Franz Maria Johann Joseph Hermann, 4th Prince of Khevenhüller-Metsch (7 April 1762 – 3 July 1837), was an Austrian aristocrat who was a member of the Austrian

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

Early life

Franz was born on 7 April 1762 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. ...

. He was a younger son of

Johann, 2nd Prince of Khevenhüller-Metsch Johann Sigismund Friedrich, 2nd Prince of Khevenhüller-Metsch (22 February 1732 – 15 June 1801) was an Austrian prince and diplomat. Early life Born Johann Sigismund Friedrich von Khevenhüller on 22 February 1732 in Vienna, he was the second ...

(1732–1801) and Princess Maria ''Amalia'' Susanna of

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...

(1737–1787). Among his siblings were elder brother, Karl, 3rd Prince of Khevenhüller-Metsch, Countess Anna Antonia Maria von Khevenhüller-Metsch, Countess Maria Christina Viktoria Vittoria von Khevenhüller-Metsch, Countess Maria Karolina Ferdinanda von Khevenhüller-Metsch, and Countess Marie Leopoldina von Khevenhüller-Metsch. His paternal grandparents were Johann, 1st Prince of Khevenhüller-Metsch, and Countess Karolina Maria Augustina von Metsch. His father was a diplomat during the early reign of

Empress The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

Maria Theresa Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position suo jure, in her own right. She was the ...

, serving as the Habsburg Ambassador to Denmark,

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

, and as the Bohemian Ambassador to the

Perpetual Diet of Regensburg The Perpetual Diet of Regensburg or the Eternal Diet of Regensburg, () also commonly called in English the Perpetual Diet of Ratisbon,Jean Berenger, C.A. Simpson, ''The Habsburg Empire 1700-1918'' (2014), p. 134 from the city's Latin name, was a ...

. His maternal grandparents were Prince Emanuel of Liechtenstein and Countess Maria Anna Antonia von Dietrichstein-Weichselstädt.

Career

Upon the death of his brother in 1823, he became the 4th

Prince of Khevenhüller-Metsch A prince is a Monarch, male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary title, hereditary, in some ...

and was a member of the Austrian

Personal life

Franz was married, and widowed, three times. On 6 July 1791 in Vienna, he married Countess Maria Elisabeth von Kuefstein (1771–1796), a daughter of Count Johann Adam von Kuefstein. Before her death at

Sankt Pölten Sankt Pölten (; Central Bavarian: ''St. Pödn''), mostly abbreviated to the official name St. Pölten, is the capital and largest city of the States of Austria, State of Lower Austria in northeast Austria, with 55,538 inhabitants as of 1 Januar ...

on 8 April 1796, they were the parents of: * Count Johann Siegmund Friedrich von Khevenhüller-Metsch (1793–1794), who died in infancy. * Count Johann Friedrich Maria Richard von Khevenhüller-Metsch (1794–1795), who died in infancy. He remarried at Sankt Pölten on 16 April 1798 to Countess Maria Josepha von Abensberg and Traun (1782–1799), a daughter of Johann Otto, 8th Count of Abensberg and Traun. She died on 6 March 1799, the day after she gave birth to their only child: * Countess Maria Anna Kunigunde von Khevenhüller-Metsch (1799–1801), who died in infancy. On 15 June 1812, he married, thirdly, to his niece, Countess Krisztina "Christina" Zichy de Zich et Vásonkeő (1792–1830), a daughter of Count

Károly Zichy Count Károly József Franz Xaver Kasimir Johann von Nepomuk Zichy de Zich et Vásonkeő (4 March 1753 – 28 September 1826) was a Hungarian aristocrat, who served as Austrian war minister in 1809 and minister of the interior from 1813 to 1814. ...

, the Lord Chief Justice of the Kingdom of Hungary, and, his elder sister, Countess Anna Maria Khevenhüller-Metsch. Before her death on 20 July 1830 at Penzing, they were the parents of: * Richard Maria Johannes Basilius, 5th Prince of Khevenhüller-Metsch (1813–1877), who married his first cousin, Countess Antonia Maria Lichnowsky, a daughter of Prince Eduárd

Lichnowsky The House of Lichnowsky or House of Lichnovský is the name of an influential Czech aristocratic family of Silesian and Moravian origin, documented since the 14th century. History The noble family first appeared in the Duchy of Pless (Pszczyna) ...

(a son of

Karl Alois, Prince Lichnowsky Karl Alois, Prince Lichnowsky of Woschütz (, also known as ''Carl Alois, Fürst von Lichnowsky-Woschütz''; 21 June 1761 – 15 April 1814) was the second Prince Lichnowsky and a chamberlain at the Imperial Austrian court. He is remembered for ...

) and Countess Eleonora Zichy de Zich et Vásonkeö, in 1836. * Count Othmar von Khevenhüller-Metsch (1819–1890), who married Baroness Leontine Kress von Kressenstein, a daughter of Baron Karl Kress von Kressenstein and Countess Leopoldine Zichy de Zich et Vásonkeö, at Vienna in 1850. * Countess Hedwig Maria von Khevenhüller-Metsch (1823–1876), who married Count Hermann Locatelli in 1856. The Prince died at Frohnsburg,

Lower Austria Lower Austria ( , , abbreviated LA or NÖ) is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Major cities are Amstetten, Lower Austria, Amstetten, Krems an der Donau, Wiener Neustadt and Sankt Pölten, which ...

, on 3 July 1837. He was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...

References

;Notes ;Sources {{DEFAULTSORT:Khevenhüller-Metsch, Franz , 4h Prince Of 1762 births 1837 deaths 04 18th-century German people 19th-century German people Members of the House of Lords (Austria)