Georg von Khevenhüller (, also spelled as Gjuro or George Khevenhiller; 22 April 1533 – 9 September 1587) was a Carinthian

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

of the Khevenhüller dynasty. Though a dedicated

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

by faith, he served as a governor of the Catholic

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 ...

for several decades. He is also famous for building the city-fortress of

Karlovac Karlovac () is a city in central Croatia. In the 2021 census, its population was 49,377. Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County. The city is located southwest of Zagreb and northeast of Rijeka, and is connected to them via 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 ...

Life

The son of Sigmund Khevenhüller and nephew of the Carinthian governor (''

Landeshauptmann The Landeshauptmann (if male) or Landeshauptfrau (if female) (, "state captain", plural ''Landeshauptleute,'' ) is the chairman of a state government and the supreme official of an Austrian state and the Italian autonomous provinces of South Ty ...

'') Christoph von Khevenhüller (1503–1557), young George became a councillor at the court of the Habsburg emperor Ferdinand I and his successor Maximilian II. In 1565 he was appointed governor of Carinthia, later also President of the

Inner Austria Inner Austria (; ; ) was a term used from the late 14th to the early 17th century for the Habsburg hereditary lands south of the Semmering Pass, referring to the Imperial duchies of Styria, Carinthia and Carniola and the lands of the Austrian Li ...

n Court Chamber at

Graz Graz () is the capital of the Austrian Federal states of Austria, federal state of Styria and the List of cities and towns in Austria, second-largest city in Austria, after Vienna. On 1 January 2025, Graz had a population of 306,068 (343,461 inc ...

and Court Chamberlain of Archduke

Charles II of Austria Charles II Francis of Austria () (3 June 1540 – 10 July 1590) was an Archduke of Austria and a ruler of Inner Austria (Styria, Carniola, Carinthia and Gorizia) from 1564. He was a member of the House of Habsburg. Biography A native of Vienn ...

. He distinguished himself as an officer in the

Ottoman–Habsburg wars The Ottoman–Habsburg wars were fought from the 16th to the 18th centuries between the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg monarchy, which was at times supported by the Kingdom of Hungary, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Holy Roman Empire, The ...

in the Kingdom of Croatia. On 21 August 1578, Khevenhiller and Ban Krsto Ungnad went from

Slunj Slunj is a town in the mountainous part of Central Croatia, located along the important North-South route to the Adriatic Sea between Karlovac and Plitvice Lakes National Park, on the meeting of the rivers Korana and Slunjčica. Slunj has a popu ...

Bihać Bihać is a city and the administrative centre of Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the banks of river Una (Sava), Una in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina, in th ...

. In Croatia, Khevenhüller is remembered as a very cruel man. From 1579 onwards, he had the City of Karlovac (''Karlstadt''), named in honour of Archduke Charles II, built in order to strengthen the

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

southern defences against Ottoman encroaches. The establishment of the new city was a part of the deal between the Protestant nobility of Inner Austria and the archduke: in exchange for their religious freedom the nobles agreed to finance the building of a new fortress against the Ottoman Empire. The six-pointed star fortress was built on the

Zrinski The House of Zrinski or Zrínyi was a Croatian- Hungarian noble family, a cadet branch of the Croatian noble tribe of Šubić, influential during the period in history marked by the Ottoman wars in Europe in the Kingdom of Croatia's union wit ...

estate near the old town of Dubovac at the confluence of the

Kupa The Kupa () or Kolpa ( or ; from in Roman Empire, Roman times; ) river, a right tributary of the Sava, forms a natural border between north-west Croatia and southeast Slovenia. It is long, with a length of serving as the border between Croati ...

and

Korana The Korana is a river in central Croatia and west Bosnia and Herzegovina. The river has a total length of and watershed area of . The river's name is derived from Proto-Indo-European ''*karr-'' 'rock'. It was recorded in the 13th century as ''Co ...

rivers, on terrain exposed to flooding and disease from unhealthy water, with the intent to hamper the Turkish advance. Khevenhüller supervised work; he had gathered numerous serfs and forced them to build the new fortress. The Croatian writer

Miroslav Krleža Miroslav Krleža (; 7 July 1893 – 29 December 1981) was a Croatian writer who is widely considered to be the greatest Croatian writer of the 20th century. He wrote notable works in all the literary genres, including poetry ('' The Ballads o ...

(1893–1981) wrote a poem named after him as part of his '' Ballads of Petrica Kerempuh'', published in 1936. In his later years, Khevenhüller again took his residence in Carinthia. By his two marriages, he could provide substantial financial resources to acquire the castles of Hochosterwitz and Wernberg by purchase; he had both rebuilt in a lavish

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

style. In 1582 he had Annabichl Castle erected as a residence for his second wife Anna von Thurzo. He also supervised the redevelopment of Klagenfurt as the new Carinthian capital and had a city palace built in

Villach Villach (; ; ; ) is the seventh-largest city in Austria and the second-largest in the federal state of Carinthia. It is an important traffic junction for southern Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the population is 61,887. Together wit ...

about 1570, which however was destroyed in World War II. Georg von Khevenhüller died in Klagenfurt; he is buried in the Saint Jacob's parish church of Villach alongside his uncle Christoph von Khevenhüller.

Family

George was a son of Katharina von Gleinitz zu Glenstätten and her husband Sigismund III Khevenhüller. He had two wives, Sibylla Weitmoser and Anna von Thurzo.''The Lineage and Ancestry of H.R.H. Prince Charles, Prince of Wales'', by Gerald Paget, Vol. II, p. 111. His sister was Salome von Khevenhüller.

References

External links

Georg von Khevenhüller
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khevenhuller, George Austrian generals Austrian untitled nobility Austrian Protestants Karlovac County Duchy of Carinthia 1533 births 1587 deaths Khevenhüller

Life

Family

See also

References

External links