George Khevenhüller
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Georg von Khevenhüller (, also spelled as Gjuro or George Khevenhiller; 22 April 1533 – 9 September 1587) was a
Carinthian Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German. Its regional dialects belong to the Southern Bavarian group. Carint ...
nobleman of the Khevenhüller dynasty. Though a dedicated Protestant by faith, he served as a governor of the Catholic House of Habsburg for several decades. He is also famous for building the city-fortress of
Karlovac Karlovac () is a city in central Croatia. According to the 2011 census, its population was 55,705. Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County. The city is located on the Zagreb- Rijeka highway and railway line, south-west of Zagre ...
in Croatia.


Life

The son of Sigmund Khevenhüller and nephew of the Carinthian governor (''
Landeshauptmann Landeshauptmann (if male) or Landeshauptfrau (if female) (, "state captain", plural ''Landeshauptleute'') is the chairman of a state government and the supreme official of an Austrian state and the Italian autonomous provinces of South Tyrol an ...
'') Christoph von Khevenhüller (1503–1557), young George became a councillor at the court of the Habsburg emperor
Ferdinand I Ferdinand I or Fernando I may refer to: People * Ferdinand I of León, ''the Great'' (ca. 1000–1065, king from 1037) * Ferdinand I of Portugal and the Algarve, ''the Handsome'' (1345–1383, king from 1367) * Ferdinand I of Aragon and Sicily, '' ...
and his successor Maximilian II. In 1565 he was appointed governor of Carinthia, later also President of the Inner Austrian Court Chamber at
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 ...
and Court Chamberlain of Archduke Charles II of Austria. He distinguished himself as an officer in the Ottoman–Habsburg wars in the
Kingdom of Croatia Kingdom of Croatia may refer to: * Kingdom of Croatia (925–1102), an independent medieval kingdom * Croatia in personal union with Hungary (1102–1526), a kingdom in personal union with the Kingdom of Hungary * Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg) (152 ...
. On 21 August 1578, Khevenhiller and Ban
Krsto Ungnad Krsto Ungnad or Kristóf Ungnád was a baron and Croatian ''ban'', whose father was named Ivan. In 1557 Ungnad, as a captain in the Croatian army, defeated the Turks in Koprivnica. Before becoming ban he was mayor of Varaždin. He assumed the rol ...
went from Slunj to Bihać. In Croatia, Khevenhüller is remembered as a very cruel man. From 1579 onwards, he had the City of Karlovac (''Karlstadt''), named in honour of Archduke Charles II, built in order to strengthen the
Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
southern defences against Ottoman encroaches. The establishment of the new city was a part of the deal between the Protestant nobility of Inner Austria and the archduke: in exchange for their religious freedom the nobles agreed to finance the building of a new fortress against the Ottoman Empire. The six-pointed star fortress was built on the Zrinski estate near the old town of Dubovac at the confluence of the Kupa and Korana rivers, on terrain exposed to flooding and disease from unhealthy water, with the intent to hamper the Turkish advance. Khevenhüller supervised work; he had gathered numerous serfs and forced them to build the new fortress. The Croatian writer Miroslav Krleža (1893–1981) wrote a poem named after him as part of his ''
Ballads of Petrica Kerempuh ''The Ballads of Petrica Kerempuh'' ( hr, Balade Petrice Kerempuha) is a philosophically poetic work by the Croatian writer Miroslav Krleža, composed in the form of thirty poems between December 1935 and March 1936. The work spans a period of ...
'', published in 1936. In his later years, Khevenhüller again took his residence in Carinthia. By his two marriages, he could provide substantial financial resources to acquire the castles of
Hochosterwitz Hochosterwitz Castle (german: Burg Hochosterwitz, sl, Grad Ostrovica) is a castle in Austria, considered one of Austria's most impressive medieval castles. It is on a high dolomite rock near Sankt Georgen am Längsee, east of the town of Sankt ...
and Wernberg by purchase; he had both rebuilt in a lavish Renaissance style. In 1582 he had Annabichl Castle erected as a residence for his second wife Anna von Thurzo. He also supervised the redevelopment of Klagenfurt as the new Carinthian capital and had a city palace built in Villach about 1570, which however was destroyed in World War II. Georg von Khevenhüller died in Klagenfurt; he is buried in the Saint Jacob's parish church of Villach alongside his uncle Christoph von Khevenhüller.


Family

George was a son of Katharina von Gleinitz zu Glenstätten and her husband Sigismund III Khevenhüller. He had two wives, Sibylla Weitmoser and Anna von Thurzo.''The Lineage and Ancestry of H.R.H. Prince Charles, Prince of Wales'', by Gerald Paget, Vol. II, p. 111. His sister was Salome von Khevenhüller.


See also

* Landskron Castle (Carinthia)


References


External links


Georg von Khevenhüller
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khevenhuller, George Austrian generals Austrian untitled nobility Austrian Protestants Karlovac County Duchy of Carinthia 1533 births 1587 deaths