Duke Franz Joseph in Bavaria
Duke Franz Joseph | |
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Infanta Maria José of Portugal |
Duke Franz Joseph in Bavaria,[1] full German name: Franz Joseph Michael Karl Maria Evaristus Quirinus Ottokar Herzog in Bayern[1] (23 March 1888,
Life
He was the youngest son of Duke Karl Theodor in Bavaria and his second wife Infanta Maria José of Portugal, born in 1888 and was the brother of Queen Elisabeth of Belgium and Princess Marie Gabrielle of Bavaria.
The Duke was a first lieutenant in Kaiser Wilhelm's own regiment of Uhlans, and a special instructor in the royal military riding academy in Munich. His horsemanship won him many prizes in German riding competitions.[2]
In America
He visited the US in 1910 and hunted grizzly bears though the US press speculated on a possible American match (so popular at the time). The speculation was furthered when Franz Joseph commented on his cousin
Duke Franz Josef also spent time in New York City, where he stayed at the Plaza, and he was the "most-talked-about nobleman" to visit the US since
Franz Joseph died of polio in 1912, the very same year as his sisters Marie Gabrielle and Amélie, which made this year quite an "annus horribilis" for the Wittelsbach family. He was only 24 years old at the time of his death.
Through his relationship with Caroline "Lilly" Stockhammer (1891–1952), he became the progenitor of the von Plottnitz-Stockhammer family, which has produced descendants prominent in politics, education, and the arts. He is the grandfather of the German politician