Austrian nobility

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The imperial court of Maria Theresa at the Hofburg in Vienna

The Austrian nobility (German: österreichischer Adel) is a status group that was officially abolished in 1919 after the fall of Austria-Hungary. The nobles are still part of Austrian society today,[citation needed] but they no longer retain any specific privileges. Austria's system of nobility was very similar to that of Germany (see German nobility), as both countries were previously part of the Holy Roman Empire (962–1806).

Any noble living in the

Count Jordan-Rozwadowski
(see section "Noble titles" below under Graf/Gräfin (count/countess)), could call himself a Polish noble, but he also rightfully belonged to the Austrian nobility.

Two categories among the Austrian nobility may be distinguished: the historic nobility that lived in the territories of the Habsburg Empire and who owed allegiance to the head of that dynasty until 1918, and the post-1918 descendants of Austrian nobility—specifically, those who retain Austrian citizenship, whose family originally come from Austria proper, South Tyrol, northern Italy and Burgenland, or who were ennobled at any point under Habsburg rule and identify themselves as belonging to that status group.[citation needed]

History

During the baroque era, the nobility started to move into the cities and built themselves lavish residences called Palais. The Palais Kinsky in Vienna, belonging to the princely Kinsky family, is one of the most outstanding pieces.

Imperial nobility

From 1453, the

court nobility (Hofadel). Service at the court became the primary goal of the nobility. This in turn initiated an interest in education and the interests of the court. Within the court, a close inner circle, called the 100 Familien (100 families), possessed enormous riches and lands.[citation needed
] They also had great influence at the court and thus played an important role in politics and diplomacy.

After the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the Habsburg rulers, who were

Reichsrat
(Imperial Council). Nobles from previously sovereign states such as those in northern Italy (Venice, Mantua, Milan) were also recognized by the authorities and were allowed to keep their titles and rights.

Burgenland

On the former status of nobility in Burgenland, which was part of the Kingdom of Hungary until 1921, see Hungarian nobility.

Jewish nobles

A few very wealthy Jewish families were ennobled after the

Mozart, as his son Alexander was of Ludwig van Beethoven
.

Despite these difficulties, by 1821 there were at least eleven ennobled Jewish families living in Vienna alone: the

Schey von Koromla, Todesco, Goluchowski-Glochowsky, Wertheimstein, and Wiernes families. In 1830 the Jewish von Neumann family were elevated into the nobility. The elevation into the nobility of wealthy Jews also started the process of assimilation of Jewish families into the Austrian upper class
.

Abolition of nobility in 1919

With the same date, the

Karl Habsburg-Lothringen instead of Karl von Habsburg; in Belgium, however, he is known as Archduke Karl of Austria.[citation needed
]

This may sometimes be confusing, as descendants of nobles are sometimes referred to with noble names abroad. Also, members of noble families often hold multiple citizenships, as was the case for Otto von Habsburg (eldest son of the last Emperor of Austria-Hungary and father of Karl Habsburg-Lothringen), who was also a citizen of Germany. The Austrian law does not apply to artistic, performer or stage names, where von is sometimes used, as in the case of conductor Herbert von Karajan or the musician Hubert von Goisern. However, stage names are never recognized for official purposes.

Members of the lower nobility especially (such as

civil servants) found this radical step of abolition degrading and humiliating, since working towards and finally earning a noble title was a way for them and their families to rise within society. Members of the higher nobility were able to absorb the formal abolition more easily.[citation needed] They lost their titles and privileges, but kept their social networks, manners, standing and riches. Federal President Michael Hainisch
called the official abolition

...childish, because it did not hit those that it was supposed to hit. I once talked to the very fine and very intelligent Princess

Fanny Starhemberg about this. "To us," she said, "the official abolition is quite irrelevant, because with or without the titles, we will always remain the Starhembergs."[5][citation needed
]

The law abolishing nobility and titles was never repealed, even during the period of

Austrofascism (1934–1938). Following the Anschluss to Nazi Germany (1938–1945), this law remained on the books, although it was not enforced, allowing Austrian nobles to use titles freely again.[citation needed
]

Current status

Although noble titles and the particles von and zu are no longer legal, some persons are still unofficially referred to by their titles. For example, the late Karl Schwarzenberg was occasionally still referred to as Fürst zu Schwarzenberg (Prince zu Schwarzenberg) in the media; he held Czech and Swiss citizenship, not Austrian.

Unlike the nobility in Bohemia (Czechoslovakia), Poland, Russia, or the former Prussian territories, the Austrian nobility never had its lands and riches confiscated in Austria (except the Imperial House of Habsburg, which had its properties legally confiscated by the Austrian republican government in 1919). Social measures were introduced by the republican government in order to create more equality amongst the citizens and finance public projects, which put a strain on the traditional land-holding gentry and aristocracy, resulting in the forced sale of many palaces and lands due to the expense of their upkeep. However, there was no measure by the government specifically to target nobility and take away their possessions.

Still, the nobility today are sometimes nonetheless treated slightly differently from other citizens. Austrian nobility still plays a large part in movies made after World War II (for example,

Emperor Franz Joseph in Bad Ischl, for example, members of the former Imperial House of Habsburg are addressed as "Imperial and Royal Highness".[citation needed
]

Apart from the prohibition of their titles, some former nobles still make up some of the richest families in Austria, such as the

Esterházy, Mayr-Melnhof and Mautner-Markhof. Many members of the Austrian nobility today work in the traditional fields of diplomacy, politics, have business and financial interests, or are philanthropists or socialites
.

It was estimated that there were about 20,000 Austrian nobles in 2005.[citation needed] That year, an association was founded, the Vereinigung der Edelleute in Österreich (Association of Austrian Nobles, or V.E.Ö.), which sees itself as the successor of the Vereinigung katholischer Edelleute in Österreich (Catholic Association of Austrian Nobles, or V.E.Ö.), founded in 1922 but banned under the Nazis in 1938[citation needed]. This was challenged under the Nobility Abolition Act[citation needed].

Categories of nobility

Austria's nobility was divided into three categories: the

mediatized
nobility (standesherrlicht), the higher nobility (hoher Adel), and the lower nobility (niederer Adel):

Non-ruling members of the imperial family

Non-ruling members of the imperial family held various titles:

  • The wife of the
    Kaiserin
    ) and was styled Her Imperial Majesty.
  • Kaiserliche und königliche Hoheit
    ).

Legitimate but

line of succession
, but might sometimes receive lesser titles with noble rather than royal prerogatives, e.g.:

Titles of mediatized nobility

(English titles with German equivalents)

^1 A title with the prefix Reichs- indicates its being granted by a past Holy Roman Emperor, ranking above other titles of the same or higher nominal rank.

Titles of higher nobility

(English titles with German equivalents)

Arms of the Princes of Schwarzenberg
  • Prince/Princess (Fürst/Fürstin)
  • Margrave/Margravine (
    Markgraf
    /Markgräfin    )
  • Count/Countess (Graf/Gräfin)

Titles of lower nobility

(English titles with German equivalents)

^2 In German, a distinction between baronesses exists, a Freifrau being a baroness by marriage and Freiin being a baroness by birth. The title of Ritter is equivalent to the British baronet (i.e., hereditary knight), and Edler means "noble".

Use of nobiliary particles, such as the prepositions "von", "zu", variations such as "van" and "vom", or combinations ("von und zu"), common until after World War I (non-German-speaking nobility preferred to use "de"), were also banned by the 1919 Law on the Abolition of Nobility.

Titles of nobility

Below is an incomplete list of Austrian noble families, listed by rank of title.[6] Note that some members of a family were sometimes given higher titles by the emperor because of merit. Titles, styles, and rights could only be conferred by the monarch. In some cases, they could even be revoked because of fall from favour.

Fürst/Fürstin (prince/princess)

Further information: List of princes of Austria-Hungary

The style of address was usually "

title was the most prestigious of the Austrian nobility, usually borne by heads of families whose cadets
were generally counts/countesses, although in some mediatized princely families (Reichsfürsten) members were allowed to bear the same title as cadets of royalty: prince/princess (Prinz/Prinzessin) with the style of Serene Highness.

Preposition[b] Original name Most called Notes
von
Auersperg
 Auersperg head of this family also carries the titles of Duke of Gottschee, Princely Count of Wels. All members are Serene Highnesses, Princes(ses) of Auersperg
Batthyány-Strattmann[7] junior members were counts
von Clary und Aldringen Clary-Aldringen[8] junior members were counts
von Collalto und San Salvatore[8] Collalto junior members were counts
von
Colloredo-Mansfeld[9]
 Colloredo-Mansfeld junior members were counts; eldest son of the prince was titled Count of Mansfeld; see also House of Mansfeld
von Croÿ[9] Croÿ-(subline) also known as Croÿ-Dülmen, three branches exist. Heads of this family were dukes; also used the preposition de.
von
Dietrichstein
 became extinct firstly in male line, recreated for husband of heiress; junior members of this family were counts von Dietrichstein & Proskau-Leslie (first family) then Dietrichstein-Mensdorff-Pouilly (second family)[9]
von
Eggenberg[citation needed
] 		became extinct firstly in male line, Bohemian possessions passed to the nearest male relatives via marriage, the Schwarzenberg family, and Styrian possessions likewise to the Herberstein family.[10][11][12][13]
de
Esterházy von Galántha[citation needed
] 		Esterházy also comital; also used the preposition de
Festetics von Tolna[citation needed
] 		Festetics also comital; also used the preposition de
zu
Fürstenberg[citation needed
] 		Fürstenberg members use titles outside of Austria; some use the preposition von
von
Grassalkovich[citation needed
] 		Grassalkovich became extinct
von
Hohenberg
 Hohenberg title of Fürst for all members; elevated to ducal status by primogeniture in 1917
zu Hohenlohe[citation needed] Hohenlohe-(subline) this family had multiple branches
von
Khevenhüller-Metsch[citation needed
] 		Khevenhüller-Metsch junior members were counts
Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau[citation needed] Kinsky junior members were counts; also comital
von
Koháry
 Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry also
last prince
von Lamberg Lamberg junior members were counts
von
Lichnowsky
 Lichnowsky
von
Lobkowicz[citation needed
] 		Lobkowicz
von und zu
Liechtenstein[citation needed
] 		Liechtenstein sovereign since 1719
von Metternich-Winneburg[citation needed] Metternich also used the preposition de
von Montenuovo Montenuovo see also House of Neipperg
zu
Oettingen-Oettingen[citation needed
] 		this family had multiple branches (
Spielberg
)
von Orsini und Rosenberg[citation needed] Orsini-Rosenberg junior members were counts
von
Rohan[citation needed
] 		Rohan head of this family was ducal; also used the preposition de
zu Sayn-Wittgenstein[citation needed] Sayn-Wittgenstein-(subline) this family had multiple branches
von
Schönburg[citation needed
] 		Schönburg-(subline) this family had multiple branches (
Waldenburg); also comital
von Starhemberg[citation needed] Starhemberg junior members were counts
(von und) zu Schwarzenberg[citation needed] Schwarzenberg Head of House carries also the titles of Duke of Krumlov, Princely Landgrave of Klettgau and Count of Sulz. All members are Serene Highnesses, Princes(ses) of Schwarzenberg, Counts of Sulz and Landgraves of Klettgau.
von
Thun-Hohenstein
 Thun-Hohenstein[citation needed] also comital
von und zu Trauttmansdorff-Weinsberg[citation needed] Trauttmansdorff-Weinsberg also comital
von Waldburg[citation needed] Waldburg-(subline) this family had multiple branches; junior members were counts
zu Windisch-Graetz[8] Windisch-Graetz also Windisch-Grätz

Markgraf/Markgräfin (margrave/margravine)

Graf/Gräfin (count/countess)

Further information: List of counts of Austria-Hungary

Mediatized counts were often entitled to the style of "Illustrious Highness" (

Erlaucht). Ranking below them were the comital families of ancient lineage, wealth and influence who were recognized as such in Austria, but had not been Counts of the Empire (Reichsgrafen) prior to 1806; these counts bore the lower style of "High-born" (Hochgeboren
).

Freiherr/Freifrau/Freiin (baron/baroness)

Further information: List of barons of Austria-Hungary

There was no official style, but "Gnädiger Herr" (Gracious Lord), "Gnädige Frau", or "Gnädiges Fräulein" (Gracious Lady) were common forms of address. Although strictly speaking the title was Freiherr, the usage of "Baron" in written and verbal communication was very common, even if incorrect. The title Freiin was also often replaced for "geborene (

née
) Baronin", which was strictly speaking also incorrect since a Baronin would have been married already.

Ritter (knight)

There was no official style, but "Gnädiger Herr" was a common form of address. The title was for males only; no female version existed. Female members of a family with the title Ritter however were often addressed as "Edle von", which was incorrect unless the family already carried the Edler honour before being raised to the Ritter class.

Edler/Edle

The rank of Edler carried no official style, but "Gnädiger Herr" or "Gnädige Frau" were common forms of address.

Erbsälzer

This title belonged to the patricians of the free city of Werl, in Germany, who had the hereditary (erb-) right to exploit the nearby salt mines (salz). Thus this title was not granted in Austria, but merely recognized there.

Untitled noble families or status unknown

Further information: List of untitled nobility of Austria-Hungary

Gallery

Notes

  1. ^ This was also often the case in Russia, for Jewish families who resided beyond the Pale of Settlement. However, unlike in Austria, this was never reformed and remained the case until the collapse of the Tsarist regime in 1917
  2. ^ Where this section is blank, it is possible that the preposition is unknown or did not exist.

References

  1. ISBN 3-8258-7754-X
    .
  2. ^ "Chapter Seven: Administering the Jews", of the book "The Politics of Cultural Retreat: Imperial Bureaucracy in Austrian Galicia, 1772-1867", of author Iryna Vushko
  3. ^ "Jewish High Society In Old Regime Berlin", of author Deborah Hertz
  4. ^ "Adelsaufhebungsgesetz (excerpt)". Das Land Steiermark (in German). Office of the Styrian State Government.
  5. ^ "... ein kindisches Beginnen, schon deshalb, weil man gar nicht diejenigen traf, die man hatte treffen wollen. Ich sprach einmal mit der ebenso feinen wie klugen Fürstin Fanny Starhemberg über diesen Punkt. 'Uns', sagte sie, 'macht die Aufhebung des Adels nichts, wir bleiben mit oder ohne den Titel immer die Starhembergs."
  6. ^ Source: Der Gotha
  7. ^ Almanach de Gotha. 1849.
  8. ^ a b c Almanach českých šlechtických rodů 2001, Praha 2001
  9. ^ a b c Almanach českých šlechtických rodů 2005, Praha 2005
  10. ISBN 3-902510-96-X
    (German Edition)
  11. ^ Die Fürsten und Freiherren zu Eggenberg und ihre Vorfahren. By Walther Ernest Heydendorff. Graz: Verlag Styria, 1965. pp. 187-8.
  12. ^ Hans Ulrich Fürst von Eggenberg: Freund und Erster Minister Kaiser Ferdinand II.. By Hans von Zwiedineck-Südenhorst. Vienna: Wilhelm Braumüller K. K. Hof- und Universitätsbuchhändler, 1880. p. 123.
  13. ISBN 3-9500808-1-3
  14. ^ Royal Licences for the Use of Foreign Titles
  15. ^ The Nobilities of Europe – Google Books
  16. ^ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ritterstandsdiplom_-_Beranek_von_Bernhorst_1866.jpg
  17. ^ Wissgrill, Franz Karl (1800). "Schauplatz des landsässigen nieder-oesterreichischen Adels vom Herren- und Ritterstande von dem XI.Jahrhundert an,bis auf jetzige Zeiten: Bd.I-V".
  18. ^ "Art Collection of Herr Ritter Jurnitschek von Wehrstedt". 9 December 1909.
  19. ^ "Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon". 2010.

Literature

External links

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