Maximilian Graf von Götzen-Iturbide (Maximilian Gustav Albrecht Richard Augustin

Graf (; feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility and later also of the Russian nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title ...

von Götzen-Iturbide; 2 March 1944) is a Hungarian-born businessman. He is the current head of the Imperial House of Mexico, since the death of his grandmother, María de Iturbide, in November 1949. He is a great-great-great-grandson of Emperor Agustín I of Mexico.

Life and career

Götzen was born in Beszterce,

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

(now

Bistrița (; , archaic , Transylvanian Saxon: , ) is the capital city of Bistrița-Năsăud County, in northern Transylvania, Romania. It is situated on the Bistrița River. The city has a population of 78,877 inhabitants as of 2021 and administers s ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

), the son of Baroness Maria Gizela Tunkl von Aschbrunn und Hohenstadt and her second husband Count Gustav von Götzen. His maternal grandmother, María Josepha Sophia de Iturbide, was the eldest child of Prince Salvador de Iturbide, a grandson of

Agustín de Iturbide Agustín Cosme Damián de Iturbide y Arámburu (; 27 September 178319 July 1824), commonly known as Agustín de Iturbide and later by his regnal name Agustín I, was the first Emperor of Mexico from 1822 until his abdication in 1823. An offi ...

, Emperor of Mexico, and an adopted son of

Emperor Maximilian I Maximilian I (22 March 1459 – 12 January 1519) was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1508 until his death in 1519. He was never crowned by the Pope, as the journey to Rome was blocked by the Venetians. He proclaimed hi ...

. By permission of the Hungarian Interior Ministry, the children of Baroness Maria Gizela and Count Gustav were allowed to use the surname Götzen-Iturbide, while Götzen's given names reflect his lineage from Mexico's two emperors. Götzen is married to Annette Rosemarie Radtke and they have two children. He has a younger sister, Emanuela "Emma" von Götzen-Iturbide (born 12 September 1945), Mrs. Patrick F. P. MacAulay. In the years following the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the family settled in South America, and Götzen's father died in 1956 in

Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

. Three years later, in

Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

, his mother married thirdly Ottavio della Porta. The family eventually moved to Australia. Götzen was educated at Hawtreys in England. He has worked as a stockbroker and has real estate business interests in

Morelia Morelia (; from 1545 to 1828 known as Valladolid; Otomi language, Otomi: ) is a city and municipal seat of the municipalities of Mexico, municipality of Morelia in the north-central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. It is both th ...

and

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...

Mexican Imperial House

Götzen does not pursue any claim to the throne and has said his only political interest is the legacy and reputation of his ancestor Augustin de Iturbide, the leader of Mexico's independence movement. Despite Götzen not actively pursuing any claim himself, social media users claiming to be Mexican monarchists have posted their support of his claim.

Genealogy

Relation to the Mexican emperors

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Götzen-Iturbide, Maximilian von 1944 births Counts in Germany German nobility Mexican nobility Mexican monarchy Living people People educated at Hawtreys People from Bistrița Mexican expatriates in Australia Mexican people of German descent Mexican people of Hungarian descent