Count Alajos Károlyi de
Nagykároly (8 August 18252 December 1889) was an
Austro-Hungarian diplomat.
Early life
He was born in
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
on 8 August 1825. He was the son of son of Count Ludwig Károlyi de Nagykároly (1799–1863) and Countess Ferdinandine von Kaunitz-
Rietberg (1805–1862).
His maternal grandparents were Prince
Aloys von Kaunitz-Rietberg and the former Countess Franziska Xaveria Ungnad von Weissenwolff. His paternal grandparents were Count József Károlyi de Nagykároly and the former Countess Maria Elisabeth von
Waldstein-Wartenberg (sister to
Countess Maria Antonia von Waldstein, both daughters of
Count Georg Christian von Waldstein and
Countess Elisabeth Ulfeldt).
His family, a part of the Hungarian nobility, had been prominent since the time of
Sándor Károlyi (1668–1743), one of the generals of
Francis II Rákóczi, who in 1711 negotiated the peace of
Szatmár between the insurgent
Hungarians
Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...
and the new king, the emperor
Charles VI, was made a
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: ...
of the Empire in 1712, and subsequently became a
field marshal
Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...
in the imperial army.
Career

At the age of 19, Károlyi entered the
Austrian diplomatic service and, in 1845, became an
attaché to the
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
embassy. He was assigned successively to Austrian embassies at various European capitals; from 1853 at the
diplomatic mission in London. In 1858 he was sent to
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
on a special mission to seek the support of
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
in the threatening
Franco-Austrian War against
Napoleon III
Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...
.
Károlyi was appointed
Envoy Extraordinary at Berlin in 1866 at the time of the rupture between
Prussia
Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
and Austria, and after the
Seven Weeks War was responsible for the negotiation of the preliminaries of peace at
Nikolsburg.
Under Chancellor
Otto von Bismarck
Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (; born ''Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck''; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898) was a German statesman and diplomat who oversaw the unification of Germany and served as ...
, he was again sent to Berlin in 1871,
acted as second
plenipotentiary
A ''plenipotentiary'' (from the Latin ''plenus'' "full" and ''potens'' "powerful") is a diplomat who has full powers—authorization to sign a treaty or convention on behalf of a sovereign. When used as a noun more generally, the word can als ...
at the
Berlin congress of 1878.
In January 1864, he wrote to the Austrian
Foreign Minister
In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...
,
Count Johann Bernhard von Rechberg und Rothenlöwen:
"the surest sign not only of the political but of the social divisiveness which is inherent in the internal life of the Prussian state, to wit, the passionate hatred of different estates and classes for each other. This antagonism... which places in sharp opposition the army and the nobility on one hand and all the other industrious citizens on the other is one of the most significant and darkest characteristics of the Prussian Monarchy."
In 1878, Bismarck was sent in the same year to
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
,
where he represented Austria for ten years.
For his diplomatic efforts, he was awarded the
Order of the Golden Fleece
The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece (, ) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in 1430 in Brugge by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, to celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy, Isabella of Portugal. T ...
. Upon his death, his insignia of the Order was returned to the Emperor, before it was awarded to his kinsman Sándor Károlyi by
Franz Joseph I
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...
, as it could only be held by one member of a family at the same time.
Stomfa Castle
In 1870, Károlyi remodeled
Stomfa Castle, the 17th century
Renaissance style castle built by the
Pálffys on the site of a former moated castle.
Károlyi had the renowned Hungarian architect
Miklós Ybl
Miklós Ybl (6 April 1814 in Székesfehérvár – 22 January 1891 in Budapest) was one of Europe's leading architects in the mid to late nineteenth century as well as Hungary's most influential architect during his career. His most well-known w ...
add a German renaissance style wing with towers and rebuilt the manor house in the
Romantic style. Ybl connected the side buildings with the manor house with an open arcade floor. Also added was an
English style garden with a central pond.
After his death, the castle passed to his son, Count Lajos Károlyi, who undertook his own remodel of the castle, carried out by
Arthur Meinig.
Personal life
Károlyi married Countess Franciska "Fanni" Gobertina
Erdödy de Monyorókerék et Monoszló (1842–1927), a daughter of Count Lajos Erdõdy de Monyorókerék et Monoszló and Johanna Raymann.
Together, they had four children, including:
* Countess Ferdinandine "Nandine" Johanna Nepomucena Károlyi de Nagykároly (1868–1955), who married Count
Leopold Berchtold von und zu Ungarschitz, a son of Count Sigismund Berchtold von und zu Ungarschitz, Frättling und Püllütz, in 1893.
* Count ''Lajos'' Lörinc Károlyi de Nagykároly (1872–1965), who married his cousin, Countess Hanna
Széchényi von
Sárvár-Felsövideki, a daughter of Count
Béla Széchenyi von Sárvár-Felsövidék (a "personal friend" of King
Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910.
The second child ...
)
and Countess Johanna "Janka" Goberta Erdödy.
* Countess Zsófia "Sophie" Anna Károlyi de Nagykároly (1875–1972), who married Imre Gyorgy Károlyi de Nagykároly, a son of Count Tibor Johann Nepomucen Justin Károlyi de Nagykároly.
He died on 2 December 1889 at
Tótmegyer Castle,
in what is today known as
Palárikovo in
Slovakia
Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
.
Descendants
Through his daughter Countess Nandine,
he was a grandfather of Count Aloys "Louis" Berchtold von und zu Ungarschitz (1894–1977),
and Count Sigismund "Sziga" Berchtold von und zu Ungarschitz (1900–1979), who married Eva Machan (former wife of Count Leopold zu Hardegg auf Glatz und im Machlande), Countess
Etti von Wurmbrand-Stuppach (former wife of
Clendenin J. Ryan, Count
Paul Pálffy ab Erdöd, Count Tamás
Esterházy, who after her divorce from Sigismund married
William Deering Davis and then
Árpád Plesch),
and Emilia de Gosztonyi (former wife of Michael Bankier and Robin Alexander Lyle, who after her divorce from Sigismund married
Prince Vsevolod Ivanovich of Russia).
Through his son Count Lajos, he was a grandfather of Count ''Sándor'' Béla Károlyi de Nagykároly (1904–1987), who married Baroness Martha Sennyey de Kis-Sennye, and Countess Alice Sarolta Károlyi de Nagykároly (1905–1981), who married Heinrich von
Haugwitz.
Through his daughter Countess Sophie, he was a grandfather of Count Ferenc Gyula Károlyi de Nagykároly (1900–1973), Count Viktor Dénes Károlyi de Nagykároly (1902–1973) (who married Ilona Krisztina Széchenyi de Sárvár-Felsővidék), Count György Kálmán Károlyi de Nagykároly (1903–1969), Countess Maria Consuela Károlyi de Nagykároly (1905–1976) (who married
Miklós Horthy Jr., son of the
Regent of Hungary
The regent of Hungary was a position established in 1446 and renewed in 1920. It was held by Admiral Miklós Horthy until 1944. Under Hungary's constitution there were two regents, one a regent of the ruling house, called the Nádor, and another ...
Miklós Horthy
Miklós Horthy de Nagybánya (18 June 1868 – 9 February 1957) was a Hungarian admiral and statesman who was the Regent of Hungary, regent of the Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946), Kingdom of Hungary Hungary between the World Wars, during the ...
), and Count Gyula Lipót Károlyi de Nagykároly (1907–1942).
References
External links
*
{{EB1911 article with no significant updates
Alajos Karolyi
1825 births
1889 deaths
Diplomats from Vienna
Diplomats of the Austrian Empire
Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria
Ambassadors of Austria-Hungary