The House of Koháry () was the name of an ancient and wealthy Hungarian noble family with seats at Csábrág and Szitnya (now Čabraď and Sitno Castle) and the palace of Szentantal (now Svätý Anton,

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

History

Origin

The origin of the family is in

Zala County Zala (, ; ; ) is an administrative county (Counties of Hungary, comitatus or ''vármegye'') in south-western Hungary. It is named after the Zala River. It shares borders with Croatia (Koprivnica–Križevci County, Koprivnica–Križevci and Me� ...

in Hungary. In 1470, a "Georg Koháry" is mentioned in the court of King Matthias I Corvinus. The first notable member of the family was Peter Koháry (1564–1629), who was rewarded as the Baron of Csábrág by Emperor Ferdinand II and became commander of the fortress of Érsekújvár. His son Stephan I Koháry (1616–1664) fought against the Turks and died in the battle of Léva. Koháry I István-Widemann.jpg, Stephan (Istvan) Kohary (1616–1664)

Counts and generals

In 1685, Stephan II Koháry (1649–1731) became the first

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 his family. He fought against the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

and the Kuruc. After his death, his fortune went to his nephew Andreas Koháry (1694–1757). All Kohárys had been officers and generals of 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 ...

emperors. Portrait of István Koháry 18. c..jpg, Stephan II Koháry (1649–1731) Koháry Farkas-001.png, Wolfgang Koháry (1654–1704) Koháry András József.png, Andreas Koháry (1694–1757) Koháry Miklós.png, Nikolaus Koháry (1721–1769) Koháry Ignác József-001.jpg, Ignaz Josef Koháry (1726–1777)

Princely title

On 15 November 1815, the head of the house, Ferenc József Koháry (1760–1826), who served as the Hungarian Chancellor, was given the title of ''

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 ...

von Koháry'' (Prince of Koháry) by Emperor

Francis I of Austria Francis II and I (; 12 February 1768 – 2 March 1835) was the last Holy Roman Emperor as Francis II from 1792 to 1806, and the first Emperor of Austria as Francis I from 1804 to 1835. He was also King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia, and served ...

House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry

Upon the death of Ferenc József, his only surviving child, a daughter named Mária Antónia (1797–1862), was proclaimed "heiress of the name" (''fíúsított''). When she married in 1816 (January 2), her husband

Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Prince Ferdinand Georg August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (28 March 1785 – 27 August 1851) was a German prince of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and a general of cavalry in the Austrian Imperial and Royal Army during the Napoleonic Wars. Initia ...

took the name '' Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry''. Among the descendants of Mária Antónia and Ferdinand are the last emperor of Austria ( Charles I), the last four kings of Portugal (

Pedro V Dom (honorific), Dom Pedro V (; 16 September 1837 – 11 November 1861), nicknamed "the Hopeful" (), was King of Portugal from 1853 until his death in 1861. Early life and reign As the eldest son of Maria II of Portugal, Queen Maria II and ...

, Luís I, Carlos I, Manuel II), and the last three

tsar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...

s of Bulgaria ( Ferdinand I,

Boris III Boris III (; 28 August 1943), originally Boris Klemens Robert Maria Pius Ludwig Stanislaus Xaver (Boris Clement Robert Mary Pius Louis Stanislaus Xavier), was the Tsar of the Kingdom of Bulgaria from 1918 until his death in 1943. The eldest son ...

, Simeon II). Koháry_Ferenc_József.jpg, Ferenc József Koháry, first Prince von Koháry. Maria Antónia Koháry.jpg, Maria Antonia Koháry, his daughter and heiress. Kohary zu Csabrag - Tyroff AT.jpg, Princely arms

Notable members of the family

* István Koháry (1649–1731) * Ferenc József Koháry, ''Fürst von Koháry de Csábrág et Szitnya'' (1767–1826) * Maria Antonia Koháry (1797–1862)

Koháry palaces

The Kohárys belonged among the

magnate The term magnate, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...

s of Hungary. Their holdings were calculated to be around 150,000 hectares, making Princess Maria Antonia Koháry one the richest heiresses in Europe at the time of her marriage to

. Csábrág - Borovszky.jpg,

Čabraď castle Čabraď Castle (, ) is a castle ruin in Slovakia near the village of Čabradský Vrbovok, in the southeast of Krupina. It is surrounded by the Čabraď (nature reserve), Čabraď nature reserve. Origins First mentioned in 1276, Litava Castle, a ...

, 1622 feoffed to Peter Koháry Sitno - hrad.jpg, Sitno Castle feoffed 1629 to Peter Koháry, destroyed 1703 during

Rákóczi's War of Independence Rákóczi's War of Independence (1703–1711) was the first significant attempt to topple the rule of the Habsburgs over Royal Hungary, Hungary. The war was conducted by a group of noblemen, wealthy and high-ranking progressives and was led by F ...

Svaty anton.jpg, palace of Svätý Anton Schloss Coburg in Ebenthal 02.jpg, Ebenthal, Lower Austria, acquired 1722 by Count Andreas Koháry. Schloss Walterskirchen.jpg, Walterskirchen castle near Poysdorf, Lower Austria, acquired 1733 by Count Andreas Koháry. Dürnkrut - Schloss (2).JPG, Dürnkrut, Austria, acquired 1779

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kohary, House of Austrian noble families * House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Bulgaria)