport
A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that contains a person's identity. A person with a passport can travel to and from foreign countries more easily and access consular assistance. A passport certifies the personal ...
. Later, he was also issued a Spanish diplomatic passport.
On 8 May 1956, Otto was recognized as an Austrian citizen by the provincial government of Lower Austria
Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P ...
. The Austrian Interior Ministry approved this declaration of citizenship, but on the condition that he accept the name Dr. Otto Habsburg-Lothringen, on 8 February 1957. However, this only entitled him to a passport "valid in every country but Austria". Otto had already submitted a written statement, on 21 February 1958, that he and his family would renounce all former personal privileges of the House of Habsburg, but this did not satisfy the requirements of the Habsburg Law
The Habsburg Law (''Habsburgergesetz'' (in full, the Law concerning the Expulsion and the Takeover of the Assets of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine) ''Gesetz vom 3. April 1919 betreffend die Landesverweisung und die Übernahme des Vermögens des H ...
, which stated that Otto and other descendants of Charles could only return to Austria if they renounced all royal claims and accepted the status of private citizens. He officially declared his loyalty to the Republic of Austria on 5 June 1961, but this statement was ruled insufficient as well.
In a declaration dated 31 May 1961, Otto renounced all claims to the Austrian throne and proclaimed himself "a loyal citizen of the republic", "for purely practical reasons". In a 2007 interview on the occasion of his approaching 95th birthday, Otto stated:
The Austrian administrative court found on 24 May 1963 that Otto's statement was legally sufficient. He and his wife were issued a Certified Proof of Citizenship on 20 July 1965. However, several political elements in the country, particularly the Socialists
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the eco ...
, were ill-disposed to welcoming back the heir of the deposed dynasty. This touched off political infighting and civil unrest that almost precipitated a crisis of state, and later became known as the "Habsburg Crisis". It was only on 1 June 1966, after the People's Party won an outright majority in the national election, that Otto was issued an Austrian passport, and was finally able to visit his home country again on 31 October 1966 for the first time in 48 years. That day, he traveled to Innsbruck to visit the grave of Archduke Eugen of Austria
Archduke Eugen Ferdinand Pius Bernhard Felix Maria of Austria-Teschen (21 May 1863 – 30 December 1954) was an Archduke of Austria and a Prince of Hungary and Bohemia. He was the last Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights from the Habsburg dyna ...
. Later, he visited Vienna
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on 5 July 1967.
Political career
An early advocate of a unified Europe, Otto was president 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 ...
from 1973 to 2004. He served from 1979 until 1999 as a Member of the European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...
for the conservative Christian Social Union of Bavaria (CSU) party, eventually becoming the senior member of the European Parliament. He was also a member of the Mont Pelerin Society
The Mont Pelerin Society (MPS) is an international organization composed of economists, philosophers, historians, intellectuals and business leaders.Michael Novak, 'The Moral Imperative of a Free Economy', in '' The 4% Solution: Unleashing the E ...
. He was a major supporter of the expansion of the European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
from the beginning and especially of the acceptance of Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia. During his time in the European Parliament, he was involved in a fracas with fellow MEP Ian Paisley, a unionist Protestant pastor from Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
. In 1988, Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
had just begun a speech to the Parliament when Ian Paisley, a vehement anti-Catholic
Anti-Catholicism is hostility towards Catholics or opposition to the Catholic Church, its clergy, and/or its adherents. At various points after the Reformation, some majority Protestant states, including England, Prussia, Scotland, and the Uni ...
, shouted and held up a poster reading "Pope John Paul II Antichrist
In Christian eschatology, the Antichrist refers to people prophesied by the Bible to oppose Jesus Christ and substitute themselves in Christ's place before the Second Coming. The term Antichrist (including one plural form)1 John ; . 2 John . ...
". While other members threw papers and other objects at Paisley, Otto snatched Paisley's banner and, along with other MEPs and security personnel, roughed him up, punched him, tore his shirt, pulled on his tie, and ejected him head-first through the doors of the chamber, as the Pope looked on.
With others, he was instrumental in organising the so-called Pan-European Picnic
The Pan-European Picnic (german: Paneuropäisches Picknick; hu, páneurópai piknik; sk, Paneurópsky piknik) was a peace demonstration held on the Austrian- Hungarian border near Sopron, Hungary on 19 August 1989. The opening of the border ...
at the Hungary-Austria border on 19 August 1989. This event is considered a milestone in the collapse of Communist dictatorships in Europe.
In December 2006, he observed that, "The catastrophe of 11 September 2001 struck the United States more profoundly than any of us, whence a certain mutual incomprehension. Until then, the United States felt itself secure, persuaded of its power to bombard any enemy, without anyone being able to strike back. That sentiment vanished in an instant. Americans understand viscerally for the first time the risks they face." He was known as a supporter of the rights of refugees and displaced people in Europe, notably of the ethnic Germans displaced from Bohemia where he was once the Crown Prince. He was a jury member of the Franz Werfel Human Rights Award
The Franz Werfel Human Rights Award (german: Franz-Werfel-Menschenrechtspreis) is a human rights award of the German Federation of Expellees' Centre Against Expulsions project. It is awarded to individuals or groups in Europe who, through politi ...
. He also held Francisco Franco in a high regard and praised him for helping refugees, stating that he was "a dictator of the South American type, not totalitarian like Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
or Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...
".
In 2002, he was named the first-ever honorary member of the European People's Party group
The European People's Party Group (EPP Group) is a centre-right political group of the European Parliament consisting of deputies (MEPs) from the member parties of the European People's Party (EPP). Sometimes it also includes independent MEP ...
.
Otto von Habsburg was an early critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Putin. In a newspaper interview in 2002 and in two speeches in 2003 and 2005, he warned of Putin as an "international threat" that he was "cruel and oppressive" and a "stone cold technocrat".
On the 2008 anniversary of the Anschluss
The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938.
The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...
, Otto von Habsburg made a statement as part of his "1938 Remembrance Day" address before Parliament that "there is no country in Europe that has a better claim to be a Austria victim myth, victim of the Nazis than Austria". Although his speech received an ovation, this received public protest, media criticism and disapproval voiced by Austrian politicians. Social Democratic Party of Austria, Social Democratic Party Defence Minister Norbert Darabos was quoted as saying that the remarks were "unacceptable", "a veritable democratic-political scandal" and that he had "insulted the victims of National Socialism". Otto von Habsburg was also quoted as saying that "a discussion as to whether Austria was an accomplice or a victim is an outrage". Austrian People's Party military spokesman Walter Murauer defended Otto's statement at the time. Murauer claimed that there was "another reality behind the mass of people who listened to Hitler on the Heldenplatz", meaning the "thousands in the resistance and thousands in prison waiting to be transported to Dachau, Bavaria, Dachau" near Munich. Murauer also recalled that Engelbert Dollfuß had been the only head of government in Europe to have been murdered by the Nazis. Murauer advised Darabos "to avoid populist pot-shots against an honourable European of the highest calibre". Otto's son, Karl von Habsburg, also defended his father's words, in a 2011 statement, stating that "there were guilty parties in practically every country".
Death and funeral
After the death of his wife, Regina, Crown Princess of Austria, Regina, aged 85, in Pöcking on 3 February 2010, Otto stopped appearing in public. He died at the age of 98 on Monday, 4 July 2011, at his home in Pöcking, Germany. His spokeswoman reported that he died "peacefully and without pain in his sleep". On 5 July, his body was laid in repose in the Church of St. Ulrich near his home in Pöcking, Bavaria, and a massive 13-day period of mourning started in several countries formerly part of Austria-Hungary. Otto's coffin was draped with the Habsburg flag decorated with the imperial–royal coats of arms of Austria and Hungary in addition to the Habsburg family coat of arms. In line with the Habsburg family tradition, Otto von Habsburg was buried in the Imperial Crypt, family's crypt 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 ...
, while his Heart-burial, heart was buried in Pannonhalma Archabbey
The Benedictine Pannonhalma Archabbey or Territorial Abbey of Pannonhalma (lat. ''Archiabbatia'' or ''Abbatia Territorialis Sancti Martini in Monte Pannoniae'') is a medieval building in Pannonhalma, one of the oldest historical monuments in Hun ...
in Hungary.
Family
He married Princess Regina of Saxe-Meiningen in 1951 at the Church of Saint-François-des-Cordeliers in Nancy, France, Nancy, capital city of Lorraine. They were fourth cousins as both were descendants of Karl Ludwig, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and his wife Countess Amalie Henriette of Solms-Baruth. The wedding was attended by his mother, Empress Zita. He returned there with his wife for their golden jubilee in 2001. Otto lived in retirement at the Villa Austria in Pöcking near Starnberg (district), Starnberg, upon Starnberger See, Upper Bavaria, Bavaria, Germany.
At the time of his death in 2011, the couple had seven children, 22 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren:
* Andrea von Habsburg (born 1953), married Hereditary Count Karl Eugen Count of Neipperg, von Neipperg (born 1951 in Schwaigern), a descendant of Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma, the second wife of Napoleon I. They have three sons and two daughters. One of them, Dominik, married Marie-Anna, Princess of Salm-Salm, a descendant of Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont and his wife Princess Bathildis of Schaumburg-Lippe.
* Monika von Habsburg (born 1954), married Luis María Gonzaga de Casanova-Cárdenas y Barón, Duke of Santángelo and Grandee of Spain (born 1950 in Madrid), son of Balthasar de Casanova-Cárdenas y de Ferrer and María de los Dolores Barón y Osorio de Moscoso, Duchess de Maqueda, a descendant of Infanta Luisa Teresa of Spain, Duchess of Sessa, and sister of Francis, Duke of Cádiz, Francis, King-Consort of Spain. They have four sons.
* Michaela von Habsburg (born 1954, twin of Monika), married firstly Eric Alba-Teran d'Antin (born in Mexico City – 2004 in New York City, New York, New York City), and secondly Count Hubertus von Kageneck (born 1940 in Wittlich), son of Count Franz Joseph von Kageneck and Princess Elisabeth Maria of Bavaria. Twice divorced, she has two sons and one daughter from her first marriage.
* Gabriela von Habsburg (born 1956), married Christian Meister (born 1954 in Starnberg). Divorced in 1997, they had one son and two daughters.
* Walburga Habsburg Douglas, Walburga von Habsburg (born 1958), married Count Archibald Douglas (born 1949 in Stockholm), a descendant of Louis I, Grand Duke of Baden, Ludwig I, Grand Duke of Baden. They have one son.
* Karl von Habsburg (born 1961), married (later divorced) Baroness Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza (born 1958 in Lausanne), daughter of Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza and Fiona Campbell-Walter, Fiona Frances Elaine Campbell-Walter. They have one son and two daughters.
* Georg von Habsburg (born 1964), married Archduchess Eilika of Austria, Duchess Eilika of Oldenburg (born 1972 in Bad Segeberg). They have one son and two daughters.
Titles and styles
* 20 November 1912 – 21 November 1916: ''His Imperial and Royal Highness'' Archduke and Prince Otto of Austria, Prince of Hungary, Bohemia, Dalmatia, Croatia and Slavonia
* 21 November 1916 – 4 July 2011: ''His Imperial and Royal Highness'' The Crown Prince of Austria, Hungary, Bohemia and Croatia
Titles in pretence from 1 April 1922
* By the Grace of God Emperor of Austria; Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Kingdom of Bohemia, Bohemia, Kingdom of Dalmatia, Dalmatia, Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia, Croatia, Slavonia, Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, Galicia and Lodomeria; Kings of Jerusalem, King of Jerusalem etc.; Archduchy of Austria, Archduke of Austria; Grand Duke of Grand Duchy of Tuscany, Tuscany and Grand Duchy of Cracow, Cracow; Duke of Lorraine (duchy), Lorraine, Duchy of Salzburg, Salzburg, Duchy of Styria, Styria, Duchy of Carinthia, Carinthia, Duchy of Carniola, Carniola and Duchy of Bukovina, Bukowina; Grand Prince of Grand Principality of Transylvania, Transylvania, Margrave of Margraviate of Moravia, Moravia; Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia, Duke of Silesia, Duchy of Modena, Modena, Duchy of Parma, Parma, Piacenza, Duchy of Guastalla, Guastalla, Duchy of Auschwitz, Auschwitz and Duchy of Zator, Zator, Duchy of Teschen, Teschen, Duchy of Friuli, Friuli, Dubrovnik and Zadar; Princely Count of House of Habsburg#History, Habsburg and County of Tyrol, Tyrol, of County of Kyburg, Kyburg, Gorizia and Gradisca; Prince of Trento, Trent and Brixen; Margrave of Upper Lusatia, Upper and March of Lusatia, Lower Lusatia and March of Istria, Istria; Count of Hohenems, Feldkirch, Vorarlberg, Feldkirch, County of Bregenz, Bregenz, Waldburg-Sonnenburg, Sonnenburg etc.; Lord of Trieste, Kotor and the Windic March, Grand Voivod of the Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar, Voivodeship of Serbia etc.
Official in Austria
* 20 November 1912 – 21 November 1916: ''His Imperial and Royal Highness'' Archduke and Prince Otto of Austria, Prince of Hungary, Bohemia, Dalmatia, Croatia and Slavonia
* 21 November 1916 – 1919: ''His Imperial and Royal Highness'' the Crown Prince of Austria, Hungary, Bohemia, Dalmatia, Croatia and Slavonia
* 8 February 1957 – 4 July 2011: ''Herr Doktor'' Otto Habsburg-Lothringen
Official in Croatia
* 21 November 1916 – 29 October 1918: ''His Royal Highness'' The Crown Prince of Croatia, Dalmatia and Slavonia[. Since 1780 official title used for princes (zu Hungarn, Böheim, Dalmatien, Kroatien, Sflavonien, Königlicher Erbprinz)][. pp. 2–4, 'Emperor of Austria, Hungary and Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia Apostolic king']
He became a citizen of the Croatia, Republic of Croatia in 1990, with the official name:
* 1990 – 4 July 2011: Archduke Otto von Habsburg[ (Official decree and list of persons awarded by the President of Croatia with the Grand Order of King Zvonimir, no. 6. 'Archduke Otto von Habsburg']
Official in Germany
Otto von Habsburg became a citizen of the West Germany, Federal Republic of Germany in 1978, and was allowed the official name:
* 1978 – 4 July 2011: Otto von Habsburg
Honours
Dynastic honours
* House of Habsburg:
** Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece, Austrian Imperial and Royal Order of the Golden Fleece, ''1916''; Sovereign Knight with Collar, ''1922''[ottovonhabsburg.org]
page with the Orders and Decorations of Crown Prince Otto
** Sovereign Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary, Imperial and Royal Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen
** Sovereign Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Leopold (Austria), Imperial and Royal Order of Leopold
Foreign honours
Awards
* : Recipient of the Grand Order of Merit
* Badge of the Tyrolean Nobility Register
Non-governmental awards
* Paneuropean Union: Special Rank of the European Medal of the Paneuropean Union Germany
* Sudetendeutsche Landsmannschaft: European Charles Prize of the Sudetendeutsche Landsmannschaft
Academic awards
* Medal of the Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques, Institut de France, Paris, France
* Medal of the Royal Moroccan Academy, Morocco
* Medal of the Academia da Cultura Portuguesa, Lisbon, Portugal
* Medal of the :es:Real Academia de Ciencias Morales y Políticas, Real Academia de Ciencias Morales y Políticas, Madrid, Spain
* Honorary title (academic), Honorary Professor of the University of Bogota, Colombia
* Honorary Fellow of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
* Honorary title (academic), Honorary Member of the Instituto de Estudos da Marinha, Portugal
* Honorary title (academic), Honorary Senator of the University of Maribor, Slovenia
* Honorary doctor, Honorary Doctor of the University of Osijek, Croatia
* Honorary Doctor of the University of Nancy, Lorraine (region), Lorraine, France
* Honorary Doctor of the University of Turku, Finland
* Honorary Doctor of the University of Budapest, Hungary
* Honorary Doctor of the University of Pécs, Hungary
* Honorary Doctor of the University of Veszprém, Hungary
* Honorary Doctor of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
* Honorary Doctor of the University of Ferrara, Italy
* Honorary Doctor of the University of Skopje, Macedonia
* Honorary Doctor of the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, US
* Honorary Doctor of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US
* Honorary Doctor of the University of Tampa, Tampa, Florida, US
* Academician of Studium, Accademia di Casale e del Monferrato per l'Arte, la Letteratura, la Storia, le Scienze e le Varie Umanità, Studium, Accademia di Casale e del Monferrato, Italy
Ancestry
Footnotes
Bibliography
*
* Flavia Foradini, ''Otto d'Asburgo. L'ultimo atto di una dinastia'', mgs press, Trieste, 2004.
* Stefan Haderer, ''Otto von Habsburg (1912–2011) – The Life of an Uncrowned Emperor'', Royalty Digest Quarterly, Vol. 3/2011, Rosvall Royal Books, Falköping 2011
* Stefan Haderer, ''An Imperial Farewell – Funeral Ceremonies of Otto von Habsburg'', Royalty Digest Quarterly, Vol. 4/2011, Rosvall Royal Books, Falköping 2011
Annotations
External links
* Otto von Habsburg Obituary
The Independent (London, UK)
2011 B
Martin Childs
Video interview of Otto von Habsbourg (French)
European Navigator
* (Otto Von Habsburg)
* (Otto Habsburg)
* Audio of Otto von Habsburg's English-language talk at Ludwig von Mises Institute's "Manifesto of Liberty" Summit, February 1999.
Uncrowned emperor: the life and times of Otto von Habsburg By Gordon Brook-Shepherd
Archduke Otto Von Habsburg and American Hungarian Emigres during and after World War II, by Steven Bela Vardy
– Daily Telegraph obituary
* [http://www.ottovonhabsburg.org/content.asp?lang=en Official website covering the death and funeral of Otto von Habsburg]
Otto von Habsburg
(The Economist)
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Habsburg, Otto Von
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