Franz von Kaska

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Franz von Kaska; Photo of the obituary in the magazine Stadt Gottes , 1907
The Capilla de Maximiliano initiated by Franz Kaska in Santiago de Querétaro at the place of death of Emperor Maximilian
Noble coat of arms Franz von Kaska, 1901; top left the Austrian double-headed eagle, bottom right the Mexican eagle with snake.

Franz von Kaska (born February 12, 1834 in Horažďovice , Bohemia, † May 10, 1907 in Mexico City ) was personal pharmacist and confidante of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico ; after his overthrow, Austria's unofficial diplomat to the Mexican government and the initiator of a memorial chapel at the monarch's shooting site in Santiago de Querétaro .

Life

Kaska studied pharmacy at the University of Vienna and joined the "Lower Austrian Infantry Regiment No. 49" during his studies as an officer candidate. At the university he acquired a master's degree in pharmacy in 1860 and received his doctorate in chemistry in 1863. In 1864 he joined the volunteer troops of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico and became the pharmacist in charge of the expeditionary corps and the monarch's personal pharmacist. Franz von Kaska was popular and highly valued in court and government circles of the empire . He was one of the 43 men who became Knights of the Guadalupe Order under Emperor Maximilian . The Austrian Emperor also awarded him the Knight's Cross of the Franz Joseph Order in 1866 . Until the shooting of Emperor Maximilian on June 19, 1867, Kaska belonged to his immediate circle, then remained in Mexico due to a general amnesty by President Juarez and remained loyal to the monarch after his death.

Franz von Kaska ran a pharmacy with drugstore in Mexico City and gained the trust of the new government circles. His friendship with the later Mexican President Porfirio Díaz , whom he had met when he was captured as a republican general in 1865, helped him in particular . Since Austria and Mexico did not maintain diplomatic relations for many years after the execution of Emperor Maximilian, the brother of Emperor Franz Joseph , Franz von Kaska gradually became the unofficial administrator of Austrian interests towards the Mexican government.

In 1889 Franz Kaska traveled to Austria to re-establish official diplomatic relations with Mexico. On this occasion, Emperor Franz Joseph received him in a long private audience where he received large parts of the private correspondence of Emperor Maximilian, which Kaska had saved from foreign access in Mexico. He received the Order of the Iron Crown , 2nd class and on January 25, 1890, the Commander's Cross of the Spanish Order of Isabella the Catholic , which was associated with the personal title of nobility. Together with the House of Habsburg , the pharmacist succeeded in building a memorial chapel between 1898 and 1901 at the place where Emperor Maximilian died, on the "Cerro de las campanas" in Santiago de Querétaro . His Spanish title of nobility was also recognized in Austria by decree of 1901, and Baron von Kaska was also awarded the Commander's Cross with a star, of the Franz Joseph Order . Kaska chose a noble coat of arms, which united the Habsburg double-headed eagle and the Mexican eagle.

The pharmacist was an avid researcher and collector of Mexican-Indian antiquities, as well as artefacts from the Mexican Empire, which he bequeathed to the museums in Vienna and Prague. He also researched Indian folk and medicine.

In addition to the order already mentioned, Baron von Kaska wore the Commander's Cross of the Papal Order of St. Gregorius , the Order of Merit of St. Michael III. Class, the silver level of the Dutch Medal for Art and Science , and the gold medal of the New Orleans World's Fair , 1884.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ To the memorial chapel for Emperor Maximilian, at the place of his death .
  2. ↑ On the collaboration of Franz von Kaska at the memorial chapel in Querétaro .
personal data
SURNAME Kaska, Franz von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kaska, Francis; Kaska, Francisco
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Personal pharmacist of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico, chemist
DATE OF BIRTH February 12, 1834
PLACE OF BIRTH Horažďovice , Bohemia
DATE OF DEATH May 10, 1907
Place of death Mexico city