Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este (given names: ''Robert Karl Ludwig Maximilian Michael Maria Anton Franz Ferdinand Joseph Otto Hubert Georg Pius Johannes Marcus d'Aviano''; 8 February 1915 – 7 February 1996), was the second son of

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

, (

beatified Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the ...

) last Emperor of Austria-Hungary, and Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma. He was also known as Robert Karl Erzherzog von Österreich.

Archduke of Austria-Este

On 16 April 1917, at the age of two, his father the Emperor ceded the title of Archduke of

Austria-Este The House of Habsburg-Este (), also known as the House of Austria-Este () and holder of the title of Archduke of Austria-Este (; ), is a cadet branch (but not sovereign branch) of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, which originally also descended fr ...

in Robert's favour. Archduke Robert was thereby chosen to preserve, in the form of a distinct

secundogeniture A secundogeniture (from 'following, second', and 'born') was a dependent territory given to a younger son of a princely house and his descendants, creating a cadet branch.Luard, Evan. The Balance of Power: The System of International Relations, ...

, the Habsburg-Lorraine representation of the once-sovereign

Duchy of Modena A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a country, territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or queen in Western European tradition. There once existed an important difference between "sovereign ...

which had belonged to the

House of Este The House of Este ( , , ) is a European dynasty of North Italian origin whose members ruled parts of Italy and Germany for many centuries. The original House of Este's elder branch, which is known as the House of Welf, included dukes of Bavaria ...

. He was thus made heir to his assassinated relative

Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria of Austria (18 December 1863 – 28 June 1914) was the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary. His Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassination in Sarajevo was the ...

(1863–1914), who had inherited in 1875 the Austria-Este designation and what had been salvaged of the Este fortune when the duchy was

annexed Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held to ...

to Italy in 1860.

Family

Archduke Robert married Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta (7 April 1930 – 10 January 2022, elder daughter of the late Amadeo, 3rd Duke of Aosta) on 28 December 1953 in

Bourg-en-Bresse Bourg-en-Bresse (; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. Located northeast of Lyon, it is the capital of the ancient Provinces of France, province of Bresse (). I ...

Ain Ain (, ; ) is a French department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Eastern France. Named after the Ain river, it is bordered by the Saône and Rhône rivers. Ain is located on the country's eastern edge, on the Swiss border, where it ...

, France (civilly) and 29 December 1953, in

Brou, Eure-et-Loir Brou is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. Population See also *Communes of the Eure-et-Loir department References External links Official site*Félix Charpentier Félix Charpentier (; 10 January 1858 in Boll� ...

, France (religiously).
The couple had five children: * Archduchess Maria Beatrice (born 11 December 1954) married on 26 April 1980 in Chartres Count Riprand of Arco-Zinneberg, a great-grandson of the last Bavarian king, Ludwig III and of

Maria Theresia, Archduchess of Austria-Este Maria Theresa Henriette Dorothea of Austria-Este (also ''Marie Therese''; 2 July 1849 – 3 February 1919) was the last Queen of Bavaria. She was the only child of Archduke Ferdinand Karl Viktor of Austria-Este and Archduchess Elisabeth Fr ...

. They have six daughters: ** Countess Anna Theresa von und zu Arco-Zinneberg (born 1981) married on 29 September 2018, at

Niederaltaich Abbey Niederaltaich Abbey (Abtei or Kloster Niederaltaich) is a house of the Benedictine Order founded in 741, situated in the village of Niederalteich on the Danube in Bavaria. Foundation and early history After its foundation in 741 by Duke Odilo, D ...

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

, Colin McKenzie (born 1976). They have three children. ** Countess Margherita von und zu Arco-Zinneberg (born 1983) married on 19 March 2022, in

Moos, Bavaria Moos () is a municipality in the district of Deggendorf in Bavaria in Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alp ...

, Charles Douglas Green (born 1981) ** Countess Olympia von und zu Arco-Zinneberg (born 1988) married on 17 October 2019, in

Neuilly-sur-Seine Neuilly-sur-Seine (; 'Neuilly-on-Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is an urban Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department just west of Paris in France. Immediately adjacent to the city, north of the ...

, France,

Jean-Christophe, Prince Napoléon Jean-Christophe, Prince Napoléon, Prince of Montfort (born ''Jean-Christophe Louis Ferdinand Albéric Napoléon Bonaparte''; 11 July 1986) is a French businessman and the disputed head of the Imperial House of France, and as such the heir of ...

(born 1986). They have one son. *** Louis Charles Napoleon (7 December 2022) ** Countess Maximiliana von und zu Arco-Zinneberg (born 1990) married on 17 May 2023, in Moos, Bavaria, Byron Houdayer (born 1986) ** Countess Marie Gabrielle von und zu Arco-Zinneberg (born 1992), who is a

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...

opera singer ** Countess Giorgiana von und zu Arco-Zinneberg (born 1997) *

Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este (born 16 December 1955) is a member of the Belgian royal family as the husband of Princess Astrid of Belgium. He is the head of the House of Austria-Este, a cadet branch of the House of Habsbu ...

(born 16 December 1955) married on 22 September 1984 at Brussels,

Princess Astrid of Belgium Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 5 June 1962), is the second child and first daughter of King Albert II and Queen Paola, and the younger sister to the current Belgian monarch, King Philippe. She is married to Pr ...

(born 1962), daughter of Albert II, King of the Belgians.Enache, Nicolas. ''La Descendance de Marie-Therese de Habsburg''. ICC, Paris, 1996. pp. 44–45,50. FrenchGenealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Furstlicher Hauser Bande XVI, C.A. Starke Verlag, ''Haus Osterreich'', Limburg, 2001, pp. 91–92. German They have five children: ** Prince Amedeo of Belgium, Hereditary Archduke of Austria-Este (born 1986) married Elisabetta Rosboch von Wolkenstein on 5 July 2014 in Rome, Italy.Prins Amedeo en Lili trouwen in de zon
/ref> They have three children. *** Princess Anna Astrid (17 May 2016) *** Prince Maximilian (6 September 2019) *** Princess Alix (2 September 2023) ** Princess Maria Laura of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 1988) married William Isvy (born 1991) on 10 September 2022 in Brussels, Belgium. They have one son: *** Albert Isvy (26 January 2025) **

Prince Joachim of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 5 June 1962), is the second child and first daughter of King Albert II and Queen Paola, and the younger sister to the current Belgian monarch, King Philippe. She is married to Pr ...

(born 1991) ** Princess Luisa Maria of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 1995) ** Princess Laetitia Maria of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 2003) * Archduke Gerhard (born 30 October 1957) married in 2015 Iris Jandrasits (born 1961). * Archduke Martin (born 21 December 1959) married in 2004 Princess Katharina of Isenburg, sister of

Sophie, Princess of Prussia Sophie, Princess of Prussia (born Princess Sophie Johanna Maria of Isenburg; 7 March 1978) is married to Georg Friedrich Prinz von Preussen, head of the formerly-ruling House of Hohenzollern. Early life and education Sophie Johanna Maria of Ise ...

and Isabelle, Princess of Wied. They have four children: ** Archduke Bartholomaeus of Austria (2006) ** Archduke Emmanuel of Austria (2008) ** Archduchess Helene of Austria (2009) ** Archduke Luigi of Austria (2011) * Archduchess Isabella (born 2 March 1963) married in 1997 Count Andrea Czarnocki-Lucheschi. They have four children: ** Alvise Czarnocki-Lucheschi (1999) ** Carlo Amedeo Czarnocki-Lucheschi (2000) ** Maria Anna Czarnocki-Lucheschi (2002) ** Alessandro Czarnocki-Lucheschi (2004)

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robert of Austria-Este, Archduke House of Austria-Este 20th-century House of Habsburg Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria 1915 births 1996 deaths Austrian princes Sons of emperors Child pretenders Children of Charles I of Austria Sons of kings Exiled royalty