Johann Carl Khevenhüller
Johann Carl von Khevenhüller (born December 19, 1839 at Ladendorf Castle , † September 11, 1905 at Riegersburg Castle ) was an Austrian nobleman and participant in the Austrian volunteer corps in Mexico.
family
Johann Carl came from the later line of the Austrian noble family Khevenhüller . He was born as the eldest son and major heir of his line at Schloss Ladendorf and grew up there and in Vienna. He joined the imperial army and acquired the rank of Rittmeister .
Due to debt, he volunteered for the Austrian volunteer corps that accompanied Emperor Maximilian to Mexico .
In Mexico
On November 19, 1864, Carl Johann embarked for Mexico in the French port of St. Nazaire and landed in Vera Cruz on December 7th . The Austrian Corps in Mexico consisted of more than 7,000 volunteers. After the withdrawal of the French troops in 1866, Carl Johann stayed in the country with another 800 Austrian soldiers and built a cavalry regiment from the remains of the Austrian corps, the "red hussars", named after their bright red uniforms.
After the shooting of Maximilian (June 19, 1867) in Queretaro and the end of the fighting, Carl Johann negotiated with General Porfirio Diaz about the withdrawal of Austrian soldiers from Mexico. A friendship developed from the negotiations between Khevenhüller and Diaz, who later became President of Mexico.
He traveled back to Europe via New Orleans , where he arrived in September 1867.
His life in Mexico
In the next few years he traveled a lot, in 1868/69 he took part in an expedition to Africa. In 1871 he married Countess Eduardine Clam-Gallas and moved with her to Riegersburg Castle on the border between Weinviertel and Waldviertel . He was elected to the Austrian Reichsrat by the Liberals and was a member of it until 1877, when he succeeded his father in the manor house .
In his later years, Khevenhüller devoted himself to the reconstruction and restoration of his Hardegg Castle , in which he also had a family crypt installed. Johann Carl also kept memories of his years in Mexico alive and built a Mexico Museum in Hardegg Castle. 30 years after Maximilian's death, through his friendship with Porfirio Diaz , he mediated the resumption of diplomatic relations between Austria and Mexico and initiated the construction of a Maximilian Memorial Church in Queretaro .
He is buried in the family crypt at Hardegg Castle.
literature
- Christof Bieberger, Alexandra Gruber, Johannes Herberstein, Gabriele Hasmann: Ghost castles in Austria. Spooky behind stately walls. Verlag Carl Ueberreuter, Vienna 2004, ISBN 3-8000-7062-6 .
- Brigitte Hamann : With Emperor Max in Mexico. From the diary of Prince Carl Khevenhüller 1864–1867. Piper, Munich et al. 2001, ISBN 3-492-23154-3 .
- Franz Müllner: Johann Carl Fürst Khevenhüller-Metsch, a comrade in arms of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico. In: Werner Kitlitschka among others: Maximilian von Mexico. 1832-1867. Enzenhofer, Vienna 1974, pp. 136-161.
- Konrad Ratz: Maximilian and Juárez: The Second Mexican Empire and the Republic . Akademische Druck- und Verlagsanstalt, Vienna 1998, pp. 287–292.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Khevenhüller, Johann Carl |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Khevenhüller, Johann Carl von |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Austrian nobleman, participant in the Austrian volunteer corps in Mexico |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 19, 1839 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Shop village |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 11, 1905 |
| Place of death | Riegersburg Castle |