Karel Schwarzenberg
Karel Schwarzenberg | |
---|---|
First Deputy Prime Minister of the Czech Republic | |
In office 13 July 2010 – 10 July 2013 | |
Prime Minister | Petr Nečas |
Preceded by | Vlasta Parkanová |
Succeeded by | Jan Fischer |
Leader of TOP 09 | |
In office 28 November 2009 – 29 November 2015 | |
Preceded by | Inaugural holder |
Succeeded by | Miroslav Kalousek |
Senator from Prague 6 | |
In office 13 November 2004 – 29 May 2010 | |
Preceded by | Jan Ruml |
Succeeded by | Petr Bratský |
Member of the Chamber of Deputies | |
In office 29 May 2010 – 21 October 2021 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Prague, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic) | 10 December 1937
Died | 12 November 2023 Vienna, Austria | (aged 85)
Resting place | Orlík Castle, Orlík nad Vltavou, Czech Republic 49°30′20″N 14°10′02″E / 49.50556°N 14.16722°E |
Citizenship | Czech Republic, Switzerland |
Political party | ODA (1996–2007) TOP 09 (2009–2023) |
Spouse | Therese Hardegg |
Children | 3 |
Alma mater | University of Vienna University of Graz University of Munich (all left prior Graduation[1][2]) |
Signature | |
Karel, 12th and 7th Prince of Schwarzenberg (Czech pronunciation: [ˈʃvartsn̩bɛrk], 10 December 1937 – 12 November 2023) was a Czech politician, diplomat and statesman who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic from 2007 to 2009 and then again between 2010 and 2013. Schwarzenberg was leader and co-founder of the TOP 09 party and its candidate for president of the Czech Republic in the 2013 election. He served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies (MP) from 2010 to 2021 and in the Senate from 2004 until 2010.
From July 1990 to July 1992 Schwarzenberg served as the chancellor (director of the presidential office) to
Schwarzenberg was the head of the
Schwarzenberg was married to Countess Therese von Hardegg (Therese Gräfin zu Hardegg auf Glatz und im Machlande) and they had three children, all of whom live in Austria.
Background, education and personal life
The House of Schwarzenberg originates in Franconia, where the family still owns substantial property,[citation needed] but made Bohemia their primary seat in the 17th century, also maintaining residences in Vienna. The family had possessed fiefdoms in Bohemia as far back as the Middle Ages; it was one of the richest noble families of Bohemia and Austria-Hungary, and one of the largest land owners of Bohemia.
Karel Schwarzenberg was the eldest son of Prince Karel VI of Schwarzenberg of the junior line (Second
Schwarzenberg was born in Prague He had two sisters, Marie Eleonore von Bredow (born 1936) and Dr. Anna Maria Freiin von Haxthausen (born 1946), and one brother, Dr. rer. oec. Friedrich Prinz zu Schwarzenberg (born 1940).
On 22 April 1967, in
- Prince Johannes Nepomucenus Andreas Heinrich Joseph Karl Ferdinand Johannes Evangelist die Heiligen Drei Könige Achaz Michael Maria, Prince of Schwarzenberg (b. 13 December 1967) married firstly to Diana Orgovanyi-Hanstein (granddaughter of Baroness Maximiliane von Berg) on 20 March 2010. The couple divorced 7 years later and Johannes married Donna Francesca Riario-Sforza, daughter of Duke of San Paolo, on 8 April 2017.
- Princess Anna Carolina Antoinette Elisabeth Theresia Olga Adelheid Maria of Schwarzenberg (b. 16 December 1968). She married Peter Morgan on 28 July 1997 (civilly) and on 6 September 1997 (religiously). They have five children:
- Gioia Maria Morgan (1999)
- Robin Leopold Morgan (2001)
- Karol Benjamin Morgan (2004)
- Mr. Morgan (2006)
- Lászlo Morgan (2011)
- Prince Karl Philipp Ernst Ferdinand Alwig Kilian of Schwarzenberg (12 May 1979) adopted by Austrian industrialist and politician Thomas Prinzhorn by agreement 25 November 1987.[13] He married Countess Anna Elisabeth Aline Henriette Maria Benedikta Stephanie Johanna Lidvine Walpurga Thekla von und zu Eltz genannt Faust von Stromberg on 3 October 2009.
After the fall of the communist regime, Schwarzenberg returned to Prague in 1990, although he still occasionally visited Austria, where part of his family lives. He held both Swiss and Czech citizenship.[14]
Schwarzenberg was the second Czech Patron of The English College in Prague, succeeding the founding Patron Vaclav Havel after the latter's death. He was joint patron with King Charles.[15]
Schwarzenberg's daughter (conventionally known as Lila Morgan-Schwarzenberg) co-directed and co-wrote a documentary about her father and their strained relationship ("Mein Vater der Fürst") which was released in 2022.[16]
Exile, human-rights activism and career in Austrian politics
In the 1960s, Schwarzenberg was active in the conservative
Schwarzenberg soon became active in the resistance against the communist dictatorship in Czechoslovakia and became a prominent human-rights advocate, and a leading voice against the communist rule of his native country after the
Career in Czech politics
A long-time friend and close collaborator of Václav Havel, he served for two years as Havel's chancellor (from July 1990 to July 1992) during Havel's tenure as president.
Senator
Schwarzenberg was elected as a
While a senator, he was expelled from Cuba in May 2005 (together with German MP Arnold Vaatz), where he was due to meet dissidents opposed to the Cuban President Fidel Castro.[19]
Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic
Between 9 January 2007 and 9 May 2009, he was
According to public opinion polls, he was the most popular politician in the Czech Republic in 2009, and he also usually received the most preferential votes in elections.[23]
In the first half of 2009, Schwarzenberg was also the
Schwarzenberg left office as Foreign Minister on 8 May 2009. He became Foreign Minister once again on 13 July 2010; he held the post until 10 July 2013.
Candidate for President of the Czech Republic
On 11–12 January 2013, Schwarzenberg successfully took part in the first round of Czech presidential elections, the first popular vote for presidency of the country. With 23.40% of the total vote, he finished second behind former prime minister Miloš Zeman (24.21%). In the second-round run-off between the two men, held on 25–26 January 2013, Schwarzenberg received 45.19% of the vote and thus lost to Zeman.
Member of parliament
From 2010 to 2021, he was a member of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic for TOP 09. In the 2013 - 2017 election period, he was the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic. In 2021, he announced that he would no longer defend his mandate in the upcoming elections due to his deteriorating health.[24]
After retiring from active politics
Schwarzenberg continued to comment on public events, usually in the form of comments in the media, interviews or debates.[25] After Petr Pavel was elected president of the Czech Republic in 2023, he became one of his advisors for foreign policy and internal policy.[26]
Illness and death
Schwarzenberg was hospitalised in Prague in August 2023 with heart and kidney problems and was later flown to a clinic in Vienna. He died there on 12 November 2023, at the age of 85.[27]
Political positions
Position on communist crimes
In December 2010, Schwarzenberg, along with the foreign ministers of five other Central and Eastern European EU countries, called upon the
Condemnation of the Beneš decrees
In January 2013, while running for President of the Czech Republic, Schwarzenberg stated, referring to the Beneš decrees, that "what we committed in 1945 would today be considered a grave violation of human rights and the Czechoslovak government, along with President Beneš, would have found themselves in The Hague," referring to the International Criminal Court.[29] The decrees led to the expulsion of many Germans and Hungarians from Czechoslovakia by the Czechoslovak government of Edvard Beneš.[30]
Israel
In 2008, Schwarzenberg expressed support for Israel's right to defend itself during the Gaza–Israel conflict.[31]
Titles, names and awards
Titles and names
A member of the
Karel Schwarzenberg was the 12th Prince of Schwarzenberg, through his adoption by Heinrich Schwarzenberg, the brother of Joseph Schwarzenberg, the 11th Prince and last male member of the major Schwarzenberg line (First Majorat). Although Heinrich died before his brother Joseph III (the 11th Prince), the adoption allowed Karel Schwarzenberg to succeed to the major Schwarzenberg line. Thus, in his person the minor line (Second Majorat), of which he was part by origin, has been united with the major line.
In the Czech Republic, using of noble predicates is prohibited by law No. 61/1918 Sb. In Austria, noble predicates have been illegal since 1918 (i.e. nearly 20 years before his birth). If Schwarzenberg had used his titles, his name and style would have been:
- Princely Landgrave in Klettgau, and Duke of Krumlov.[6]
Awards
- In 1989, he received together with Lech Wałęsa, later president of Poland, the Council of Europe Human Rights Prize.
- In 1991, he received the Order of the Golden Fleece (Austrian branch).
- In 2003, he received the Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk 3rd Class of the Czech Republic.
- In 2005, he received the Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austriain Silver with Sash.
- In 2008, he received the Grand Cross of the Federal Cross of Merit – Bundesverdienstkreuz– of the Federal Republic of Germany.
- In 2010, he received the Bene Merito honorary badge from the Republic of Poland
- In 2012, he received the Order of Merit of the Free State of Saxony – Sächsischer Verdienstorden – in Dresden, Saxony.
- In 2015, he received the Marietta and Friedrich Torberg Medal.
- In 2021, he received the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise.
- In 2023, he received the Order of the White Lion.
Schwarzenberg was also a regular attendant to the
Ancestry
Ancestors of Karel Schwarzenberg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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See also
Footnotes
- ^ Kubát, Čestmír (8 January 2013). "Dvojí občanství kandidátů na prezidenta ČR". britské listy (in Czech). Retrieved 14 November 2016.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 5 February 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ a b Willoughby, Ian (13 December 2012). "Karel Schwarzenberg – a prince with his eye on the Castle". Radio Prague. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
- ^ "Milos Zeman scores Czech presidency". The Australian. 27 January 2013.
- ^ a b Bilefsky, Dan (24 January 2013). "Czech Prince, Schwarzenberg, Runs a Punk Campaign". The New York Times.
- ^ a b Schwarzenberg talks election. The Prague Post (10 December 1937). Retrieved on 6 July 2011.
- ^ Karl Johannes, Prinz zu Schwarzenberg. GeneAll.net. Retrieved on 6 July 2011.
- ^ "Karel Schwarzenberg, Czech diplomat, 1937-2023". www.ft.com. 2023.
- ^ Karel Schwarzenberg | Government of the Czech Republic. Vlada.cz. Retrieved on 6 July 2011.
- ^ Note: the full name in German, according to tradition, is Therese Gräfin zu Hardegg auf Glatz und im Machlande
- ^ Royals Portal MAG; 2008, by Petra
- ^ news.at. news.at (13 August 2008); retrieved 6 July 2011.
- ^ IPromi – Fanseite über Promis / VIP / Stars / Prominenten Verzeichnis – Star Lexikon Archived 19 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Ipromi.de. Retrieved on 6 July 2011.
- ^ Velinger, Jan (18 January 2007). "Rozhovor pro časopis Instinkt". Instinkt. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
'Jak je to s vaším občanstvím – máte české a švýcarské?' 'Oboje od narození.' (In English: 'What about your citizenship – you have both Czech and Swiss ones?' 'I have both since I was born.')
- ^ "Why us & how to apply". The English College in Prague. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
- ^ "Mein Vater der Fürst". Österreichisches Filminstitut (in German). Retrieved 27 March 2023.
- ISBN 978-3-902404-46-6.
- ^ "Karel Schwarzenberg", TOP 09 party website, retrieved 7 June 2013
- ^ "EU politicians expelled from Cuba", BBC News, 20 May 2005, retrieved 16 October 2009
- ^ Klaus, Václav (28 December 2006). "Senátor Schwarzenberg sedí na dvou židlích". euPortál (in Czech). Archived from the original on 29 January 2009. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
Asi se shodneme na tom, že každý náš ministr zahraničí musí jasně, ostře a z vlastního přesvědčení zastávat a hájit zájmy, postoje a priority České republiky. Obávám se však, že něco takového není možné – ale nijak ho za to nekritizuji – očekávat od člověka, který je s naší zemí (...) spojen pouze menší částí svého života. (In English: I think we agree that every Minister of Foreign Affairs of our country must clearly, strongly and by his own will defend interests, opinions and priorities of Czech Republic. However, I am afraid (but I'm not criticizing him) that we cannot expect this from a person who has been connected to our country only for a shorter period in his life (no matter this was not voluntary).
- ^ Velinger, Jan (27 December 2006). "Who's afraid of Karel Schwarzenberg?". Český rozhlas 7. Archived from the original on 29 January 2009. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
- ^ Bilefsky, Dan; Judy Dempsey (8 July 2008). "U.S. and Czech Republic sign agreement on missile shield". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 8 July 2008.
- ^ "STEM: Nejpopulárnější jsou Schwarzenberg a Sobotka". Aktuálně.cz (in Czech). 5 October 2009. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ^ "Schwarzenberg: Plivali na mě celý život, v politice skončím, je komická. Zeman se vyvinul hůř, než jsem se bál". Reflex.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ^ "Schwarzenberg: Pro Meloniovou bychom měli mít pochopení". Novinky.cz (in Czech). 10 May 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ^ "Pavlovi budou radit i Pithart, Schwarzenberg a Žantovský. Zapojí se i Kolář". Novinky.cz (in Czech). 10 May 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ^ Janicek, Karel (12 November 2023). "Karel Schwarzenberg, former Czech foreign minister and nobleman, dies at 85". Associated Press.
- ^ "Czech Foreign Minister: Denial of communist crimes like denial of Nazi crimes". Romea.cz. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
- ^ Day, Matthew (22 January 2013). "Czech election candidate questions post-war expulsion of Germans". The Telegraph. London.
- ISBN 0742510948.
- ^ "Czechs, next EU president, defend Israeli strikes". Ynetnews.com. 30 December 2008.
External links
- (in Czech) Official website
- Marek, Miroslav. "Ancestors". genealogy.euweb.cz.
- Profile in European Voice, 19 July 2007
- (in Czech) Blog