Maximilian, Duke of Hohenberg (29 September 1902 –
8 January 1962) was the eldest son of
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of
Austria-Hungary, and his morganatic
wife
Sophie, Duchess of
Hohenberg. By definition of a
morganatic marriage, he was excluded as
Heir Presumptive to the throne of
the
Austro-Hungarian
Empire.
He was born with the lesser rank and
style His
Serene Highness Prince Maximilian of
Hohenberg, but in 1917 was elevated to His Highness Maximilian,
Duke of Hohenberg.
Following
the assassination of his parents in Sarajevo
in 1914,
which resulted in the outbreak of World War
I, Prince Maximilian, his sister, Princess Sophie and their
brother, Prince Ernst,
were taken in by their father's brother-in-law and shooting partner
Prince Jaroslav von Thun und Hohenstein.
In 1918
following the collapse of the Empire and the Monarchy, they were
exiled from Czechoslovakia
, losing their family home, Konopiště
Castle and all their possessions they took refuge
in Vienna
and Artstetten
Castle
. But in 1938, following the Anschluss they were arrested and deported by the
Nazi Regime to Dachau concentration camp
, where they spent most of the Nazi era . The
reason for their imprisonment was that Duke Maximilian was one of
the principal public opponents to the Anschluss.
Following the collapse
of the Third Reich and their release,
Artstetten
Castle
was returned to the family.
Duke Maximilian married Countess Maria Elisabeth Bona von Waldburg
zu Wolfegg und Waldsee on 16 November 1926. He had six children by
her, all sons with the rank of
Serene
Highness:
- Franz, Duke of
Hohenberg, (1927-1977, Duke 1962-1977), married
Princess Elisabeth of
Luxembourg and Bourbon-Parma (born
1922); had issue:
- Princess Anna (Anita) von Hohenberg born Schloss Berg,
Luxembourg, 18 August 1958; married 1st Luxembourg 15 July 1978
(rel) Artstetten 22 July 1978 (div 1998) Romée de la Poëze Count
d'Harambure (born Düsseldorf 15 July 1949) with issue (three
children); married 2nd Schloss Kornberg 9 July 2005 Count Andreas
von Bardeau (born Graz 13 February 1957) no issue.
- Princess Sophie von Hohenberg, born Schloss Berg, Luxembourg,
10 May 1960; married Artstetten 18 June 1983 Jean-Louis Marie René
Ghislain de Potesta (born Liège 8 February 1951) with issue (three
children). She is currently trying to regain ownership
of Konopiště
Castle, in the Czech Republic
, on grounds that Hohenberg was never recognized as
part of the House of Habsburg, and therefore the provisions of
Article 208 of the Treaty of Saint
Germain, and the Article 3 of Law no.354 of 1921 in
Czechoslovakia, do not apply to them.
- Georg, Duke of
Hohenberg, (born 1929, Duke since 1977) former
Austrian Ambassador to the Holy See, married Princess Eleonore von
Auersperg-Breunner (born 1928); had issue:
- Prince Nikolaus von Hohenberg, born Boulogne-sur-Seine 3 July
1961; married Fürstenberg, Westfalen 6 May 1989 Countess Marie
Elisabeth von Westphalen zu Fürstenberg (born Münster 7 August
1963) with issue.
- Princess Henriette von Hohenberg, born Boulogne-sur-Seine 9
November 1962.
- Prince Maximilian von Hohenberg, born Buenos Aires 25 January
1970; married Lucca 9 September 2000 Emilia Oliva Cattaneo Vieti
(born Genoa 29 July 1971).
- Prince Albrecht von Hohenberg (born 1931),
married Countess Leontine von Cassis-Faraone; had issue:
- Archduchess Margarete von Habsburg, born Vienna 19 June 1963;
married Vienna 20 April 1991 Carl, Archduke of Austria and Hungary
with issue.
- Prince Leo von Hohenberg, born Vienna 28 September 1964;
married Lisbon 3 September 1994 Rosalind Roque Alcoforado (born New
York 3 July 1964) with issue.
- Prince Johannes von Hohenberg (1933-2003),
married Elisabeth Meilinger-Rehrl (born 1947) with issue:
- Princess Sophie von Hohenberg, born Salzburg 26 May 1970.
- Prince Stephan von Hohenberg, born Salzburg 3 July 1972;
married Salzburg 30 September 2000 Leonie von Kloss (born Salzburg
11 April 1977).
- Prince Peter von Hohenberg (born Arstetten
Castle 26 March 1936), also a Knight of
Malta, KCSG, married Christine-Maria Meilinger-Rehrl (born
Bramberg-Weyerhof 27 April 1945) with issue:
- Princess Marie-Christine von Hohenberg, born Salzburg 25
November 1970.
- Princess Marie-Therese von Hohenberg, born
Salzburg
31 July
1972, married Salzburg 27 October 2007 (rel) to Anthony J Bailey OBE,
GCSS (born London 13 January
1970). Bailey was made OBE by the Queen in her Birthday
Honours List in 2008.
- Prince Gerhard von Hohenberg (born 1941). No
issue.
Styles
- His Serene Highness Prince Maximilian of
Hohenberg
- His Highness The Duke of Hohenberg
Notes