Friedrich Maria Albrecht Wilhelm Karl, Archduke and Prince Imperial of AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.3 million people in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west...
, Prince Royal of HungaryHungary , in English officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Its capital is Budapest. Hungary is a member of OECD, NATO, EU, V4 and is a Schengen state...
and BohemiaBohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands, currently the Czech Republic...
, Duke of Teschen (In German:
Erzherzog Friedrich Maria Albrecht Wilhelm Karl von Österreich-Toskana, Herzog von Teschen) - (4 June 1856, – 30 December 1936) was a member of the House of Habsburg and the Supreme Commander of the
Austro-Hungarian ArmyThe Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy . It was composed of the joint army , the Austrian Landwehr , and the Hungarian Honvédség .Most of Hungarian cavalry, infantry and artillery troops...
during
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
.
Early life
Friedrich was born at the castle Gross-Seelowitz (now
ŽidlochoviceŽidlochovice is a town in Brno-Country District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic.The town covers an area of , and has a population of 3,075....
, near
BrnoBrno is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, located in the southeast of the country. It was founded in 1243, although the area had been settled since the 5th century. As of August 2009 the population is 404,887...
in
MoraviaMoravia is a historical region in central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, one of the former Czech lands. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region.-Geography:...
) the son of Karl Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria and his wife
Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of AustriaElisabeth Franziska Maria, Archduchess of Austria, Princess of Hungary and Bohemia ....
.
Amongst his siblings were
Queen Maria Theresia of BavariaMaria Theresia Henriette Dorothee of Austria-Este was the daughter and only child of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este and his wife, Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria...
,
Queen Maria Cristina of SpainMaria Christina of Austria was the second Queen consort of King Alfonso XII of Spain and was Queen Regent of Spain during the minority of her son Alfonso XIII and during the abeyancy of the throne before his birth, from 25 November 1885 – 7 May 1902.-Biography:Known...
,
Archduke Charles Stephen of AustriaArchduke Charles Stephen of Austria was a member of the House of Habsburg and a Grand Admiral in the Austro-Hungarian Navy.-Family:...
, and
Archduke Eugen of AustriaArchduke Eugen Ferdinand Pius Bernhard Felix Maria of Austria-Teschen was an Archduke of Austria and a Prince of Hungary and Bohemia...
.
When Friedrich's uncle
Archduke Albert, Duke of TeschenErzherzog Albrecht Friedrich Rudolf Dominik, Duke of Teschen was an Austrian Habsburg general. Inspector General for 36 years, he was honored with the rank of Field Marshal in the armies of Austria-Hungary and Germany .-Early life:He was the eldest son of Archduke Charles of Austria, who defeated...
died in 1895, he and his brothers each inherited large estates. Friedrich owned properties at Ungarisch-Altenburg (now
MosonmagyaróvárMosonmagyaróvár is a town in northwestern Hungary, county Győr-Moson-Sopron. The town lies close to the Austrian and Slovakian border and has a population of 30,200 inhabitants ....
in
HungaryHungary , in English officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Its capital is Budapest. Hungary is a member of OECD, NATO, EU, V4 and is a Schengen state...
), Belleje, Saybusch (now
ŻywiecŻywiec is a town in south-central Poland with 32,242 inhabitants . After being part of Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship from 1975 to 1998, it has been part of the Silesian Voivodeship since 1999 and includes one of the eight protected areas in Silesian Voivodeship, called Żywiec Landscape Park.-...
in Poland), Seelowitz (now
ŽidlochoviceŽidlochovice is a town in Brno-Country District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic.The town covers an area of , and has a population of 3,075....
) and
FrýdekFrýdek-Místek is a city in Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It is the administrative center of Frýdek-Místek District. It comprises two formerly independent towns, Frýdek and Místek, divided by the Ostravice River...
in the
Czech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a country in Central Europe that is sometimes considered to be Eastern European. The country borders Poland to the northeast, Germany to the west and northwest, Austria to the south and Slovakia to the east. The capital and largest city is Prague...
, and Pressburg (now
BratislavaBratislava is the capital of the Slovak Republic and, with a population of about 429,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River...
in
SlovakiaThe Slovak Republic is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe with a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia borders the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south. The largest city is its capital, Bratislava...
). His
ViennaVienna is the capital of the Republic of Austria and also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre. It is the 10th largest city by...
residence, the Palais-Albrecht, housed the
AlbertinaThe Albertina is a museum in the Innere Stadt of Vienna, Austria. It houses one of the largest and most important print rooms in the world with approximately 65,000 drawings and approximately 1 million old master prints, as well as more modern graphic works, photographs and architectural drawings...
art collection which he owned.
Marriage
On 8 October 1878 Friedrich married at Château L'Hermitage in
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
Princess Isabella of CroÿPrincess Isabella Hedwig Franziska Natalie of Croÿ was the daughter of Rudolf, Duke of Croÿ, and his wife Princess Natalie of Ligne.-Marriage and issue:...
(1856 - 1931), daughter of Rudolf,
Duke of CroÿThe House of Croÿ is an international family of European mediatized nobility which held a seat in the Imperial Diet from 1486, and was elevated to the rank of Imperial Princes in 1594...
, and his wife Princess Natalie of
LigneThe Princes de Ligne is one of the most prestigious Belgian noble titles. It goes back to the eleventh century and owes its name at the village in which it originated, between Ath and Tournai. The lords of Ligne belong to the entourage of the Count of Hainaut at the time of the crusades...
. They had nine children together.
- Maria Christina, Archduchess of Austria-Teschen (1879-1962), married Prince Manuel of Salm-Salm
- Maria Anna, Archduchess of Austria-Teschen
Archduchess Maria Anna Isabelle Epiphanie Eugenie Gabriele of Austria, full German name: Maria Anna Isabelle Epiphanie Eugenie Gabriele, Erzherzogin von Österreich was a member of the Teschen branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine and an Archduchess of Austria and...
(1882-1940), married Elias, Duke of ParmaElias, Duke of Parma and Piacenza was the head of the House of Bourbon-Parma and the titular duke of Parma from 1950 to 1959...
- Maria Henrietta, Archduchess of Austria-Teschen(1883-1956), married Prince Gottfried of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingfurst
- Natalie Maria, Archduchess of Austria-Teschen (1884-1898)
- Stephanie Maria Isabelle, Archduchess of Austria-Teschen (1886-1890)
- Gabriele Maria Theresia, Archduchess of Austria-Teschen (1887-1954)
- Isabella, Archduchess of Austria-Teschen (1887-1973), married Prince Georg of Bavaria
Prince Georg of Bavaria was a member of the Bavarian Royal House of Wittelsbach and a Catholic priest.-Birth and family:...
- Maria Alice, Archduchess of Austria-Teschen (1893-1962), married Baron Friedrich Waldbott von Bassenheim
- Albrecht Franz, Archduke of Austria, Duke of Teschen (1897-1955)
Military career
On 11 July 1914 Friedrich was appointed Supreme Commander of the
Austro-Hungarian ArmyThe Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy . It was composed of the joint army , the Austrian Landwehr , and the Hungarian Honvédség .Most of Hungarian cavalry, infantry and artillery troops...
by Emperor
Franz Joseph IFranz Joseph I , reigned as Emperor of Austria and King of Bohemia from 1848 until 1916 and as King of Hungary and Crotia from 1848 until 1916 .-Early life:Franz Joseph was born in the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, the oldest son of...
; it was thought that he would not interfere with the operational and tactical talents of
Franz Graf Conrad von HötzendorfCount Francis Conrad von Hötzendorf . was an Austrian soldier and Chief of the General Staff of the Austro-Hungarian Army at the outbreak of World War I.-Biography:...
. He was promoted to the rank of
GeneralfeldmarschallGeneralfeldmarschall was a rank in the armies of several German states and the Holy Roman Empire; in the Austrian Empire, the rank Feldmarschall was used...
on 8 December 1914. Friedrich remained Supreme Commander until February 1917 when Emperor Charles I decided to take the office himself.
Retirement and death
After World War I the governments of Austria and Czechoslovakia confiscated all of Friedrich's properties within their borders. These included his palace in Vienna and his art collection. He retained his properties in Hungary however. In 1929 he won a court case requiring compensation from the Czechoslovak government.
Friedrich died at Ungarisch-Altenburg (now
MosonmagyaróvárMosonmagyaróvár is a town in northwestern Hungary, county Győr-Moson-Sopron. The town lies close to the Austrian and Slovakian border and has a population of 30,200 inhabitants ....
) in 1936.His death was the biggest royal event for
HungaryHungary , in English officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Its capital is Budapest. Hungary is a member of OECD, NATO, EU, V4 and is a Schengen state...
since the coronation of King Karl in 1916. The funeral was attended by his nephew, the exiled King of Spain; by numerous archdukes; by all the surviving Austro-Hungarian Feldmarshals; by personal representatives of Hitler; by members of the House of Savoy; by the diplomatic corps; by a son of exiled German Kaiser Wilhelm ; by representatives of the governments of Germany, Italy and Austria, and by Hungary's Regent,
Miklós HorthyMiklós Horthy de Nagybánya was the Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary during the interwar years and throughout most of World War II, serving from 1 March 1920 to 15 October 1944...
and his wife. There were members of the Hungarian government and delegates of the German and Austrian in attendance as well. Entire battalions of the Hungarian army was present to pay their last respects to their former Supreme Commander.
Ancestry
External links