Alajos Károlyi
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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
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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