Albrecht II of Austria-Teschen

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Archduke Albrecht in the park of the Erzherzog-Friedrich-Palais (formerly Grassalkovich-Palais) in Pressburg, between around 1912 and 1915

Albrecht Franz Joseph Karl Friedrich Georg Hubert Maria Archduke of Austria-Teschen (born July 24, 1897 at Weilburg Castle in Baden near Vienna , † July 23, 1955 in Buenos Aires ) was a large landowner, politician and member of the Hungarian Upper House .

Life

Archduke Albrecht II Austria-Teschen, 1903

Archduke Albrecht II was the only son of Archduke Friedrich von Österreich-Teschen and Duchess Isabella von Croÿ-Dülmen (1856–1931). His father, the Archduke Frederick was in 1914 by Emperor Franz Joseph I . appointed field marshal and was commander in chief of the Austro-Hungarian troops until 1917 . Friedrich inherited a huge fortune from his uncle Archduke Albrecht I, making him one of the richest Habsburgs in the entire family. After eight daughters, the long-awaited son was born to the couple, which prompted Friedrich to build a votive church on his property in Albertkázmérpuszta (Albrecht-Casimir) out of gratitude. At the beginning of the 1880s the couple settled in Pressburg and rented the Grassalkovich Palace , which they then bought in 1897 for 480,000 guilders. Most of the children were born here and it was the main residence of the family until 1905.

Even at a young age it became apparent that Albrecht looked more closely to his mother than to his father in his ambitions. After completing basic military training, he entered the First World War as an ensign in 1916 and was quickly promoted to lieutenant and first lieutenant. He spent two full years at the front until 1918. After the collapse of the Danube monarchy , the family lost all goods in the newly founded Czechoslovakia, but also - due to the Habsburg laws - in Austria. Therefore, the family moved to Hungary and settled in Hungarian Altenburg (Hungarian Magyaróvár, today Mosonmagyaróvár ) on the remaining estates. Archduke Friedrich lived here until his death in 1936. He was a very generous benefactor and was therefore extremely popular in Hungarian Altenburg. In 2006 the city also had a monument erected in gratitude.

In 2006, Archduke Friedrich was erected a monument in Mosonmagyaróvár

Although Albrecht was originally intended for a military career, circumstances forced him to attend the 'Higher Agricultural Training Institute' in Hungarian Altenburg, which was still founded by Albert Kasimir von Sachsen-Teschen (1738–1822) and which he successfully completed with his diploma. He was brought up in the Magyar spirit and already attended Hungarian schools in Pressburg . He appeared as a Hungarian and felt related to the Árpáds from his maternal line Croÿ . He lived as a large landowner in Hungarian Altenburg until 1945. After the defeat of the Hungarian Soviet Republic , he became politically active. His main concern was to win back the huge family fortune by revising the Trianon Peace Treaty . From 1923 Albrecht II appeared as a pretender to the throne for Hungary, ideally supported primarily by his mother Isabella, a born Duchess of Croy-Dülmen . However, he resigned from these claims in 1931 in favor of Otto von Habsburg . He was a member of the House of Lords in Hungarian Parliament. After Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany, he also hoped for a political revision in Hungary. He became a member of the right-wing "Hungarian Renewal Party" (Hungarian: 'Magyar Megújulás Part'). Due to the Second Vienna Arbitration , parts of Transylvania had to be returned to Hungary. In 1940 Albrecht participated as a colonel in the invasion of the Hungarian troops in the regained areas of Transylvania. During the Second World War Albrecht lived in Budapest; because of its proximity to National Socialism, he had to flee from the invasion of the Soviet troops. First he went to Austria and from there he emigrated to Argentina via Spain . He settled in Buenos Aires , where he also died on June 23, 1955. His remains were cremated and transferred to the parish church of Halbturn in Burgenland , where they were buried. His nephew Paul Waldbott-Bassenheim , son of his sister Maria Alice von Österreich-Teschen, inherited his Halbturn Palace .

Marriages and offspring

Archduke Albrecht was married three times, all three marriages were not befitting and could be described as morganatic marriages .

First marriage

The first wife was the commoner Irene Dora Lelbach (born December 22, 1897 in Szabadka , † December 1, 1985 in Vienna ). She was the daughter of Johann Lelbach and Alma geb. Skultéty Irene Lelbach was her first marriage (1917) to the ambassador of the Kingdom of Hungary in London , Dr. Ludwig Rudolf Rudnay de Rudnó et Divék-Ujfalu († October 13, 1944) married. From this marriage a son (Béla Rudnay, * 1918) was born. The marriage was divorced before 1930.

Albrecht married Irene Dora Lelbach on August 16, 1930 in Brighton ( England ). The father, Archduke Friedrich, was so outraged about this marriage that it contradicted the house law of the Habsburgs. The marriage remained childless and was divorced on June 1, 1937 in Budapest .

Second marriage

The second wife was Juliana Katalin Bocskay de Felsö-Banya (born November 1, 1909 in Szelevény / Hungary , † October 1, 2000 in Ödenburg / Hungary), daughter of Béla Bocskay de Felsö-Banya and Eszter b. Farkas.

Archduke Albrecht II in Vienna, around 1917–1918 (in the background one of his little cousins)

Albrecht married his second wife on May 7, 1938 in Szegedin . To again according to the rite of the Roman Catholic. To be able to marry church, he received a papal dispensation . The church wedding took place on May 9, 1938 in the Archabbey in Pannonhalma / Hungary . The wedding ceremony was blessed by the then archabbot of the abbey, Krizosztom Kelemen . Two girls emerged from the marriage:

  • Sarolta (Charlotte) Izabella Countess von Habsburg (born March 3, 1940 in Budapest ) and
  • Ildikó Katalin Countess von Habsburg (born February 19, 1942 in Budapest ).

Due to the morganatic marriage, the two girls would not have had the right to wear the name "Habsburg". However, the head of the family at the time, Otto von Habsburg , issued a special permit and granted them the surname "Countess von Habsburg".

The marriage between Albrecht and Julia Katalin Bocskay was divorced in 1951 in Morales ( Mexico ).

Third marriage

His third wife was Lydia Georgina Strauss-Dörner (born October 22, 1930 in Budapest, † February 12, 1998, United States). Married on March 8, 1951 in Buenos Aires (Argentina). From this marriage went a son:

  • Rudolph Stephan von Habsburg-Lothringen (born April 14, 1951 in Asuncion , Paraguay , † July 14, 1992 in Buenos Aires, Argentina).

literature

  • Brigitte Hamann (ed.): The Habsburgs. A biographical lexicon. 4th, corrected edition. Piper et al., Munich et al. 1988, ISBN 3-492-03163-3 .
  • Magyar életrajzi lexicon. Akadémiai Kiadó Budapest 1981, Volume 3, ISBN 963-05-2500-3 (III.
  • Moson Megyei Életrajzi Lexicon , Mosonmagyaróvár
  • Photo Habsburg, Frigyes Főherceg és családja. Corvina, Budapest 1988, ISBN 963-13-2660-8 .
  • Elek Karzai: Szálasi naplója. Budapest 1978.
  • Arnold Mc Laughton: The Book of Kings. A Royal Genealogy. 3 volumes, London 1973.
  • Michael Morys-Twarowski: Ostatni książę cieszyński mieszkał w Ameryce Południowej , In: gazetacodzienna.pl ( digital, Polish ).
  • Carl Freytag: Germany's “Southeast urge”. The Central European Business Day and the “Supplementary Area Southeastern Europe” 1931–1945. Vienna University Press 2012, ISBN 978-3-89971-992-5 , pp. 318-319.

Web links

Commons : Albrecht II of Austria-Teschen  - Collection of images

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Albertkázmérpuszta (Albert-Kasimir) is today right on the border between Austria and Hungary. Because of the proximity to Vienna and Pressburg, one of the most developed farms of the archducal family was built here. When the longed-for boy was born to the archduke and couple as the ninth child, they built a votive church here after the birth of the boy as thanks for the divine grace. The church was built in the style of historicism on the model of the Viennese Votive Church and was consecrated to Saint Stephen of Hungary .
  2. ↑ Photo Habsburg, p. 13.
  3. ↑ a b The Habsburgs - A Biographical Lexicon , p. 47.
  4. ↑ The "Magyar Megújulás Párt" a right-wing political party was in Hungary that was politically active from 1940 to 1944.
  5. ↑ Magyar életrajzi lexikon, Vol. III., P. 6.
  6. ^ A b in Arnold Mc Naughton: The Book of Kings: A Royal Genealogy , Vol. 1, p. 384.
  7. ↑ [1] [2]
personal data
SURNAME Austria-Teschen, Albrecht II. Von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Austria-Teschen, Albrecht Franz Joseph Karl Friedrich Georg Hubert Maria Archduke of
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Large landowner, politician and member of the Hungarian Upper House
DATE OF BIRTH July 24, 1897
PLACE OF BIRTH Baden near Vienna
DATE OF DEATH July 23, 1955
Place of death Buenos Aires