Weriand Alois Leopold Ulrich Johann Paul, Prince of Windisch-Graetz (31 May 1790 – 27 October 1867), was a Slovenian-Austrian prince and landowner.

Early life

He was the third, but second surviving, son of Duchess Maria Leopoldine Franziska of

Arenberg Arenberg, also spelled as Aremberg or Ahremberg, is a former county, principality and finally duchy that was located in what is now Germany. The Dukes of Arenberg remain a prominent Belgian noble family. History First mentioned in the 12th c ...

(1751–1812) and Count

Joseph Nicholas of Windisch-Graetz Joseph Louis Nicholas, Count of Windisch-Graetz, Baron of Waldstein and Thal (6 December 1744 – 24 January 1802) was a nobleman, a member of the House of Windisch-Graetz, and was chamberlain (office), chamberlain to Archduchess Marie Antoinette ...

. His elder sister, Countess Sophie Luise Wilhelmine of Windisch-Graetz, married Prince Karl of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg (the son of

Dominic Constantine, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort Dominic Constantine, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort (16 May 1762 – 18 April 1814) was the fourth and last reigning Prince of the Rochefort line of the House of Löwenstein-Wertheim. Early life Dominic Constantine was born in Nancy ...

).Harald Stockert: ''Adel im Übergang. Die Fürsten und Grafen von Löwenstein-Wertheim zwischen Landesherrschaft und Standesherrschaft'', Kohlhammer Verlag, Stuttgart, 2000, His elder surviving brother was

Alfred I, Prince of Windisch-Grätz General Alfred Candidus Ferdinand, Prince of Windischgrätz (; 11 May 178721 March 1862), a member of an old Austro- Bohemian House of Windischgrätz, was a Field Marshal in the Austrian army. He is most noted for his service during the Napo ...

, who married Princess Marie Eleonore Philippine Luise of Schwarzenberg (daughter of Prince Josef Johann of Schwarzenberg), and was raised to the rank of

prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

in 1804. His paternal grandparents were Count Leopold Carl Joseph of Windish-Graetz and Countess Maria Antonia Josepha von Khevenhüller. As his grandfather died young, his father was the heir of his great-grandfather, Count Leopold Johann Victorin Windisch-Graetz (who owned

Červená Lhota Castle Červená Lhota () is a Renaissance architecture, Renaissance castle in the South Bohemian Region, Czech Republic. It lies in the village of Červená Lhota in the Pluhův Žďár municipality, about northwest of Jindřichův Hradec. It stands a ...

in Southern Bohemia and the Trautmannsdorf an der Leitha estate in

Lower Austria Lower Austria ( , , abbreviated LA or NÖ) is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Major cities are Amstetten, Lower Austria, Amstetten, Krems an der Donau, Wiener Neustadt and Sankt Pölten, which ...

). His maternal grandparents were

Charles Marie Raymond, 5th Duke of Arenberg Charles Marie Raymond d'Arenberg (Enghien, 1 April 1721 – Enghien, 17 August 1778) was the fifth Duke of Arenberg, 11th Duke of Aarschot and an Austrian field marshal. Biography Charles Marie was the eldest son of Duke Leopold Philippe of A ...

and the former Countess Louise Margarethe von der Marck-Schleiden (a daughter of Count Louis Engelbert von der Marck-Schleiden).''Encyclopædia Britannica'', Vol.2, 452

Career

Like his elder brother had been in 1804, he was raised to the rank of hereditary

in 1822. From the assets of his mother's estate, he acquired numerous castles in what is now

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

, some of which he soon sold again. His main residences were Haasberg Castle in

Carniola Carniola ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region that comprised parts of present-day Slovenia. Although as a whole it does not exist anymore, Slovenes living within the former borders of the region still tend to identify with its traditional parts Upp ...

(now Planina, Slovenia) and Gonobitz Castle (now

Slovenske Konjice Slovenske Konjice (; , in older sources also ''Gannobitz'') is a town in northeastern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Slovenske Konjice. The area is part of the traditional region of Lower Styria, Styria. History and town sights ...

, Slovenia), which he acquired in 1826 and which also included the Seiz Carthusian monastery. For a short time he owned Žamberk Castle with

Helvíkovice Helvíkovice () is a municipality and village in Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 500 inhabitants. Administrative division Helvíkovice consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population ...

, Podsreda Castle in

Kozje Kozje (, ) is a small town in eastern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Kozje. The settlement of Kozje lies in the centre of the municipality, from Celje, from Ljubljana, and from Rogaška Slatina. It is the main settlement of the ...

Predjama Castle image:Höhlenburg Predjama in Slovenien.jpg, 300px, Predjama Castle Predjama Castle ( or , German language, German: '':de:Höhlenburg Predjama, Höhlenburg Lueg'', ) is a Renaissance castle built within a cave mouth in south-central Slovenia, in t ...

in 1846, and Wagensberg Castle (now Bogenšperk in

Litija Litija (; ''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, pp. 90, 92–93.) is a town in the Litija Basin in central Slovenia. It is the seat of the Mu ...

, Slovenia) in 1853.

Personal life

On 11 October 1812 at Vienna, Windisch-Graetz was married to Princess Maria Eleonore Karolina von

Lobkowicz The House of Lobkowicz (''Lobkovicové'' in modern Czech, sg. ''z Lobkovic''; ''Lobkowitz'' in German) is an important Bohemian noble family that dates back to the 14th century and is one of the oldest noble families of the region. Over the ce ...

(1795–1876), a daughter of Joseph Franz Maximilian, 7th Prince of Lobkowicz and Princess Maria Karolina von Schwarzenberg (a daughter of ). Together, they were the parents of: * Prince ''Karl'' Vincenz Weriand Joseph Gabriel of Windisch-Graetz (1821–1859), who married his cousin, Princess Mathilde of Windisch-Graetz, daughter of

, in 1857; he was killed at the

Battle of Solferino The Battle of Solferino (referred to in Italy as the Battle of Solferino and San Martino) on 24 June 1859 resulted in the victory of the allied Second French Empire, French army under Napoleon III and the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, Piedmont- ...

during the

Second Italian War of Independence The Second Italian War of Independence, also called the Sardinian War, the Austro-Sardinian War, the Franco-Austrian War, or the Italian War of 1859 (Italian: ''Seconda guerra d'indipendenza italiana''; German: ''Sardinischer Krieg''; French: ...

. * Prince ''Hugo'' Alfred Adolf Philipp of Windisch-Graetz (1823–1904), who married Duchess Luise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, a daughter of

Paul Frederick, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Paul Friedrich (15 September 1800 – 7 March 1842) ruled as Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1837 to 1842. Early life Paul Friedrich was born in Ludwigslust on 15 September 1800. He was the son of Friedrich Ludwig, Hereditary Grand Duke ...

and Princess Alexandrine of Prussia, in 1849. After her death in 1859, he married Princess Matilda Radziwill, the daughter of Prince Friedrich Wilhelm Radziwill, 14th Duke of

Nieśwież Nyasvizh or Nesvizh is a town in Minsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative centre of Nyasvizh District. Nyasvizh is the site of Nesvizh Castle, a World Heritage Site. In 2009, its population was 14,300. As of 2025, it has a populat ...

(eldest son of Prince

Antoni Radziwiłł Prince Antoni Henryk Radziwiłł (; 13 June 1775 – 7 April 1833) was a Polish and Kingdom of Prussia, Prussian szlachta, noble, magnate, aristocrat, musician, and politician. Initially a hereditary Duke of Nesvizh, Nieśwież and Olyka, Oł ...

), and Princess Mathilde Christina of

Clary-Aldringen The House of Clary und Aldringen, also known as Clary-Aldringen, is one of the most prominent Austro-Hungarian princely families. Originally from Friuli, Northern Italy, one branch of the family moved to the County of Tyrol around 1500 and to the ...

, in 1867. * Princess ''Gabriele'' Marianne Caroline Aglae of Windisch-Graetz (1824–1917), who married Count Friedrich Wilhelm Edmund von Schönburg-Glauchau, a son of Count Heinrich Gottlob Otto Ernest von Schönburg-Glauchau, and Princess Marie Klementine von Schönburg-Waldenburg, in 1852. * Prince ''Ernst'' Ferdinand Weriand of Windisch-Graetz (1827–1918), who married Princess Camilla of

Oettingen-Oettingen The House of Oettingen was a high-ranking noble Franconian and Swabian family. It ruled various estates that composed the County of Oettingen between the 12th century and the beginning of the 19th century. In 1674 the house was raised to the rank ...

, a daughter of Prince Otto Carl of Oettingen-Oettingen and Oettingen-Spielberg, and Countess Georgine of

Königsegg-Aulendorf Königsegg-Aulendorf was a county of southeastern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was created in 1622 as a baronial partition of the Barony of Königsegg, and it was raised to a county in 1629. By 1806, the territories of Königsegg-Aulendorf w ...

, in 1870. * Prince ''Robert'' Johann Joseph of Windisch-Graetz (1831–1913), who died unmarried. Prince Weriand died at Haasberg Castle on 27 October 1867. As he was predeceased by his eldest son, who died without male issue, his second son, Hugo, became the 2nd Prince of Windisch-Graetz.

Descendants

Through his son Hugo, he was a grandfather of Hugo, 3rd Prince of Windisch-Graetz, who married Princess Christiane von Auersperg (a daughter of Prince Vincenz von Auersperg); Princess Alexandrine (wife of Count Rudolf von Khevenhüller-Metsch), Princess Olga (wife of Andreas Mocenigo), and Princess Marie (who married her first cousin,

Duke Paul Frederick of Mecklenburg Duke Paul Frederick of Mecklenburg (; 19 September 1852 – 17 May 1923) was a member of the House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and general of the Mecklenburg cavalry. Life Duke Paul Frederick was born in Ludwigslust Castle as the second eldes ...

); Prince Ernst Wilhelm; Princess Aloisia Maria Mathilde; and Princess Elisabeth Maria Mathilde.

Ancestry

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Windisch-Graetz, Weriand 1790 births 1867 deaths 19th-century Austrian nobility Windisch-Gratz Windisch-Gratz Weriand People from the Kingdom of Bohemia