Karoline Countess Hunyady

Karoline Hunyady of Kéthely (Madeira Island 1860)

Karoline Countess Hunyady von Kéthely (born December 26, 1836 in Vienna , Austrian Empire ; † February 28, 1907 Vienna, Austria-Hungary ) belonged to the Hungarian nobility and was lady- in- waiting to Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary

Life

Karoline Countess Hunyady, called Lily, was the fourth of five children of the married couple Joseph Johann Hunyady (born January 13, 1801 in Vienna, † March 9, 1869 ibid.) And Princess Henriette von Liechtenstein (born April 1, 1806 in Vienna, † June 15, 1886 ibid.) Whom he married on October 1, 1825.

There is hardly any information about Karoline's youth. Lily became a lady-in-waiting shortly after Empress Elisabeth came to the Austrian imperial court. She was the empress's first Hungarian lady-in-waiting. Presumably she was recommended to Elisabeth by Karoline's father, who was the empress's chief steward at the time.

In any case, a very intimate friendship developed between the two women, who were almost the same age. In the early sixties of the 19th century, when Elisabeth felt a need to stay in Madeira for health reasons (suspected TB ) , this friendship became even stronger. The Empress openly showed her affection for the equally beautiful Countess Lily Hunyady by preferring Lily's company to any other, neglecting the other ladies-in-waiting, which repeatedly led to jealousy in the small, secluded court on Madeira.

Even before her marriage, the Empress received lessons in Austrian and Hungarian history from the Hungarian historian Count Johann Mailáth von Székhely (* 1786, † 1855) in Possenhofen . It was thanks to Mailáth's influence that Elisabeth developed a great affection for Hungary and the ' Hungarian nation '. So she decided to learn the Hungarian language in Madeira . Lily's brother, Count Imre Hunyady, was also in her company - as an "honorary cavalier". It was he who gave Elisabeth the first language lessons in Hungarian. It did not take long before Hunyady, who was considered to be extremely smart, fell in love with the young and beautiful empress and was promptly recalled to Vienna. Lily and her brother Imre laid the foundation for the Empress's great love for Hungary.

Lily got to know the diplomat Otto Wilhelm Graf von Walterskirchen (born June 19, 1833 in Wolfsthal , † November 16, 1912 in Vienna) during the time when she was the lady-in-waiting to Elisabeth , and fell in love with him. According to the court protocol of that time, she was not allowed to continue her service as the Empress's lady-in-waiting as a married woman. That is why she was released after her marriage to Otto, which took place on October 10, 1871 in Bad Ischl . For Elisabeth, Lily's departure was a bitter and painful loss.

Little is known to us about the further life of Karoline von Hunyadys. Lily lived with her husband in limited financial circumstances, as the only income available was her husband's salary as a diplomat.

Empress Elisabeth with ladies-in-waiting (Elisabeth in the middle, Countess Hunyady Lily in the back left)

And her numerous biographers can only speculate about the contact between Lily and the Empress. Gudula Walterskirchen claims that Elisabeth never saw her former lady-in-waiting again and had no written contact with her. Brigitte Hamann, on the other hand, claims that the two women met again and again even after Lily's marriage. Lily belonged to the Austrian aristocracy after her marriage, although she was Hungarian by birth. Empress Elisabeth is said to have repeatedly sent letters to Lily, but since neither diary entries nor the letters have been received from Lily, this statement cannot be followed up.

Little is known about Lily's further life as Countess Walterskirchen. The marriage to Otto had two children:

Ida Henriette (born May 13, 1877 in Vienna, †?)
Josef Wilhelm (born May 10, 1879 in Preßburg , † February 19, 1968 in Bad Ischl)

Lily died in Vienna on February 28, 1907. The Pressburger Zeitung wrote the following about it:

Baroness Walterskirchen † Yesterday morning, the star cross order and palace lady of the Empress-Queen, Karoline Freiin v. Walterskirchen zu Wolfsthal, b. Countess Hunyadi v. Kethely died at the age of 71. She was the wife of the out-of-service envoy Otto Wilhelm Freiherrn von Walterskirchen. The marriage resulted in two children, a daughter Ida, honorary canon of the Savoy women's foundation and a son Josef, attaché at the embassy in Madrid . The body is brought to Wolfsthal for burial.

literature

Brigitte Hamann : Elisabeth, unwilling empress; Piper Munich - Zurich 1992, ISBN 3-492-10990-X

Egon Caesar Conte Corti : Elisabeth, "the strange woman". Based on the empress's written estate, her daughter's diaries and other unpublished diaries and documents . Weltbild Verlag, Augsburg 2003, ISBN 3-8289-0548-X (former title: Sissi - luck and tragedy of a great empress ).

Beatrix Meyer, Empress Elisabeth and their Hungarians. Allitera, Munich 2019, ISBN 978-3962331306

Web links

Lady-in-waiting Lily, Countess of Hunyady, on sternenkaiserin.com (accessed September 27, 2017)

Individual evidence

↑ Siblings: Emmerich (Hungarian Imre) Joachim (* July 22, 1827 in Vienna, † June 8, 1902 at Hunyady Castle in Kéthely ), Maria (* November 19, 1828 in Vienna, † December 8, 1908 in Rome ), Franziska (born April 3, 1832 in Vienna, † December 15, 1910 ibid.), Ida (born April 25, 1849 in Vienna, † January 6, 1933 ibid.). (online: 'Magyar főnemességi adattár': www.macse.hu; Hungarian, accessed on September 27, 2017)
^ Henriette was the daughter of the Austrian field marshal Johann I. Joseph Liechtenstein .
↑ Brigitte Hamann: Elisabeth, p. 191
↑ Hamann: Elisabeth, p. 153
↑ The big exception to this rule was the hairdresser (and confidante of the empress) Franziska (Fanny) Angerer (1842–1911). When Fanny fell in love with her future husband Hugo Feifalik and intended to marry him, Elisabeth got Franz Joseph to allow Fanny to remain in court service. After the wedding in 1866, her husband was also accepted into court service (knighted in 1880!). The Feifaliks served the imperial family for thirty long years. (online: erzsebet-kiralyne.blog.cz Franziska-fan ...; Czech , accessed on September 27, 2017)
^ Pressburger Zeitung of March 1, 1907, Abendblatt, p. 2

personal data
SURNAME	Hunyady, Karoline Countess
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Hunyady von Kéthely, Karoline Countess (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Hungarian nobles, lady-in-waiting to Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary
DATE OF BIRTH	December 26, 1836
PLACE OF BIRTH	Vienna , Austrian Empire
DATE OF DEATH	February 28, 1907

[1] Siblings: Emmerich (Hungarian Imre) Joachim (* July 22, 1827 in Vienna, † June 8, 1902 at Hunyady Castle in Kéthely ), Maria (* November 19, 1828 in Vienna, † December 8, 1908 in Rome ), Franziska (born April 3, 1832 in Vienna, † December 15, 1910 ibid.), Ida (born April 25, 1849 in Vienna, † January 6, 1933 ibid.). (online: 'Magyar főnemességi adattár': www.macse.hu; Hungarian, accessed on September 27, 2017)

[2] Henriette was the daughter of the Austrian field marshal Johann I. Joseph Liechtenstein .

[3] Brigitte Hamann: Elisabeth, p. 191

[4] Hamann: Elisabeth, p. 153

[5] The big exception to this rule was the hairdresser (and confidante of the empress) Franziska (Fanny) Angerer (1842–1911). When Fanny fell in love with her future husband Hugo Feifalik and intended to marry him, Elisabeth got Franz Joseph to allow Fanny to remain in court service. After the wedding in 1866, her husband was also accepted into court service (knighted in 1880!). The Feifaliks served the imperial family for thirty long years. (online: erzsebet-kiralyne.blog.cz Franziska-fan ...; Czech , accessed on September 27, 2017)

[6] Pressburger Zeitung of March 1, 1907, Abendblatt, p. 2