Josef Franz, Archduke of Austria, Prince of Hungary (Josef Franz Leopold Anton Ignatius Maria; 28 March 1895 – 25 September 1957), was the eldest son of

Archduke Joseph August of Austria Archduke Joseph August Viktor Klemens Maria of Austria, Prince of Hungary and Bohemia (9 August 1872 – 6 July 1962) was a '' Feldmarschall'' (field marshal) of the Austro-Hungarian Army and for a short period head of state of Hungary. He w ...

and Princess Auguste Maria of Bavaria. As his father was the last

Palatine of Hungary The Palatine of Hungary ( or , , ) was the highest-ranking office in the Kingdom of Hungary from the beginning of the 11th century to 1848. Initially, Palatines were representatives of the monarchs, later (from 1723) the vice-regent (vi ...

and was briefly considered a possible

King of Hungary The King of Hungary () was the Monarchy, ruling head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 (or 1001) to 1918. The style of title "Apostolic King of Hungary" (''Magyarország apostoli királya'') was endorsed by Pope Clement XIII in 1758 ...

in 1919–1920, Josef Franz was a potential

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, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...

of Hungary. He was born during the reign of his maternal great-grandfather Emperor

Francis Joseph I of Austria 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 ...

. He wrote the libretto to Eugene Zador's 1939 opera ''

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...

''.

Marriage and issue

On 4 October 1924, Archduke Josef Franz married Princess Anna of Saxony, a daughter of Friedrich August III of Saxony and Archduchess Luise of Austria-Tuscany. Anna and Joseph Francis had eight children: * Archduchess ''Margit'' of Austria (17 August 1925 - 3 May 1979) married, in August 1944, Alexander Cech (born 23 March 1914; died 30 June 2008), son of '' Altábornagy'' Jószef Cech (1855-1938) and '' Donna'' Amalia Erba Odescalchi ''dei Principi di Monteleone'' (1889-1969)He was adopted by his maternal grandfather Hugo Erba Odescalchi (1842-1919), Prince of Monteleone (giving him rights on the name, but not yet on the titles of the family). He was styled by King

Victor Emmanuel III of Italy Victor Emmanuel III (; 11 November 1869 – 28 December 1947) was King of Italy from 29 July 1900 until his abdication on 9 May 1946. A member of the House of Savoy, he also reigned as Emperor of Ethiopia from 1936 to 1941 and King of the Albania ...

, just before his marriage with Archduchess Margit of Austria, ''Principe di Monteleone'' and ''Marchese di Mondonico''. * Archduchess ''Ilona'' of Austria (20 April 1927 - 11 January 2011) married Georg Alexander, Duke of Mecklenburg *Archduchess ''Anna-Theresia'' (19 April 1928 - 28 November 1984) *Archduke Joseph Árpád of Austria (8 February 1932 – 30 April 2017), married Princess Maria von Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg *Archduke ''István'' Dominik of Austria (1 July 1934 - 24 October 2011), married Maria Anderl *Archduchess ''Maria Kynga'' (born 27 August 1938), married, firstly, Ernst Kiss. She married, secondly, Joachim Krist on 30 March 1988. *

Archduke Géza of Austria Archduke (feminine: Archduchess; German: ''Erzherzog'', feminine form: ''Erzherzogin'') was the title borne from 1358 by the Habsburg rulers of the Archduchy of Austria, and later by all senior members of that dynasty. It denotes a rank within ...

(born 14 November 1940), married Monika Decker, secondly, Elizabeth Jane Kunstadter. *Archduke Michael of Austria (born 5 May 1942), married Princess Christiana of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg (born 1940, daughter of Charles, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg) Archduke Joseph Francis of Austria died on 25 September 1957 in

Carcavelos Carcavelos () was, until 2013, a civil parish in the Portuguese municipality of Cascais, about west of Lisbon. In 2013, the parish merged into the new parish Carcavelos e Parede. The parish was known for the Carcavelos wine. With the decline o ...

, on the

Portuguese Riviera The Portuguese Riviera (Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Riviera Portuguesa'') is a term used for the affluent coastal region to the west of Lisbon, Portugal, centered on the coastal municipalities of Cascais (including Estoril), Oeiras, Portug ...

Ancestry

References

House of Habsburg-Lorraine Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria 1895 births 1957 deaths Austrian princes Burials at Palatinal Crypt Opera librettists Children of heads of state {{Austria-noble-stub