Prince Francis Joseph of Braganza
Encyclopedia
Prince Francis Joseph of Braganza was a member of the exiled branch of House of Braganza
and an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Army
. During his life he was involved in a number incidents ranging from sex scandal
s to swindle
s. His full given name
s were Francis Joseph Gerard Maria .
(now in Italy), the second son of the Miguelist pretender to the Portuguese throne Miguel, Duke of Braganza and his first wife Princess Elisabeth of Thurn and Taxis
. He was the namesake
of his godfather Emperor Francis Joseph I of Austria. Francis Joseph's father was the head of the non reigning branch of the Portuguese Royal House that had been exiled from Portugal. The exile was the result of the Portuguese law of banishment of 1834 and the constitution of 1838 which was brought about because his grandfather Miguel of Portugal
had in 1828 usurped the throne of Portugal from Queen Maria II. His grandfather reigned as king until 1834 when Maria II was restored. Those Portuguese who recognised Francis Joseph's father as rightful king of Portugal acknowledged Francis Joseph as an Infante of Portugal.
Like his father, Francis Joseph pursued a career in the Austro-Hungarian Army
. In October 1900, while a lieutenant in the Hussars he was disciplined by his godfather the Austrian Emperor Francis Joseph, after he issued a challenge to an old colonel who called him to account for a breach of Army regulations. As a result he was removed from the Hussars and transferred to a regiment of Dragoons and sent to carry out policing duties in the barren, poverty stricken villages along the Austrian-Russian frontier.
to attend the coronation of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom
. On 11 September he was indicted in the Central Criminal Court on a charge that he had committed an act of gross indecency
with a fifteen-year old boy. A 24-year old man and a seventeen-year old boy were also charged with conspiring together to procure the commission of an act of gross indecency. A witness claimed that he had made a hole in a bedroom door and that through the hole he had seen Francis Joseph and the fifteen-year old boy engaged in sexual activity in a house in Lambeth
. The witness's testimony was contradicted by the police who said that it was only possible to see nine inches of the bed through the hole. The prosecutors announced that they thought that it would not be right for the jury to convict on the evidence produced. The jury pronounced Francis Joseph not guilty.
After the acquittal his lawyer stated that Francis Joseph had gone to the house "under the impression that it was a brothel and that a woman would be waiting for him there. It was not uncommon on the Continent for men and boys to go about touting to take men to brothels." The other man and the two boys were found guilty of conspiring together to procure the commission of an act of gross indecency. The man was sentenced to two years imprisonment, and the boys to ten and eight months each.
As a result of the scandal Francis Joseph was forced to resign his commission as a Lieutenant
in the Seventh Hussar
s of the Austro-Hungarian Army
. The Austrian courts reduced his legal status, depriving him of his civic rights and placing the administration of his affairs in the hands of a trustee
, his brother-in-law Prince Charles Louis of Thurn und Taxis.
Francis Joseph was later implicated in another homosexual scandal in Austria
.
. The impostor, whose real name was William Lackerstein Joachim, first met Francis Joseph in Paris in April 1909 and a month later Joachim traveled to Vienna
where he threw a dinner for Francis Joseph. Joachim managed to convince Francis Joseph of his credentials as an astute financier. As Francis Joseph's affairs had been placed in the hands of a trustee and he was only given an allowance, he saw a friendship with supposed millionaire member of the Vanderbilt family as a good way to boost his finances. In October after Francis Joseph returned from a trip abroad, he received a number of business proposals where Joachim told him that he had recently acquired a large number of emeralds and that because Francis Joseph had been a good host to him in Vienna, that he would allow him to purchase the emeralds for a good price, whereby he could then sell them for a substantial profit.
The deal was held up after Francis Joseph did not show up for an arranged meeting at a Banquet
. After an emissary
informed Joachim that Francis Joseph's father the Duke of Braganza had summoned him to his castle in Seebenstein
Joachim feared that he had been rumbled. However, the next day he received a letter from Francis Joseph in which he revealed his annoyance at being unable to attend.
Joachim and Francis Joseph next met in Berlin a week later to conclude the emerald deal. However during the delay Joachim came up with a way to swindle more money out of Francis Joseph. While in Berlin he introduced Francis Joseph to two supposed mining engineers. The two enigneers made a good impression on Francis Joseph, and so Joachim managed to get him to part with more money by acquiring shares in the mining company that he said he was the majority shareholder of. For the emeralds and shares Prince Francis Joseph paid a total of £325,000, £125,000 for the emeralds and £200,000 for the shares.
As the emeralds and shares turned out to be worthless Francis Joseph decided to prosecute criminally through the Austrian embassy in London
. The majority of his money was recovered.
, Prince Francis Joseph was hailed as a leader of the Royalist cause by a number of monarchists and he was seen as a rival to the deposed king in the event of a restoration.
Francis Joseph fought in the Austro-Hungarian Army
and was captured. He was imprisoned on the island of Ischia
near Naples
where he died of heart failure.
House of Braganza
The Most Serene House of Braganza , an important Portuguese noble family, ruled the Kingdom of Portugal and its colonial Empire, from 1640 to 1910...
and an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Army
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint army , the Austrian Landwehr , and the Hungarian Honvédség .In the wake of fighting between the...
. During his life he was involved in a number incidents ranging from sex scandal
Sex scandal
A sex scandal is a scandal involving allegations or information about possibly-immoral sexual activities being made public. Sex scandals are often associated with movie stars, politicians, famous athletes or others in the public eye, and become scandals largely because of the prominence of the...
s to swindle
Swindle
The term swindle may refer to:* Swindle, a confidence trick* Swindle, a kind of fraud* Swindle , a ruse by which a chess player in a losing position tricks his opponentIn media and popular culture, Swindle can refer to:...
s. His full given name
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
s were Francis Joseph Gerard Maria .
Early life
Francis Joseph was born in Meran, AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
(now in Italy), the second son of the Miguelist pretender to the Portuguese throne Miguel, Duke of Braganza and his first wife Princess Elisabeth of Thurn and Taxis
Princess Elisabeth of Thurn and Taxis
Princess Elisabeth of Thurn and Taxis -Life:...
. He was the namesake
Namesake
Namesake is a term used to characterize a person, place, thing, quality, action, state, or idea that has the same, or a similar, name to another....
of his godfather Emperor Francis Joseph I of Austria. Francis Joseph's father was the head of the non reigning branch of the Portuguese Royal House that had been exiled from Portugal. The exile was the result of the Portuguese law of banishment of 1834 and the constitution of 1838 which was brought about because his grandfather Miguel of Portugal
Miguel of Portugal
Dom Miguel I, sometimes Michael , was the King of Portugal between 1828 and 1834, the seventh child and second son of King John VI and his queen, Charlotte of Spain....
had in 1828 usurped the throne of Portugal from Queen Maria II. His grandfather reigned as king until 1834 when Maria II was restored. Those Portuguese who recognised Francis Joseph's father as rightful king of Portugal acknowledged Francis Joseph as an Infante of Portugal.
Like his father, Francis Joseph pursued a career in the Austro-Hungarian Army
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint army , the Austrian Landwehr , and the Hungarian Honvédség .In the wake of fighting between the...
. In October 1900, while a lieutenant in the Hussars he was disciplined by his godfather the Austrian Emperor Francis Joseph, after he issued a challenge to an old colonel who called him to account for a breach of Army regulations. As a result he was removed from the Hussars and transferred to a regiment of Dragoons and sent to carry out policing duties in the barren, poverty stricken villages along the Austrian-Russian frontier.
Homosexual scandal
In August 1902 Francis Joseph was in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to attend the coronation of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
. On 11 September he was indicted in the Central Criminal Court on a charge that he had committed an act of gross indecency
Gross indecency
Gross indecency is a UK and Canadian legal term of art which was used in the definition of the following criminal offences:*Gross indecency between men, contrary to section 11 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885 and later contrary to section 13 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956.*Indecency with a...
with a fifteen-year old boy. A 24-year old man and a seventeen-year old boy were also charged with conspiring together to procure the commission of an act of gross indecency. A witness claimed that he had made a hole in a bedroom door and that through the hole he had seen Francis Joseph and the fifteen-year old boy engaged in sexual activity in a house in Lambeth
Lambeth
Lambeth is a district of south London, England, and part of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated southeast of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
. The witness's testimony was contradicted by the police who said that it was only possible to see nine inches of the bed through the hole. The prosecutors announced that they thought that it would not be right for the jury to convict on the evidence produced. The jury pronounced Francis Joseph not guilty.
After the acquittal his lawyer stated that Francis Joseph had gone to the house "under the impression that it was a brothel and that a woman would be waiting for him there. It was not uncommon on the Continent for men and boys to go about touting to take men to brothels." The other man and the two boys were found guilty of conspiring together to procure the commission of an act of gross indecency. The man was sentenced to two years imprisonment, and the boys to ten and eight months each.
As a result of the scandal Francis Joseph was forced to resign his commission as a Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in the Seventh Hussar
Hussar
Hussar refers to a number of types of light cavalry which originated in Hungary in the 14th century, tracing its roots from Serbian medieval cavalry tradition, brought to Hungary in the course of the Serb migrations, which began in the late 14th century....
s of the Austro-Hungarian Army
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint army , the Austrian Landwehr , and the Hungarian Honvédség .In the wake of fighting between the...
. The Austrian courts reduced his legal status, depriving him of his civic rights and placing the administration of his affairs in the hands of a trustee
Trustee
Trustee is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, can refer to any person who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the benefit of another...
, his brother-in-law Prince Charles Louis of Thurn und Taxis.
Francis Joseph was later implicated in another homosexual scandal in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
Emerald swindle
In November 1909 Francis Joseph had £325,000 swindled from him after purchasing what he believed to be valuable emeralds and shares in an English mining company, by an impostor passing himself of as Frederick Vanderbilt of the famous Vanderbilt familyVanderbilt family
The Vanderbilt family is an American family of Dutch origin prominent during the Gilded Age. It started off with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and expanded into various other areas of industry and philanthropy...
. The impostor, whose real name was William Lackerstein Joachim, first met Francis Joseph in Paris in April 1909 and a month later Joachim traveled to 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 threw a dinner for Francis Joseph. Joachim managed to convince Francis Joseph of his credentials as an astute financier. As Francis Joseph's affairs had been placed in the hands of a trustee and he was only given an allowance, he saw a friendship with supposed millionaire member of the Vanderbilt family as a good way to boost his finances. In October after Francis Joseph returned from a trip abroad, he received a number of business proposals where Joachim told him that he had recently acquired a large number of emeralds and that because Francis Joseph had been a good host to him in Vienna, that he would allow him to purchase the emeralds for a good price, whereby he could then sell them for a substantial profit.
The deal was held up after Francis Joseph did not show up for an arranged meeting at a Banquet
Banquet
A banquet is a large meal or feast, complete with main courses and desserts. It usually serves a purpose such as a charitable gathering, a ceremony, or a celebration, and is often preceded or followed by speeches in honour of someone....
. After an emissary
Emissary
Emissary may refer to:* Ambassador* Apostle* Diplomat* The Subspace Emissary, the single-player Adventure Mode in the video game Super Smash Bros...
informed Joachim that Francis Joseph's father the Duke of Braganza had summoned him to his castle in Seebenstein
Burg Seebenstein
Burg Seebenstein is a castle in Lower Austria, Austria.-References:This article was initially translated from the German Wikipedia....
Joachim feared that he had been rumbled. However, the next day he received a letter from Francis Joseph in which he revealed his annoyance at being unable to attend.
Joachim and Francis Joseph next met in Berlin a week later to conclude the emerald deal. However during the delay Joachim came up with a way to swindle more money out of Francis Joseph. While in Berlin he introduced Francis Joseph to two supposed mining engineers. The two enigneers made a good impression on Francis Joseph, and so Joachim managed to get him to part with more money by acquiring shares in the mining company that he said he was the majority shareholder of. For the emeralds and shares Prince Francis Joseph paid a total of £325,000, £125,000 for the emeralds and £200,000 for the shares.
As the emeralds and shares turned out to be worthless Francis Joseph decided to prosecute criminally through the Austrian embassy in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The majority of his money was recovered.
Royalist leader
In 1911-1912 Francis Joseph participated in the monarchist uprisings in northern Portugal led by Henrique Mitchell de Paiva Couceiro, in an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the First Portuguese Republic. After his father and older brother renounced their rights to the Portuguese throne in an attempt to unite the monarchist support behind the deposed King Manuel IIManuel II of Portugal
Manuel II , named Manuel Maria Filipe Carlos Amélio Luís Miguel Rafael Gabriel Gonzaga Francisco de Assis Eugénio de Bragança Orleães Sabóia e Saxe-Coburgo-Gotha — , was the last King of Portugal from 1908 to 1910, ascending the throne after the assassination of his father and elder brother Manuel...
, Prince Francis Joseph was hailed as a leader of the Royalist cause by a number of monarchists and he was seen as a rival to the deposed king in the event of a restoration.
Death
During World War IWorld 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...
Francis Joseph fought in the Austro-Hungarian Army
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint army , the Austrian Landwehr , and the Hungarian Honvédség .In the wake of fighting between the...
and was captured. He was imprisoned on the island of Ischia
Ischia
Ischia is a volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It lies at the northern end of the Gulf of Naples, about 30 km from the city of Naples. It is the largest of the Phlegrean Islands. Roughly trapezoidal in shape, it measures around 10 km east to west and 7 km north to south and has...
near Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
where he died of heart failure.
Titles and styles
- His Royal Highness Prince Francis Joseph of Braganza, Infante of Portugal