The House of Hohenberg is an

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

and

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech, ...

noble family that descends from Countess Sophie Chotek (1868–1914), who in 1900 married Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria-Este (1863–1914), the

heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir apparent or a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question. ...

to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. As their marriage was a

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

one, none of their children were in the line of succession to the Austro-Hungarian throne. Still, they represent the senior agnatic line 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 ...

. The head of the house bears the title of duke with the style of ''Highness'', with all other members titled as princes and princesses with the style of ''Serene Highness''.

Establishment and history

The House of Hohenberg was established by imperial decree of Emperor

Francis Joseph 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 ...

when, upon the couple's marriage in 1900, he created Francis Ferdinand's wife '' Fürstin von Hohenberg'' (Princess of Hohenberg) in her own right with the style of ''Durchlaucht'' (

Serene Highness His/Her Serene Highness (abbreviation: HSH, second person address: Your Serene Highness) is a style used today by the reigning families of Liechtenstein, Monaco and Thailand. Over the past 400 years, it has also used as a style for senior members ...

) and the specification that this name and title should also be borne by her descendants. In 1909, the Emperor raised Sophie to the more senior title of ''

Herzog ''Herzog'' (female ''Herzogin'') is a German hereditary title held by one who rules a territorial duchy, exercises feudal authority over an estate called a duchy, or possesses a right by law or tradition to be referred to by the ducal title. ...

in von Hohenberg'' (Duchess of Hohenberg) with the superior style of ''Hoheit'' ( Highness). Since that title had been granted ''ad personam'', it expired upon Sophie's assassination in 1914. In 1917, Emperor Charles of Austria granted the eldest son of Francis Ferdinand and Sophie the title of duke with the style of ''Highness''. The other members of the family retained the titles of prince and princesses with the lesser style of ''Serene Highness''. Thus,

Maximilian Maximilian, Maximillian or Maximiliaan (Maximilien in French) is a male given name. The name " Max" is considered a shortening of "Maximilian" as well as of several other names. List of people Monarchs *Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (1459� ...

became the first Duke of Hohenberg, with the dukedom being hereditary according to primogeniture in the

male line Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritan ...

. Following the collapse of the monarchy, the Austrian nobility, along with hereditary titles and such nobiliary particles as ''von'', were abolished by law in 1919. In 1938, several members of the family who were opposed to

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 ...

were arrested by the

Nazis 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) in N ...

and sent to Dachau concentration camp, most notably Maximilian and his brother

Ernst Ernst is both a surname and a given name, the German, Dutch, and Scandinavian form of Ernest. Notable people with the name include: Surname * Adolf Ernst (1832–1899) German botanist known by the author abbreviation "Ernst" * Anton Ernst (1975-) ...

. The former head of the family, Georg, was ambassador of the Republic of Austria to the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

during part of the pontificate of

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 ...

. He was also a

Knight of the Golden Fleece This article contains a list of knights of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Knights of the Burgundian Golden Fleece 15th Century !Year of Induction!!Name!!Born!!Died!!Notes , - , rowspan=25, 1430, , Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, , 1396, , ...

. Members of the Hohenberg family are not only descended from, and married into, the

, but are also related through marriage to several other European dynasties, including the

Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg The Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg constitutes the House of Luxembourg-Nassau, headed by the sovereign Grand Duke, and in which the throne of the grand duchy is hereditary. It consists of heirs and descendants of the House of Nassau-Weilburg, w ...

and the

Princely Family of Liechtenstein The House of Liechtenstein, from which the principality takes its name, is the family which reigns by hereditary right over the principality of Liechtenstein. Only dynastic members of the family are eligible to inherit the throne. The dynasty's me ...

. They also descend from

King George II of Great Britain , house = Hanover , religion = Protestant , father = George I of Great Britain , mother = Sophia Dorothea of Celle , birth_date = 30 October / 9 November 1683 , birth_place = Herrenhausen Palace,Cannon. or Leine ...

through his daughter

Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange (12 January 1759) was the second child and eldest daughter of King George II of Great Britain and his consort Caroline of Ansbach. She was the wife of William IV, Prince of Orange, the first heredi ...

and are therefore distantly related to the British Royal Family.

Residences

The Hohenberg family still owns

Artstetten Castle Artstetten Castle (german: Schloss Artstetten, ) is a château near the Wachau valley in Lower Austria, in the community of Artstetten-Pöbring. History Artstetten Castle was owned by a number of families over the centuries until it was purchas ...

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 ...

, and parts of this castle are open to the public for visits. Former residences of the family include

Konopiště Konopiště Castle (; german: Schloss Konopischt) is a four-winged, three-storey castle located in Konopiště, now a part of the town of Benešov in Central Bohemian Region, Czech Republic. It has become famous as the last residence of Archduke F ...

château in Bohemia. Artstetten Castle was selected to provide the main theme for an Austrian 10 euro commemorative coin, minted on 13 October 2004. The reverse shows the entrance to the crypt of the Hohenberg family. There are two portraits on the left, showing Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg.

Duchess of Hohenberg (1909–1914)

* Sophie (1868–1914), previously Princess of Hohenberg from the time of her marriage in 1900.

Dukes of Hohenberg (1917–present)

(1902–1962), 1st Duke, eldest son of Sophie; with issue. *

Franz Franz may refer to: People * Franz (given name) * Franz (surname) Places * Franz (crater), a lunar crater * Franz, Ontario, a railway junction and unorganized town in Canada * Franz Lake, in the state of Washington, United States – see ...

(1927–1977), 2nd Duke, eldest son of Maximilian; with issue. * Georg (1929–2019), 3rd Duke, second son of Maximilian; with issue. *

Nikolaus Nicholas is a male given name and a surname. The Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglican Churches celebrate Saint Nicholas every year on December 6, which is the name day for "Nicholas". In Greece, the name and its ...

(born 1961), 4th Duke, eldest son of Georg; with issue.

Line of succession to the ducal title

The line of succession to the title of Duke of Hohenberg is as follows: *''

Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg (; cs, Žofie Marie Josefína Albína hraběnka Chotková z Chotkova a Vojnína 1 March 1868 – 28 June 1914) was the wife of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. Their assas ...

(1868–1914)'' ** ''

Maximilian, Duke of Hohenberg Maximilian, Duke von Hohenberg (''Maximilian Karl Franz Michael Hubert Anton Ignatius Joseph Maria''; 29 September 1902 – 8 January 1962), was the elder son of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary and his wife Countess Sophie Chotek vo ...

(1902–1962)'' *** '' Franz, Duke of Hohenberg (1927–1977)'' *** ''

Georg, Duke of Hohenberg Georg, Duke of Hohenberg (25 April 1929 – 25 July 2019), was, at the time of his death, the senior agnate of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. Life Georg was born at Artstetten Castle in the community of Artstetten-Pöbring, Lower Austria, on ...

(1929–2019)'' **** Nikolaus, Duke of Hohenberg (b. 1961) ***** (1) Prince Karl of Hohenberg (b. 1991),

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

**** (2) Prince Maximilian of Hohenberg (b. 1970) ***** (3) Prince Nikolaus of Hohenberg (b. 2001) ***** (4) Prince Leopold of Hohenberg (b. 2006) *** ''Prince Albrecht of Hohenberg (1931–2021)'' **** (5) Prince Leo Johannes of Hohenberg (b. 1964) ***** (6) Prince Adrien of Hohenberg (b. 2003) *** ''Prince Johannes of Hohenberg (1933–2003)'' **** (7) Prince Stephan of Hohenberg (b. 1972) ***** (8) Prince Nepomuk of Hohenberg (b. 2005) **** (9) Prince Georg of Hohenberg (b. 1975) *** ''Prince Peter of Hohenberg (1936–2017)'' ** ''

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 ...

(1904–1954)'' *** ''Prince Franz Ferdinand of Hohenberg (1937–1978)'' **** (10) Prince Franz Ferdinand of Hohenberg (b. 1969) ***** (11) Prince Maximilian of Hohenberg (b. 2001) *** (12) Prince Ernst of Hohenberg (b. 1944)

References

External links

*
Artstetten Castle
{{DEFAULTSORT:House Of Hohenberg Chotek family House of Habsburg-Lorraine