Archduke Rainer of Austria (; 21 November 1895 – 25 May 1930) was a member of the

House of Habsburg-Lorraine The House of Habsburg-Lorraine () originated from the marriage in 1736 of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, Francis III, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, and Maria Theresa of Habsburg monarchy, Austria, later successively List of Bohemian monarchs, Queen ...

, a member of the Tuscan branch of the Imperial

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful Dynasty, dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout ...

, an Archduke of Austria and Prince of Tuscany by birth. He was the eldest son

Archduke Leopold Salvator of Austria, Prince of Tuscany Archduke Leopold Salvator, Prince of Tuscany (Leopold Salvator Maria Joseph Ferdinand Franz von Assisi Karl Anton von Padua Johann Baptist Januarius Aloys Gonzaga Rainer Wenzel Galius von Österreich-Toskana) (15 October 1863 – 4 September 19 ...

. He served as officer in the Austrian army during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

.McIntosh, ''The Unknown Habsburgs'', p. 51 At the fall of the Habsburg dynasty, he remained in Vienna and worked for a time as taxi driver. He died unmarried at the age of 34 from blood-poisoning.

Life

Archduke Rainer was born in Agram (the historic Austrian-German name for what is now the city of

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

), the fourth child and eldest son of

and

Infanta Blanca of Spain Infante (, ; grammatical gender, f. ''infanta''), also anglicised as "infant" or translated as "prince", is the title and rank given in the Iberian kingdoms of Spain (including the predecessor kingdoms of Crown of Aragon, Aragon, Crown of Castil ...

(daughter of Carlos, Duke of Madrid).Harding, ''Lost Waltz'', p. 20 He received the names Rainer Karl Leopold Blanka Anton Margarete Beatrix Peter Joseph Raphael Michael Ignaz Stephan. During World War I Rainer served as a lieutenant of artillery in the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army,; was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army (, recruited from all parts of Austria-Hungary), ...

."Austrian Archduke Jailed", ''New York Times'' (24 August 1921): 4. After the fall of the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

and the establishment of the

First Austrian Republic The First Austrian Republic (), officially the Republic of Austria, was created after the signing of the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye on 10 September 1919—the settlement after the end of World War I which ended the Habsburg rump state of ...

, he renounced his rights to the Austrian throne in order that he could remain in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

. Henceforward he used the name ''Rainer Habsburg''."Habsburgs Not Wanted", ''The Times'' (17 May 1921): 8. He lived in an apartment in the

Palais Toskana The ''Palais Toskana'' was a palace in Vienna. History It was constructed in 1867 for the Archduke Leopold Salvator of Austria. The architect is unknown; the facade may have been designed by Carl Tietz. The palace was up to four stories high, ...

,"Vienna Knows Not Archduke Leopold", ''New York Times'' (12 January 1927):6 . but also retained properties in Zagreb, and in Galicia, and at Schloss Hernstein. In Vienna, Rainer operated a garage. He also organized a system for film reels to be transported by motorcycle from one theater to another enabling more than one theater to share the same film."Archduke Rainer of Austria Dead", ''New York Times'' (26 May 1930): 15. In May 1921 it was reported that there had been protests against Rainer at Schloss Hernstein. In August 1921 he was arrested in

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

(then in

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

, now in

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

) on a charge of forging a passport. Infanta Blanca and her family

On 6 April 1922, Rainer and his father were present at the

requiem mass A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is u ...

celebrated in St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna for the soul of the Emperor

Charles I of Austria Charles I (, ; 17 August 1887 – 1 April 1922) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary (as Charles IV), and the ruler of the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from November 1916 until the monarchy was abolished in November 1918. He was the ...

. They reportedly led a demonstration with cries of "Down with the Republic", and marched to the

Austrian Parliament Building The Austrian Parliament Building (, colloquially ''das Parlament'') in Vienna is the meeting place of the two houses of the Austrian Parliament. The building is located on the in the first district, ''Innere Stadt'', near Hofburg Palace and t ...

demanding that the flag be lowered to

half-staff Half-mast or half-staff (American English) refers to a flag flying below the summit of a ship mast, a pole on land, or a pole on a building. In many countries this is seen as a symbol of respect, mourning, distress, or, in some cases, a sal ...

in honour of Austria's former sovereign.915 In 1930 Rainer died in the Wiedner Hospital in Vienna from the effects of

blood poisoning Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood is compo ...

; he was 35. His remains were buried in the

Imperial Crypt The Imperial Crypt (), also called the Capuchin Crypt (''Kapuzinergruft''), is a burial chamber beneath the Capuchin Church and monastery in Vienna, Austria. It was founded in 1618 and dedicated in 1632, and located on the Neuer Markt square of ...

of the Capuchin Church in Vienna. He was the first member of the Habsburg family to be buried in the crypt since the Emperor

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 ...

in 1916."Austrian Archduke Buried", ''New York Times'' (3 June 1930): 35. Among those present for the funeral were his parents, Archduke Leopold Salvator and Archduchess Blanca, his father's brother

Archduke Franz Salvator of Austria Archduke Franz Salvator of Austria (21 August 1866 – 20 April 1939) was the son of Archduke Karl Salvator of Austria and Princess Maria Immacolata of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. He married Archduchess Marie Valerie in 1890, though, due to Mari ...

with his sons

Hubert Hubert is a Germanic masculine given name, from ''hug'' "mind" and '' beraht'' "bright". It also occurs as a surname. Saint Hubert of Liège (or Hubertus) (c. 656 – 30 May 727) is the patron saint of hunters, mathematicians, opticians, and m ...

and Klemens, his mother's uncle Infante Alfonso Carlos of Spain and his wife

Infanta Maria das Neves of Portugal Infanta Maria das Neves of Portugal (Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Maria das Neves Isabel Eulália Carlota Adelaide Micaela Gabriela Rafaela Gonzaga de Paula de Assis Inês Sofia Romana, Infanta de Portugal'') (5 August 1852 – 15 February 1 ...

, and Dr.

Ignaz Seipel Ignaz Seipel (19 July 1876 – 2 August 1932) was an Austrian Catholic priest and conservative politician, who served as the List of Chancellors of Austria, Chancellor of the First Austrian Republic twice during the 1920s and leader of the Chris ...

(former Chancellor of Austria)."Das Begräbnis des ehemaligen Erzherzogs Rainer Karl Salvator", ''Wiener Zeitung'' (3. Juni 1930): 7. In 1962 Rainer's sarcophagus was moved to the Neue Gruft (New Crypt) where it lies next to the sarcophagus of his father.

Ancestry

References

* Harding, Bertita: ''Lost Waltz: A Story of Exile''. Bobbs-Merrill, 1944. ASIN: B0007DXCLY * McIntosh, David: ''The Unknown Habsburgs''. Rosvall Royal Books, 2000.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rainer of Austria, Archduke House of Habsburg-Lorraine 1895 births 1930 deaths People from Zagreb Austrian princes Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria Burials at the Imperial Crypt