Archduke Leopold Ferdinand, Prince of Tuscany
Encyclopedia
Archduke Leopold Ferdinand of Austria (2 December 1868 – 4 July 1935) was the eldest son of Ferdinand IV, Grand Duke of Tuscany
, and Alice of Bourbon-Parma.
on a sea voyage through the Suez Canal
and on to India
and Australia
. The relationship between the two Archdukes was extremely bad and their permanent attempts to outdo and humiliate the other one led the Kaiser Franz Joseph to order Leopold Ferdinand to return to Austria immediately. He left the ship in Sydney
and went back to Europe. He was dismissed from the Austro-Hungarian Navy
and entered an infantry regiment at Brno
. Eventually he was appointed colonel of the 81st Regiment FZM Baron von Waldstätten.
Leopold fell in love with a prostitute, Wilhelmine Adamovicz, whom he met for the first time in Augarten - a park in Vienna (some other sources claim their first meeting took place in Olmütz). His parents offered him 100,000 florins on condition that he leave his mistress. He refused to do so and instead decided the renounce the crown in order to be able to marry her.
had agreed to a request by Leopold to renounce his rank as an archduke. His name was removed from the roll of the Order of the Golden Fleece
and from the army list. He took the name Leopold Wölfling after a peak in the Ore Mountains
. He was forbidden from entering Austrian lands and became a Swiss citizen. He was given a gift of 200,000 florins as well as a further 30,000 florins as income from his parents.
After World War I
Wölfling's allowance from his family stopped. He returned to Austria and opened a delicatessen store in Vienna
where he sold salami and olive oil. He also tried his hand as a tourist guide in the royal castle and palaces in Vienna and was very well received by his audiences. Unfortunately, the interest his person awoke in Austrian capital proved to be too much for the ex-Archduke and he fled the city again. After that he lived in Berlin, Germany. Here he worked few menial jobs: provided a live commentary to a silent film about the Habsburgs, acted in a cabaret and wrote memoirs.
Wölfling married three times:
Published books:
Wölfling died on July, 4th 1935 in Berlin
. His grave is preserved in the Protestant Friedhof III der Jerusalems- und Neuen Kirchengemeinde (Cemetery No. III of the congregations of Jerusalem's Church
and New Church
) in Berlin-Kreuzberg
, south of Hallesches Tor
.
Ferdinand IV, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Ferdinand IV, Grand Duke of Tuscany was the last Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1859 to 1860. The House of Habsburg-Lorraine continued to hold the title as pretenders until the end of World War I.-Biography:...
, and Alice of Bourbon-Parma.
Early life
In 1892 and 1893 Leopold accompanied Archduke Franz Ferdinand of AustriaArchduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
Franz Ferdinand was an Archduke of Austria-Este, Austro-Hungarian and Royal Prince of Hungary and of Bohemia, and from 1889 until his death, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne. His assassination in Sarajevo precipitated Austria-Hungary's declaration of war against Serbia...
on a sea voyage through the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
and on to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The relationship between the two Archdukes was extremely bad and their permanent attempts to outdo and humiliate the other one led the Kaiser Franz Joseph to order Leopold Ferdinand to return to Austria immediately. He left the ship in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and went back to Europe. He was dismissed from the Austro-Hungarian Navy
Austro-Hungarian Navy
The Austro-Hungarian Navy was the naval force of Austria-Hungary. Its official name in German was Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine , abbreviated as k.u.k. Kriegsmarine....
and entered an infantry regiment at Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
. Eventually he was appointed colonel of the 81st Regiment FZM Baron von Waldstätten.
Leopold fell in love with a prostitute, Wilhelmine Adamovicz, whom he met for the first time in Augarten - a park in Vienna (some other sources claim their first meeting took place in Olmütz). His parents offered him 100,000 florins on condition that he leave his mistress. He refused to do so and instead decided the renounce the crown in order to be able to marry her.
Renunciation of title
On 29 December 1902 it was announced that the Emperor Franz Joseph I of AustriaFranz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I was Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Croatia, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Galicia and Lodomeria and Grand Duke of Cracow from 1848 until his death in 1916.In the December of 1848, Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria abdicated the throne as part of...
had agreed to a request by Leopold to renounce his rank as an archduke. His name was removed from the roll of the Order of the Golden Fleece
Order of the Golden Fleece
The Order of the Golden Fleece is an order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Infanta Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King John I of Portugal. It evolved as one of the most prestigious orders in Europe...
and from the army list. He took the name Leopold Wölfling after a peak in the Ore Mountains
Ore Mountains
The Ore Mountains in Central Europe have formed a natural border between Saxony and Bohemia for many centuries. Today, the border between Germany and the Czech Republic runs just north of the main crest of the mountain range...
. He was forbidden from entering Austrian lands and became a Swiss citizen. He was given a gift of 200,000 florins as well as a further 30,000 florins as income from his parents.
After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Wölfling's allowance from his family stopped. He returned to Austria and opened a delicatessen store in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
where he sold salami and olive oil. He also tried his hand as a tourist guide in the royal castle and palaces in Vienna and was very well received by his audiences. Unfortunately, the interest his person awoke in Austrian capital proved to be too much for the ex-Archduke and he fled the city again. After that he lived in Berlin, Germany. Here he worked few menial jobs: provided a live commentary to a silent film about the Habsburgs, acted in a cabaret and wrote memoirs.
Wölfling married three times:
- Wilhelmine Adamovicz (1877–1908) (married: 27.01.1903 in Vevrier, divorced in 1907.) Her memoirs: Wilhelmine Wölfling-Adamovic, Meine Memoiren. Berlin: Hermann Walther Verlagsbuchhandling, 1908.
- Maria Magdalena Ritter (1876–1924) (married: 26.10.1907 in Zürich, left her in 1916.)
- Klara Hedwig Pawlowski, born Klara Hedwig Gröger (1894–1978) (married: 03.07.1933 in Berlin.)
Published books:
- Habsburger Unter Sich – Freimütige Aufzeichnungen Eines Ehemaliges Erzherzogs, Berlin-Wilmensdorf: Goldschmidt-Gabrielli, 1921.
- Czech translation: Habsburkové ve vlastním zrcadle: životní vzpomínky, Prague: Šolc a Šimáček, 1921 and Poslední Habsburkové: vzpomínky a úvahy, Prague, Fr. Borový, 1924.
- No known English translation.
- Als Ich Herzog War. Meine Erinnerungen, Berlin: Selle und Eysler, 1935.
- English translation: My Life Story: From Archduke to Grocer, London: Hutchinson, 1930. An American edition published in 1931 in New York by Dutton, reprinted in 2007 by Kessinger PublishingKessinger PublishingKessinger Publishing is a publisher that offers for reprint rare, out of print and out of copyright books originally issued by other publishers. They are located in Whitefish, Montana.The original dates of publication of the titles are usually prior to ca...
, ISBN 1432593633. - French translation published in 1937 in Paris by Payot.
- English translation: My Life Story: From Archduke to Grocer, London: Hutchinson, 1930. An American edition published in 1931 in New York by Dutton, reprinted in 2007 by Kessinger Publishing
Wölfling died on July, 4th 1935 in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. His grave is preserved in the Protestant Friedhof III der Jerusalems- und Neuen Kirchengemeinde (Cemetery No. III of the congregations of Jerusalem's Church
Jerusalem's Church
Jerusalem's Church is one of the churches of the Evangelical Congregation in the Friedrichstadt , a member of the Protestant umbrella organisation Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia. The present church building is located in Berlin, borough Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, in...
and New Church
Deutscher Dom
Deutscher Dom is the colloquial naming for the New Church located in Berlin on the Gendarmenmarkt across from Französischer Dom . Its parish comprised the northern part of the then new quarter of Friedrichstadt, which until then belonged to the parish of the congregations of Jerusalem's Church...
) in Berlin-Kreuzberg
Kreuzberg
Kreuzberg, a part of the combined Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg borough located south of Mitte since 2001, is one of the best-known areas of Berlin...
, south of Hallesches Tor
Hallesches Tor (Berlin U-Bahn)
The underground station Hallesches Tor is part of the Berlin U-Bahn network at the intersection of the east-west bound U1 and the north-south bound U6 in the Kreuzberg district.-Overview:...
.
Titles and styles
- 2 December 1868 – 29 December 1902: His Imperial and Royal Highness Archduke Leopold Ferdinand of Austria, Prince Imperial of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary and Bohemia, Prince of Tuscany
- 29 December 1902 – 4 July 1935: Leopold Wölfling
Ancestry
External links
- Short biography
- Articles about Wölfling's life in AsconaAsconaAscona is a municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.It is located on the shore of Lake Maggiore.The town is a popular tourist destination, and holds a yearly jazz festival, the Ascona Jazz Festival....
, FidusFidusFidus was the pseudonym used by German illustrator, painter and publisher Hugo Reinhold Karl Johann Höppener . He was a symbolist artist, whose work directly influenced the psychedelic style of graphic design of the late 1960s.Born the son of a confectioner in Lübeck, Höppener demonstrated...
-Projekt (in German)