Count Francis Lützow (, ; 21 March 1849 – 13 January 1916) was an

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

author, historian, critic and revivalist.

Early life

Francis Lützow was born on 21 March 1849 in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

. He was the son of Franz Joseph Johann Nepomuk Gottfried von Lützow (1814–1897) and Henriette

Seymour Seymour may refer to: Places Australia *Seymour, Victoria, a township ** Seymour railway station * Electoral district of Seymour, a former electoral district in Victoria * Rural City of Seymour, a former local government area in Victoria * Se ...

(1822–1909). His brother, Count

Heinrich von Lützow Heinrich Joseph Rudolf Gottfried Graf von Lützow zu Drey-Lützow und Seedorf (11 September 1852 – 8 November 1935), was an Austro-Hungarian diplomat. Early life Heinrich von Lützow was born on 11 September 1852 at Baden bei Wien. His parent ...

, was a diplomat who served as the Austro-Hungarian Ambassador to Italy. His sister, Countess Rosa, married Prince Alfred zu Salm-Salm (younger brother of Prince Leopold zu Salm-Salm) in 1869. He came from the Austro-Bohemian (Catholic) branch of the noble family of Lützow, originally from

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg, Wismar and Güstrow. ...

, and was raised to the rank of

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: ...

in 1692. His maternal grandparents were Henry Augustus Seymour (an illegitimate son of the 2nd Marquess of Hertford) and Margaret Williams. He was educated at

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. ...

and

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...

and followed a diplomatic career.

Career

He was active in Bohemian politics and became a member of the

Austrian parliament The Austrian Parliament () is the bicameral federal legislature of Austria. It consists of two chambers – the National Council and the Federal Council. In specific cases, both houses convene as the Federal Assembly. The legislature meets i ...

, serving in the

House of Deputies The House of Deputies is one of the legislative houses of the bicameral General Convention of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. The other is the House of Bishops. Membership Each diocese of the Episcopal Church, as well as the ...

, and Chamberlain to the Emperor

Franz Joseph 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 ...

from 1881. A tireless champion of

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

n independence from the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

, he was a member of the Royal Society of Sciences in Bohemia, and of the Bohemian Academy. He was Ilchester lecturer at Oxford in 1904, and lectured at American universities in 1912.

Writing career

Perhaps his greatest accomplishments are his various books regarding the

history of Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, Slavic poetry,

Historiography Historiography is the study of the methods used by historians in developing history as an academic discipline. By extension, the term ":wikt:historiography, historiography" is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiog ...

and Literature. His works were intentionally written in the English language and were thus more easily accessible to Western decision-makers who would eventually agree to the formation of an independent

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

after the end of World War I. The first president of Czechoslovakia,

Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk Tomáš () is a Czech name, Czech and Slovak name, Slovak given name, equivalent to the name Thomas (name), Thomas. Tomáš is also a surname (feminine: Tomášová). Notable people with the name include: Given name Sport *Tomáš Berdych (born 198 ...

wrote a touching introduction to Lützow's 1939 edition of 'Bohemia, An Historical Sketch' and expressed gratitude for Lützow's various contributions to Czechoslovakia's independence.

Personal life

On 18 January 1881, Lützow married Anna Gustava von Bornemann (1853–1932) in London. Lützow died on 13 January 1916 in

Montreux Montreux (, ; ; ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, Swiss municipality and List of towns in Switzerland, town on the shoreline of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Swiss Alps, Alps. It belongs to the Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut (district), Riviera-Pays ...

, Switzerland, at the age of 66. He was buried in the family tomb in

Vamberk Vamberk (; ) is a town in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,600 inhabitants. Administrative division Vamberk consists of three municipal parts (in brackets population according to ...

in the present-day

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

Published works

* ''History of Bohemian Literature'', Heinemann. London (1899); (2nd ed. April 1907) * ''The Story of Prague'' J. M. Dent & Co. London 1902; 2nd ed. 1907. * ''Lectures on the Historians of Bohemia'' 1905 London: Henry Frowde. * ''Life and Times of Master John Hus'' (1909) E.P. Dutton & Co. London 1909; (2nd ed. 1929) * ''Bohemia An Historical Sketch'' J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd. London 1896; 2nd ed. 1910; 3rd ed. 1939. * ''The Hussite Wars'' (1914) London: J. M. Dent & Sons New York

References

External links

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External links

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Czech Information Center Žampach - of Dr. František Lützow
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lutzow, Francis 1849 births 1916 deaths Historians from Austria-Hungary Diplomats from Austria-Hungary Counts of Austria Activists from Austria-Hungary