Wikipedia

Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg

Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg(German:Sophie Marie Josephine Albina Gräfin Chotek von Chotkow und Wognin;Czech:Žofie Marie Josefína Albína hraběnka Chotková z Chotkova a Vojnína;1 March 1868 – 28 June 1914) was the wife ofArchduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria,the heir to theAustro-Hungarianthrone. TheirassassinationinSarajevosparked aseries of eventsthat led, four weeks later, toWorld War I.

Sophie
Duchess of Hohenberg
Sophiec.1910
Full name
Sophie Maria Josephine Albina Chotek von Chotkow und Wognin
Born(1868-03-01)1 March 1868
Stuttgart,Kingdom of Württemberg
Died28 June 1914(1914-06-28)(aged 46)
Sarajevo,Condominium of Bosnia and Herzegovina,Austria-Hungary
BuriedArtstetten Castle,Artstetten-Pöbring
Noble family
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m.1900)​
Issue
FatherCount Bohuslaw Chotek von Chotkow und Wognin
MotherCountess WilhelmineKinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau

Early life and ancestry

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Countess Sophie Chotek von Wognin was born inStuttgartas the fifth child and fourth daughter ofCount Bohuslav Chotek von Chotkow und Wogninand his wife, Countess WilhelmineKinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau(1838–1886). Her father was aBohemian aristocrat,by birth member of an oldHouse of Chotek,who served asAustrianAmbassadorto the royal courts ofStuttgart,Saint PetersburgandBrussels.[1][2][3][4]

As a young woman, Sophie became alady-in-waitingtoArchduchess Isabella,[3]the wife ofArchduke Friedrich, Duke of Teschen,head of the Bohemiancadet branchof theHouse of Habsburg-Lorraine.

Courtship with Franz Ferdinand

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It is unknown where Sophie first met Archduke Franz Ferdinand, although it may have been at a ball inPraguein 1894. Franz Ferdinand, who was stationed at a militarygarrisonin Prague, paid frequent visits toHalbturn Castle,the home ofArchduke Friedrich,and it was assumed that he had fallen in love with Friedrich's eldest daughter,Archduchess Marie Christine.[3]The liaison was discovered byArchduchess Isabella,herself only born into amediatised family(theHouse of Croÿ). When Isabella discovered Franz Ferdinand's locket lying on the tennis court, she opened it, expecting a photo of her daughter. Instead, the locket contained a photo of Sophie. From this, a scandal ensued.

Franz Ferdinand had becomeheir presumptiveto the throne, after the suicide of his cousinCrown Prince Rudolfin 1889 and the death of his fatherKarl Ludwigof typhoid in 1896. As such his uncle, theEmperor Franz Joseph,informed him that he could not marry Sophie, who could not become anEmpress consort.[3]To be an eligibleconsortfor any member of the ImperialHouse of Habsburg,one needed to belong to one of thereigningorformerly reigning princely dynastiesofEurope.Although the Chotek family werenoblesince at least the 14th century and had been madecountsof theHoly Roman Empirein 1745, they were not ofdynastic rank(although Sophie was also ofroyal bloodby also being a descendant of theHabsburgs,in particular fromMatilda of Habsburg,daughter of KingRudolph I of Germany,who was also Franz Ferdinand's ancestor).[3][5]

Seal ofAlbert IV, Count of Habsburg,mutual ancestor of Sophie and Franz Ferdinand.

Franz Ferdinand refused to renounce Sophie to marry equally and beget an heir to the throne, compoundingthe scandal surrounding the deathandillicit affairof the emperor's previous heir.

Marriage with Franz Ferdinand

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Pre-1910 pastel painting of Sophie, held atArtstetten Castle
The Duchess with her family

In 1899, under pressure from family members (especially theArchduchess Maria Theresa,the emperor's formidable sister-in-law and Franz Ferdinand's stepmother) the couple were granted permission to wed.[3]Franz Ferdinand was allowed to retain his place in the order of succession and a suitable title was promised for his future wife. However, to prevent Franz Ferdinand from attempting to proclaim his wife empress-queen or declaring their future children dynasts and thus eligible to inherit the crown (especially that of Hungary, wheremorganatic marriageswere unknown to law) once he ascended the throne, he was compelled to appear at theHofburg Imperial Palacebefore the gathered archdukes, ministers, and dignitaries of the court, the Cardinal-Archbishop of Vienna and thePrimate of Hungaryon 28 June 1900 to execute by signature an official instrument in which he publicly declared that Sophie would be his morganatic wife, never to bear the titles of empress, queen or archduchess, and acknowledging that their descendants would neither inherit nor be granted dynastic rights or privileges in any of the Habsburg realms.[3][6]

Sophie and Franz Ferdinand were married on 1 July 1900 at Reichstadt (nowZákupy) inBohemia.The Emperor did not attend the nuptials, nor did any of the archdukes, including Franz Ferdinand's brothers. The only members of the Imperial family who were present were Franz Ferdinand's stepmother, Archduchess Maria Theresa, and her two daughters,Maria AnnunciataandElisabeth Amalie.[3]

Upon her marriage, Sophie was given the titleFürstinvon Hohenberg( "Princess of Hohenberg" ) with the style ofDurchlaucht( "Serene Highness"). In 1909, she was elevated toHerzogin(Duchess) and accorded the higher style ofHoheit( "Highness").

Nonetheless, all of the archduchesses,mediatizedprincesses and countesses of Austria and Hungary took precedence before her. For the fourteen years of their marriage, Sophie never shared her husband's rank, title, or precedence. Her position at the Imperial court was humiliating, aggravated by the ImperialObersthofmeister,Alfred, 2nd Prince of Montenuovo,whose insecurity about his own morganatic background is said to have prompted him to rigorously enforce courtprotocolat Sophie's expense.[3]Problems of protocol prevented manyroyal courtsfrom hosting the couple despite Franz Ferdinand's position as heir to the throne. Nonetheless, some did so, includingKing George VandQueen Maryof theUnited Kingdom,who warmly welcomed the couple toWindsor Castlefrom 17 to 21 November 1913. Queen Mary's father,Francis, Duke of Teck,was the offspring of a morganatic marriage and was shunned by royal families in Europe.[7]

The couple had four children:[4]

Assassination

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In reports of the assassination, the Duchess was often referred to specifically as themorganic (or morganatic)wife, the caption of the image in this report further asserting that "because she was not of royal blood, she was cordially detested by all Austrians".[8]
Main article:Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

In 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was invited by GeneralOskar Potiorek,Governor of the Austro-Hungarian province ofBosnia and Herzegovina,to watch troops onmaneuversfor three days inSarajevo,the provincial capital. Sophie was not usually allowed to accompany her husband on ceremonial visits because of her lower status, but on this occasion, Franz Ferdinand was invited as a military commander rather than a royal personage.[9]: 17 The archduke therefore arranged for Sophie to join him on 28 June, the third and final day, for a troop review followed by a visit to the city to dedicate a new museum before returning to Vienna. The date coincided with the 14th anniversary of their Oath of Renunciation and was a rare opportunity to celebrate in public together, although he knew that the visit would be dangerous.[citation needed]

At 10:10 am of Sunday, 28 June 1914, when the procession passed the Sarajevo central police station,Nedeljko Čabrinovićhurled ahand grenadeat the archduke's car. The driver accelerated when he saw the object flying towards the car and the grenade exploded under the wheel of the next car. Two of the occupants, Eric von Merizzi and Count Boos-Waldeck, were seriously wounded. Fourteen spectators were hit by bomb splinters.[citation needed]

After attending the official reception at theCity Hall,Franz Ferdinand asked about the members of his party that had been wounded by the bomb. When the archduke was told they were badly injured and had been taken to the hospital, he insisted on being taken to see them. A member of the archduke's staff,Andreas, Freiherr von Morsey,suggested this might be dangerous, but General Oskar Potiorek, who was responsible for the safety of the Imperial party, replied, "Do you think Sarajevo is full of assassins?"[citation needed]However, Potiorek did accept it would be better if Sophie remained behind in the city hall. When Freiherr Morsey told Sophie about the revised plans, she refused to stay, arguing: "As long as the Archduke shows himself in public today I will not leave him."[citation needed]

In order to avoid the city centre, Potiorek decided that the Imperial car should travel straight along theAppel Quayto the Sarajevo Hospital. However, Potiorek forgot to tell the driver,Leopold Loyka,[10]about this decision. On the way to the hospital, by theLatin Bridge,the driver took a right turn into Franz Joseph Street. One of the conspirators,Gavrilo Princip,was standing on the corner at the time. Oskar Potiorek immediately realized the driver had taken the wrong route and shouted "What is this? This is the wrong way! We're supposed to take the Appel Quay!"[citation needed]

The driver put his foot on the brake, and began to back up. In doing so he moved slowly past the waiting Gavrilo Princip. Theassassinstepped forward, drew his pistol, and at a distance of about five feet, fired twice into the car. Franz Ferdinand was hit in the neck and Sophie in the abdomen. Sophie said to her husband, "For God's sake, what has happened to you?!" She then fell bleeding. Before losing consciousness he pleaded, "Sopherl! Sopherl! Don't die! Stay alive for our children!", using his pet name for the duchess.[9]: 11 They were both dead within an hour.[citation needed]

The assassination triggered theJuly Crisiswhich led to theFirst World War.

Funeral and burial

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The bodies were transported toTriesteby the battleshipSMSViribus Unitisand then toViennaby special train for a jointfuneral massin a short ceremony at theHofburg Palaceattended by the immediate imperial family. The Archduke and Duchess were then taken to be entombed side by side as he had requested[9]: 17 in thecryptofArtstetten Castle,the Habsburgs' summer home, because burial in theImperial Cryptwas forbidden to Sophie.[11]Today the castle houses a museum in their memory.

Photo montage (2012) showing Artstetten Castle, its chapel, and the final resting place of the couple, showing each resting at equal heights

Commemorative coin

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Duchess Sophie's castle ofArtstettenwas selected as a main motif for the 10-euroCastle of Artstetten commemorative coinminted on 13 October 2004. The reverse of the coin shows the entrance to theHohenberg familycrypt, with left-set overlay profile portraits of Sophie and Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

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Arms of Sophie as Duchess of Hohenberg 1909–1914
Arms of Sophie as Princess of Hohenberg 1900–1909

Titles and styles

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  • 1 March 1868 – 1 July 1900: Countess Sophie Chotek von Chotkow und Wognin
  • 1 July 1900 – 1905:Her GraceThe Princess of Hohenberg
  • 1905 – 4 October 1909:Her Serene HighnessThe Princess of Hohenberg
  • 4 October 1909 – 28 June 1914:Her HighnessThe Duchess of Hohenberg

Honours

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Ancestry

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References

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  1. ^Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh (editor).Burke's Guide to the Royal Family,Burke's Peerage, London, 1973, p. 238.ISBN0-220-66222-3
  2. ^Willis, Daniel A.,The Descendants of King George I of Great Britain,Clearfield Company, 2002, pp. 153, 613
  3. ^abcdefghiEnache, Nicolas.La Descendance de Marie-Therese de Habsburg.ICC, Paris, 1996. pp. 54, 58. French.
  4. ^abGenealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche HäuserXV. "Hohenberg". C.A. Starke Verlag, 1997, pp.600–601.
  5. ^"Descendancy for Mathilde von Habsburg: Genealogics".
  6. ^"Pragmatic Sanction of 1713".heraldica.org.2011.Retrieved11 November2011.
  7. ^"Pope-Hennessy, (Richard) James (Arthur) (1916–1974)",Oxford Dictionary of National Biography,Oxford University Press, 6 February 2018,doi:10.1093/odnb/9780192683120.013.31560,retrieved14 April2022
  8. ^"Austria Will Avenge Murder".The Winnipeg Tribune.29 June 1914. p. 1.
  9. ^abcKeister Jr, Edwin (2007).An Incomplete History of World War I.Australia: Pier 9.ISBN978-1-74045-970-9.
  10. ^"Time Magazine Milestones (as Leopold Lojka)".Time.9 August 1926. Archived fromthe originalon 12 November 2007.Retrieved8 July2012.
  11. ^"The Funeral of the Archduke".The Independent.New York. 13 July 1914. p. 59.Retrieved9 August2013.
  12. ^abcHof- und Staatshandbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie (1915),Genealogy p. 2
  13. ^ab"Ritter-orden",Hof- und Staatshandbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie,Vienna: Druck und Verlag der K.K. Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, 1914, pp.232,246
  14. ^Justus Perthes,Almanach de Gotha(1913)page 6

Further reading

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  • Brook-Shepherd, Gordon.Victims at Sarajevo: The Romance and Tragedy of Franz Ferdinand and Sophie(Harvill, 1984)
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Wikimedia Commons has media related toCountess Sophie Chotek.
Titles of nobility
New title Duchess of Hohenberg
1909–1914 		Vacant
Title next held by
Maximilian
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