Franz Joseph, Prince of Dietrichstein (''Franz Seraph Joseph Carl Johann Nepomuc Quirin''; 28 April 1767 – 10 July 1854), was a German prince, member of the House of Dietrichstein, Major general, 8th Prince (''

Fürst ' (, female form ', plural '; from Old High German ', "the first", a translation of the Latin ') is a German language, German word for a ruler as well as a princely title. ' were, starting in the Middle Ages, members of the highest nobility who ...

'') of Dietrichstein zu

Nikolsburg Mikulov (; ) is a town in Břeclav District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,600 inhabitants. From the 16th to the 19th century, it was the cultural centre of the Jewish community of Moravia. The historic centr ...

, Count of Proskau-Leslie, Baron (''

Freiherr (; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , ) and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and in ...

'') of Hollenburg, Finkenstein and Thalberg.

Early life

Born in

, he was the third child and second (but eldest surviving) son of Karl Johann Baptist, 7th Prince of Dietrichstein, and Countess Maria Christina Josepha of

Thun und Hohenstein The House of Thun und Hohenstein, also known as Thun-Hohenstein, belonged to the historical Austrian nobility, Austrian and Bohemian nobility. There is one princely and several count, comital branches of the family. The princely branch of the fami ...

(1738-1788), eldest daughter of Count Jan Josef Franz Anton of Thun-Hohenstein (1711-1778) and his wife, Countess Maria Christiana of

Hohenzollern-Hechingen Hohenzollern-Hechingen () was a small principality in southwestern Germany. Its rulers belonged to the House of Hohenzollern#Swabian branch, Swabian branch of the House of Hohenzollern, Hohenzollern dynasty. History The County of Hohenzollern- ...

(1715-1749).

Biography

He was educated at Nikolsburg Castle by provost Jean du Four, an en-lightener and friend of his mother, who gave Franz Joseph an open mind and heart. Once finished his studies, Franz Joseph began his military career in the engineer corps, in which he joined as a Lieutenant at the age of 20. In March 1788 he was promoted to the rank of Captain and in September 1789 he was appointed Major and adjutant of Albert of Saxony, Duke of Teschen.''František Josef – 7. kníže Dietrichstein-Nikolsburg, hrabě Proskau-Leslie'' in: rmm.cz
etrieved 22 April 2015 During the attack to the fortress of Valenciennes on 25 July 1793 on his own initiative, he assaulted the main enemy column and was among the firsts who fought fiercely, and then managed to defend his position with a rapìd procedure, significantly contributed with the rapid surrender of the fortress. For his performance, in 1796 he was named a Knight of the

Military Order of Maria Theresa The Military Order of Maria Theresa (; ; ; ; ; ) was the highest military honour of the Habsburg monarchy, Austrian Empire and Austro-Hungarian Empire. History Founded on 18 June 1757, the day of the Battle of Kolín, by the Empress Mari ...

, and shortly after he was promoted to the rank of Major General and began a diplomatic career as an ambassador, working successively at the courts of

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 ...

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

and later in

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

, where he managed to convince Tsar Paul I of the necessity of his military aid against

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

. Franz Joseph inherited the title of Prince of Dietrichstein after his father's death on 25 May 1808; as the owner of the wealthy ''Fideikommiss'' who belonged to his family after the death of Prince Gundacar (from the Hollenburg line) in 1690 and his own family domains (from the Nikolsburg branch), he also entered in the possession of the hereditary ''Erbamt'', who allowed him to took place in official court ceremonies, like royal and imperial coronations. As an Imperial-Royal ''Kämmerer'' and member of the Privy Council, he served in the Austrian Army as Major general and accorded in 1800 with the French General

Jean Victor Marie Moreau Jean Victor Marie Moreau (, 14 February 1763 – 2 September 1813) was a French general who helped Napoleon Bonaparte rise to power, but later became his chief military and political rival and was banished to the United States. He is among the f ...

the ''Parsdorf Ceasefire'', which was formally signed in the town of

Vaterstetten Vaterstetten is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality in the Upper Bavarian district of Ebersberg (district), Ebersberg. It lies east of Munich and is the district's biggest community. Vaterstetten is on the outskirts of Munich, roughly twent ...

, which later came to an end with the

Battle of Hohenlinden The Battle of Hohenlinden was fought on 3 December 1800 during the French Revolutionary Wars. A French First Republic, French army under Jean Victor Marie Moreau won a decisive victory over an Habsburg monarchy, Austrian and Electorate of Bavar ...

. In 1809 he was appointed as ''Obersthofmeister'' of Archduke Francis Joseph Charles of Austria, later

Duke of Modena This is a list of rulers of the estates owned by the Este family, which main line of Marquesses (''Marchesi d'Este'') rose in 1039 with Albert Azzo II, Margrave of Milan. The name "Este" is related to the city where the family came from, Este. ...

, and in this function he acted as ''Hofkommissar'' in the enemy-occupied part of Galicia until the Congress of Vienna. As a benefactor of the poor of the city of

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 made an honorary citizen. In 1815 he was appointed a member of the Academy of Sciences of Erfurt (''Akademie gemeinnütziger Wissenschaften zu Erfurt''). As the owner of the district Neu-Ravensburg in the Württemberg ''Oberamt Wangen'' he was during 1815-1819 member of the assemblies of estates of the

Kingdom of Württemberg The Kingdom of Württemberg ( ) was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Electorate of Württemberg, which existed from 1803 to 1806. Geogr ...

and during 1820-1829 member of the Estates of Württemberg. The sale of the direct rule of Neu-Ravensburg to Württemberg was determined in July 1829, but he never resigned in person, but was represented by other members of the chamber. Franz Joseph's political views can be described as liberal and progressive in his day. The prince led an unconventional, free lifestyle and sired several illegitimate children, including the famous pianist Sigismund Thalberg.

Marriage and issue

Pavlovsk, Saint Petersburg Pavlovsk ( "

he town He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...

of Pavel" after Emperor Pavel (Paul) of Russia) is a administrative divisions of Saint Petersburg, municipal town in Pushkinsky District, Saint Petersburg, Pushkinsky District in the suburban part of the federal cities of ...

on 16 July 1797, Franz Joseph married with Countess Alexandra Andrejevna

Shuvalov The House of Shuvalov () is the name of a Russian noble family, which was documented since the 16th century. The Shuvalov family rose to distinction during the reign of Empress Elizabeth and was elevated to the rank of count on 5 September 174 ...

a (19 December 1775 – 10 November 1847), a daughter of the

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

and writer Count Andrei Petrovich Shuvalov by his wife, Countess Ekaterina Petrovna Saltykova. The union, who proved to be extremely unhappy, only produced a son: * Joseph Franz (28 March 1798 – 10 July 1858), 9th Prince of Dietrichstein.

Ancestry

Notes

References

Constantin von Wurzbach Constantin Wurzbach Ritter von Tannenberg (11 April 1818 – 17 August 1893) was an Austrian biographer, lexicographer and author. Biography He was born in Laibach, Carniola (present-day Ljubljana, Slovenia).He later went on to complete a cou ...

:
Dietrichstein-Proskau-Leslie, Franz Joseph Johann Fürst
', in: ''

Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich ''Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich'' (English, ''Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire'') (abbreviated ''Wurzbach'' from the author's surname) is a 60-volume work, edited and published by Constantin von Wurzbach, cont ...

'', 3. Band, Wien 1858. * Wolfgang von Wurzbach: ''

Josef Kriehuber Josef Kriehuber (14 December 1800 – 30 May 1876) was an Austrian lithographer and painter, notable for the high quality of his lithographic portraits. A prolific yet meticulous artist, he made numerous portraits for nobility, well-known persona ...

und die Wiener Gesellschaft seiner Zeit'', vol. 2, Walter Krieg ed., 1957, p. 370.
''Dietrichstein zu Nikolsburg Franz Josef Fürst''
n:''

Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon 1815–1950 The ''Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon 1815–1950'' (ÖBL, ''Austrian Biographical Lexicon 1815–1950'') is a dictionary of biographical entries for individuals who have contributed to the history of Austria, published by the Austrian ...

'' (ÖBL), vol. 1, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 1957, p. 185. * Karl Otmar von Aretin: 'Dietrichstein, Franz Fürst von'' n:''

Neue Deutsche Biographie (''NDB''; Literal translation, literally ''New German Biography'') is a Biography, biographical reference work. It is the successor to the ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' (ADB, Universal German Biography). The 27 volumes published thus far co ...

'' (NDB), vol. 3, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1957, p. 701 f. ( http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/0001/bsb00016319/images/index.html?seite=715 online). * Frank Raberg: ''Biographisches Handbuch der württembergischen Landtagsabgeordneten 1815–1933''. On behalf of the Commission for Historical Geography in Baden-Württemberg. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2001, p. 143. {{Authority control 1767 births 1854 deaths Dietrichstein family Austrian military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars German patrons of the arts Members of the Württembergian Chamber of Lords Knights Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa