Ferdinand Joseph von Dietrichstein

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Ferdinand Joseph von Dietrichstein

Ferdinand Joseph 3rd Prince of Dietrichstein zu Nikolsburg (1655–1698), Prince Count von Tarasp , Baron von Hollenburg Finkenstein and Thalberg (born September 25, 1636 , † November 28, 1698 ) was an Austrian nobleman, chief steward , conference minister and secret councilor of Emperor Leopold I and Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece .

origin

Ferdinand Joseph Fürst von Dietrichstein came from the branch of the Austrian aristocratic von Dietrichstein family , whose members, thanks to many years of service to the House of Habsburg , were given the status of imperial baron in 1514, in 1600 and 1612 in the rank of count and in 1624 under the law of the first-born to the rank of imperial prince . He himself was the oldest surviving son of Maximilian von Dietrichstein , the second imperial prince of Dietrichstein zu Nikolsburg (1596–1655), from his first marriage (1618) with Anna Maria Princess von und zu Liechtenstein (1597–1640), the eldest daughter of Charles I of Liechtenstein , the first Imperial Prince of Liechtenstein, Duke of Troppau and Jägerndorf , who was imperial governor in the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1622 and died in 1627.

Life

Inheritance from his father

Ferdinand succeeded his father in 1655 as 3rd Imperial Prince of Dietrichstein zu Nikolsburg and lord of the lordships of Nikolsburg , Polná , Kanitz today Dolní Kounice , Leipnik ( Lipník nad Bečvou ), Weisskirch, lord of Nussdorf ob der Traisen - with the estates of Reichersdorf and Franzhausen. He later inherited the dominions of Libochowitz , Budyn ( Budyně nad Ohří ), Patek ( Pátek ), Pomeisl ( Nepomyšl ) and Wällisch birches ( Vlachovo Březí ), all in the Czech Republic.

Offices

Like his ancestors, he was also in the service of the House of Austria . He exercised the court offices of his family as Colonel Hereditary Land Cupid in the Duchy of Carinthia and as Hereditary Land Hunter in the Duchy of Styria , was kk Privy Councilor and treasurer of Emperor Leopold I.

The Prince of Dietrichstein took on an important task after the splendid marriage of the emperor in December 1666 to Margarita Theresa of Spain , Infanta of Spain and Archduchess of Austria, sister of the last Spanish king of the House of Habsburg, Charles II, who was also niece and Was cousin of the emperor. He was appointed by Leopold I in 1667 as chief steward of the then 15-year-old Empress. It was a great honor, but at the same time no easy task. This was because, because of the inapproachability of her Spanish entourage at the Viennese court, an anti-Spanish sentiment was increasingly emerging, and the Empress was under increasing pressure because, despite 6 births in 6 years, she had not given birth to an heir to the throne and her health was compromised. As her confidante, Dietrichstein supported and comforted her and had to confront courtiers who unabashedly expressed the hope that the ailing empress would soon die in order to pave the way for a new marriage - and an heir to the throne - for the emperor. In fact, the Empress died as early as 1673, at the age of only 21. In the same year, Emperor Leopold I married his cousin Claudia Felizitas of Austria-Tyrol, with Dietrichstein remaining the Empress's chief steward.

Since 1668 a member of the Order of the Golden Fleece as the 474th knight since its founding, Dietrichstein was appointed by Emperor Leopold I as his chief steward - and thus head of the imperial court of around 2000 people - and secret conference minister. This enabled him to exert an influence on government policy that should not be underestimated. This is because, as Chief Steward, he usually presided over both the Secret Council and the Secret Conference . While the Secret Council, consisting of numerous members, primarily dealt with questions of administration, taxes, privileges, etc., the Secret Conference was a committee of the Secret Council created by Emperor Leopold I, which consisted of a few (4 to 12) members. This conference was the most important foreign policy advisory body, as it was responsible for questions relating to the imperial house and foreign policy - both of the Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburg countries. At the same time, it was Dietrichstein who, as chairman, reported directly to the emperor on the outcome of the deliberations.

But it wasn't an easy task for him. This was because government policy was the subject of constant intrigues between rival court parties and the very influential spiritual advisors at the strictly Catholic court in Vienna. But also because of the tense international situation: Just one year after his appointment, in July 1683, Vienna was besieged by the Turks under Kara Mustafa Pascha , which was only possible thanks to successful efforts to support the empire, King Johann Sobieski of Poland and the Pope Innocent XI. could be repelled. In the Great Turkish War (1683–1699), Belgrade was conquered in 1688 , all of Hungary was liberated and, with the victory of Prince Eugene of Savoy in the Battle of Zenta, the foundation for Austria's rise to a great power was laid. On the political level, it was possible to persuade the Hungarian nobility to give up the right of resistance practiced since the Middle Ages and, in 1687, to agree to the coronation of the Crown Prince, Archduke Joseph I of Austria as King of Hungary. In the west, however, King Louis XIV of France was successful: in 1683 he was able to take over the old imperial city of Strasbourg , occupy the Rhineland in 1688 and devastate the Rhine Palatinate . An imperial war, the so-called Palatinate War, was organized against France, but it was not very successful. In the Treaty of Rijswijk in 1697, at least Austria's claim to the Spanish Netherlands was secured.

Seat and vote in the Reichstag

An important personal concern for Dietrichstein was the settlement of the question of the position of his house as an imperial prince, which had been pending for decades. As early as 1624 his great uncle Franz Seraph von Dietrichstein , cardinal from 1599 , prince-bishop and duke of Olmütz in 1600, was elevated to the rank of imperial prince. His father, Prince Maximilian, not only had the imperial princehood in 1629, but also obtained admission with a seat and vote at the Reichstag in Regensburg in 1654. This, however, is only provisional, provided that the acquisition of an imperial immediate territory. As a result, however, the "old princes" protested regularly at the Reichstag because this requirement was not met, so that Dietrichstein was practically excluded from participating in the Reichstag. Prince Ferdinand finally succeeded in 1678 with the acquisition of the rule of Tarasp in Graubünden, the decisive step, since Emperor Leopold I elevated it to the prince-duchy of Tarasp in recognition of his services. (Incidentally, Tarasp was the last Austrian enclave in Switzerland , which did not come to the Helvetic Republic until 1803 with the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss .) Since with the acquisition of this imperial territory, the formal requirement for admission to the Prince's Bank of the Reichstag was finally fulfilled, as early as 1654 envisaged admission to the Reichstag. The legal question was settled by the imperial adoption of the “Perpetual Reichstag” in Regensburg on May 29, 1686. Thereupon Dietrichstein was introduced to the Imperial College by the Austrian ambassador on October 4, 1686 - this time for good - and he was given the place between the Prince of Salm and that of Nassau-Hadamar .

Coin law and illustrations

He exercised his right to coin at least twice. Mintings of thalers with the year 1695 and ducats with the year 1696 have been preserved. As a result, there are also contemporary depictions of the prince, as on both coins on the obverse there is his bust with a large wig, lace frill and the golden fleece, with the inscription “Ferd . SRI Princeps a Dietrichstein "(Ferdinand of the Holy Roman Empire Prince of Dietrichstein) and on the back the coat of arms adorned with the chain of the Order of the Golden Fleece under the princely hat with the inscription" In Nicolspurg et dominus in Trasp "(In Nikolsburg and Herr von Trasp) can be seen.

Extension of the property

Dietrichstein was one of the richest landowners in Austria, but knew how to increase his wealth - and thus the power base of his house - further. In 1660 he acquired the Reichersdorf estate from the heirs of Count Tilly, the Franzhausen estate in 1675 and later Nussdorf an der Traisen, all in Lower Austria in the district above the Vienna Woods. In 1678, Emperor Leopold I ceded the rule of Tarasp to him by way of pledge, but in 1684 he left it as property and - as a special grace - gave him sovereignty, and thus Tarasp as imperial territory. Economically more important, however, was that a distant cousin from the Hollenburg line, Gundaccar von Dietrichstein, imperial minister and envoy, imperial count from 1656 and imperial prince von Dietrichstein from 1684, set up a fideikommiss for him, which he inherited in 1690. He also acquired the lordships of Libochowitz , Budyn ( Budyně nad Ohří ), Pátek , Pomeisl and Wällisch birches ( Vlachovo Březí ), all in what is now the Czech Republic.

social commitment

Dietrichstein also used his wealth for social and charitable purposes. His father, Prince Maximilian, had planned the establishment of the Fräuleinstift Mariaschule in Brno as a universal heir to Countess Johanna Franziska Magnis, who died in 1654 . The fund he set up consisting of 60,000 guilders, the Medlanko estate and the house in Brno proved to be insufficient, so Ferdinand transferred his rule to Moravian New Town ( Uničov ) to the foundation, which then came into being. Accordingly, 12 orphaned girls between 12 and 20 years of age, four of them from the gentry , four from the knighthood and four from the bourgeoisie, were given an education and a dowry for the marriage.

Prince Dietrichstein also founded hospitals in Nikolsburg and Libochowitz (Libochovice in the Czech Republic).

family

marriage

Ferdinand Prince von Dietrichstein married in Graz on February 7th / 26th. September 1656 with Maria Elisabeth Princess von Eggenberg (born September 26, 1640 - May 19, 1715), the only daughter of Johann Anton 2nd Prince of Eggenberg, Duke of Krumau , in 1647 Prince Count of Gradisca with the rule of Aquileja , lord Adelsberg etc. († 1649) and Anna Maria Margravine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (1609–1680). Their father was Christian Margrave of Brandenburg zu Bayreuth († 1655) - a son of Elector Johann Georg von Brandenburg († 1598) and Princess Elisabeth of Anhalt-Zerbst . Her mother was the Duchess Marie of Prussia († 1649), who was a granddaughter of the Imperial Princess Maria of Habsburg Archduchess of Austria (daughter of Emperor Ferdinand I ). The Prince of Dietrichstein, who was related by marriage to members of the first families of the Habsburg Monarchy through his siblings (including Auersperg , Kaunitz , Liechtenstein , Lobkowitz , Montecuccoli , Trauttmansdorff ) came into brother-in-law not only with the Prince of Eggenberg and the Prince of Schwarzenberg , but also to brotherhood with the great dynasties of the Holy Roman Empire and even with the imperial family.

progeny

From this marriage 17 children were born, of which only the following grew up:

  • Leopold Ignaz 4th Prince of Dietrichstein zu Nikolsburg, Prince Count of Tarasp etc., (1698–1708), (* April 18, 1660; † July 13, 1708) ⚭ Maria Dorothea Christina Princess of Salm († January 29, 1732) , T. v. Karl Theodor Fürst von Salm (from this marriage there are two daughters who died early)
  • Erdmuthe Theresia (April 17, 1652; † March 15, 1737) ⚭ February 16, 1681 Johann Adam I , ruling Prince of Liechtenstein, Duke of Troppau and Jägerndorf († June 15, 1712)
  • Karl Joseph Reichsgraf von Dietrichstein (* July 17, 1663; † September 29, 1693) ⚭ May 16, 1690 Countess Maria Elisabeth von Herberstein († November 27, 1710)
  • Walter Franz Xaver 5th Prince of Dietrichstein zu Nikolsburg, Prince Count of Tarasp etc. (1708–1738) (born September 18, 1664; † November 3, 1738) progenitor of the other princely line.
⚭ July 1, 1687 Susanne Liboria Freiin von Zastrzizl-Prakschitzky
⚭ 2.) August 30, 1693 Karolina Maximiliana Countess of Proskau († September 9, 1734)
  • Jakob Anton Reichsgraf von Dietrichstein zu Nikolsburg (* July 24, 1678; † May 15, 1721) kk chamberlain and Reichshofrat, lord of the minority Loslau in Upper Silesia (Poland), lord of the rule Nussdorf ob der Traisen and the estates of Reichersdorf and Franzhausen
⚭ 1.) 1709 Maria Charlotte Countess von Wolfsthal († January 16, 1714)
⚭ 2.) October 23, 1715 Maria Franziska Sophia Countess of Starhemberg († December 1, 1757)

Jakob Anton's child from his first marriage:

    • Leopold Philipp Reichsgraf von Dietrichstein zu Nikolsburg (* January 15, 1711; † 1747) ⚭ May 12, 1728 Countess Maria Theresa von Althan (no children)
Kinder Jakob Antons aus zweiter Ehe:
    • Guidobald Joseph Reichsgraf von Dietrichstein zu Nikolsburg, Lord of the minority rule Loslau in Upper Silesia (Poland), Lord of the rule Nussdorf ob der Traisen and the goods Reichersdorf and Franzhausen (* December 19, 1717; † 1773 without children)
⚭ November 1, 1743 Countess Marie Gabriele Henckel von Donnersmarck († August 22, 1747)
⚭ 2.) 1749 Maria Anna Countess von Rottal, heiress of the Napagedl ( Napajedla ) rule
⚭ 3.) 1768 Maria Josefa Countess von Schrattenbach Freiin zu Heggenberg u. Osterwitz, kk palace lady and star cross order lady (born June 5, 1750 - † October 1, 1806)
She was a sister of Vinzenz Joseph von Schrattenbach , Prince-Bishop of Lavant in 1762 , Imperial Prince since November 27, 1788 , Bishop of Brno in 1799 († June 18, 1744 in Brno)
You ⚭ 2.) Brno 1774 Johann Josef Franz Reichsgraf Khevenhüller -Metsch zu Hochosterwitz († 1792 in Vienna)
You ⚭ 3.) 1797 the Imperial Prince Franz de Paula Gundaker von Colloredo-Mannsfeld , the last Imperial Vice Chancellor of the Holy Roman Empire , Count of Limpurg-Sontheim-Gröningen , ( Walsee ) and Enns etc. († 1807)
    • Karolina (* posthumously February 17, 1722; † July 23, 1790) ⚭ February 2, 1744 Leopold Anton Altgraf von Salm-Reifferscheid zu Hainsbach

literature

personal data
SURNAME Dietrichstein, Ferdinand Joseph von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Dietrichstein zu Nikolsburg, Ferdinand Joseph 3rd Prince of
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian minister
DATE OF BIRTH September 25, 1636
DATE OF DEATH November 28, 1698