Georg von Khevenhüller

Georg Khevenhüller, around 1560/80

Georg Khevenhüller with his two wives. Supraporte at the north portal of Wernberg Castle

Bust of Georg Khevenhüller in the Khevenhüllertor, Hochosterwitz Castle

Georg von Khevenhüller (born April 22, 1533 at Pittersberg Castle near Kötschach-Mauthen , Carinthia; † September 9, 1587 in Klagenfurt ) was a Carinthian nobleman from the Khevenhüller family . Although Protestant, he was in various capacities for decades in the service of the Habsburgs , including from 1565 to 1587 as governor of Carinthia .

Live and act

Georg Khevenhüller was one of the most prominent figures in Carinthia in the 16th century. He was the son of Sigmund III. von Khevenhüller and his wife Katharina von Gleinitz zu Gleinstätten. He was also the nephew of Governor Christoph von Khevenhüller and was given high honors at a young age. At first he was councilor and treasurer of the two emperors Ferdinand I and Maximilian II. At the age of 31 he was appointed governor of Carinthia. Later he was given the offices and titles of a secret councilor, chamberlain and president of the Graz court chamber. He was also the chief steward of Archduke Charles II. As an officer, he distinguished himself several times in Croatia against the Turks.

Georg's two wives, Sibylla Weitmoser and Anna von Thurzo, came from families that had become rich through mining. Georg must have had considerable financial resources. So he acquired Hochosterwitz Castle and Wernberg Castle and expanded them to their present form. Around 1582 he had Annabichl Castle built for his second wife Anna . In Villach around 1570 he built a city palace, the so-called Venetianerhaus. The three-storey building with eight axes on the main façade with inner courtyard arcades was later used as the town hall and destroyed in the Second World War except for the portal framed by diamond blocks. Khevenhüller is considered the most important builder and client in Carinthia in the second half of the 16th century.

Georg Khevenhüller was a staunch Protestant. Nevertheless, he enjoyed a high reputation at the court of Archduke Charles. He was involved in the negotiations on the religious pacification in 1578, when freedom of religion was promised to the nobility in view of the Turkish threat. The Protestant preacher Michael Gothard Christalnick worked at Khevenhüller's Hochosterwitz Castle .

Khevenhüller worked in the civil service for more than 30 years, for a long time outside of Carinthia. In his function as governor, he was represented by a provincial administrator during this time. He only spent the last years of his life mainly in Carinthia. From 1582 he was in charge of building supervision in the rural town of Klagenfurt .

Georg Khevenhüller died on September 9, 1587. Like his uncle Christoph, he is buried in the parish church of St. Jakob in Villach .

See also

List of provincial governors of Carinthia

literature

• Constantin von Wurzbach : Khevenhüller, Georg Freiherr . In: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich . 11th part. Imperial-Royal Court and State Printing House, Vienna 1864, p. 218 f. ( Digitized version ).

Web links

Commons : Georg von Khevenhüller  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Entry on Georg von Khevenhüller in the Austria Forum  (in the AEIOU Austria Lexicon )

supporting documents

1. ↑ Pittersberg Castle ruins - Georg Khevenhüller was born here in 1533
2. ^ The inscriptions of the federal state of Carinthia
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Evelyne Webernig: The governor of Carinthia. A historical-political overview . Verlag des Kärntner Landesarchivs, Klagenfurt 1987, ISBN 3-900531-18-8 , pp. 21–24.
4. ^ Dehio Handbook Carinthia . 3rd edition, Anton Schroll, Vienna 2001. ISBN 3-7031-0712-X , p. 396.
5. ^ ^{A b} Barbara Kienzl , Wilhelm Deuer: Renaissance in Carinthia . (Carinthian Art History) Verlag Carinthia, Klagenfurt 1996, ISBN 3-85378-438-0 , p. 52.
6. ^ Barbara Kienzl, Wilhelm Deuer: Renaissance in Carinthia . (Carinthia's Art History) Verlag Carinthia, Klagenfurt 1996, ISBN 3-85378-438-0 , p. 183f.