Sophie Chotek from Chotkowa

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Sophie Duchess of Hohenberg, 1910

Sophie Maria Josephine Albina Countess Chotek von Chotkowa and Wognin (born March 1, 1868 in Stuttgart , † June 28, 1914 in Sarajevo ), 1900 princess, from 1909 Duchess of Hohenberg , was a Bohemian noblewoman and wife of the Austrian heir to the throne Franz Ferdinand . Together with him, she fell victim to the assassination attempt in Sarajevo , which sparked the First World War . The lineage of the dukes and princes of Hohenberg descends from her.

Life

origin

Sophie Chotek from Chotkowa

Sophie was born in 1868 as the daughter of the Austrian diplomat Boguslaw Graf Chotek von Chotkow and Wognin , from the old Bohemian noble family Chotek von Chotkow and Wognin , and his wife Wilhelmine Countess Kinsky von Wchinitz and Tettau .

Her father had stayed in Dresden, where he had his last official position, and with his pension he ensured a befitting life for his still unmarried daughters Sophie and Marie Henriette. The latter became a canoness at the Hradschin in Prague and took over the maternal position of the three orphans after the murder of the heir apparent in 1914. When Sophie and Franz Ferdinand met, four of the diplomat's seven daughters were already married, one was lady- in- waiting to Stephanie, Crown Prince Rudolf's widow. The only son Wolfgang (1860-1926) had embarked on the civil service career. The daughter Oktavia (1873-1946) married the Saxon count Joachim von Schönburg-Glauchau .

Like her seven siblings, Sophie had received a good education and was trained by private tutors. The fifth-born Sophie also had a pronounced sense of domesticity. After her mother's death, she ran the household for her father and younger siblings and learned at an early age to use the resources available sparingly.

The Chotek von Chotkow and Wognin family belonged to the old Bohemian nobility, whose history can be traced back to the 12th century.

Around 1896 (some sources speak of 1894 or 1897) she met Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria at a ball in Prague , and the two fell in love. The relationship was kept secret until 1899. On the mediation of Countess Clementine von Lützow, a former lady-in-waiting of Empress Elisabeth , Franz Ferdinand and Sophie Chotek spent a few days incognito in the spa town of Bad Neuenahr around 1898 .

In 1898, who was still living with her father in Dresden, began to urge her to be closer to her lover. After whispering about the affairs of his brother Otto and the friendship of the emperor with Katharina Schratt in Vienna, Franz Ferdinand did not want a place to stay in Vienna, but only as close as possible to Vienna. Archduchess Isabella von Croy-Dülmen , the wife of Archduke Friedrich , who commanded an army corps in Pressburg , was looking for a lady-in-waiting and Franz Ferdinand suggested Sophie apply for it. Isabella was considered difficult and an unpleasant employer and Sophie Chotek was not enthusiastic about the proposal, but applied for the post and received it. Isabella had six daughters to be married off and Franz Ferdinand, who was on the best of terms with the Friedrichs family, now accepted every invitation and drove to Pressburg two or three times a week. Here he rode out with the daughters of the house and courted the eldest daughter of the house, the 18-year-old Maria Christina, which raised the hopes of the mother, Archduchess Isabellas, that she could become the future mother-in-law of the Austrian emperor.

An "improper" marriage

Sophie Chotek
Franz Ferdinand with his family, around 1908

Initially, attempts had been made to influence his sister through Sophie's brother, who was now serving as a state councilor and had to fear for his career. Then the emperor turned on Godfried Marschall , who had directed the religious education of the archduke and was on the best of terms with him. The ambitious marshal, who wanted to become auxiliary bishop in Vienna, needed the consent of the emperor and first tried to change his mind, but forfeited his favor without having achieved his goal. Finally, he appealed to Sophie to renounce her love for the heir to the throne, trying to use Sophie's deep religiousness for his own ends.

It was only after Franz Ferdinand's stepmother Maria Theresa had an audience with the emperor on April 8, 1900, that the couple received permission for a morganatic marriage .

On July 1, 1900, Sophie and Franz Ferdinand married in Reichstadt . Sophie renounced the succession to the throne for herself and her future children. Reichstadt Palace was used by Maria Theresa, Franz Ferdinand's stepmother, as a widow's residence. At the wedding neither his brothers Otto and Ferdinand Karl nor sister Margarete Sophie were present , but his stepmother with her daughters Maria Annunziata and Elisabeth Amalie . Sophie was given the title "Princess von Hohenberg" by Emperor Franz Joseph I granted. Although Sophie was the wife of the heir to the throne, she was treated as second class at court. For example, she was not allowed to sit in the court box in the theater or ride in the Archduke's carriage during parades.

From the imperial family, the two were only close to the crown prince widow Stephanie , who repeatedly invited Franz Ferdinand and Sophie to her castle in Hungary.

Eventually Sophie's position in court society improved. After the Bosnian annexation crisis had been resolved , she was allowed to act as godmother when a warship of the Austro-Hungarian Navy was launched.

On July 10, 1909, the heir apparent officially visited Sinaia in Romania at the invitation of King Charles I. This was the first state visit of the two and the princess was received extremely graciously by the Romanian Queen Elisabeth .

In order to alleviate the protocol complications, the Emperor awarded her the title of Duchess of Hohenberg on October 4, 1909 and allowed her to use the title of Highness with immediate effect. Numerous congratulatory telegrams were the result, u. a. from the German Emperor Wilhelm II , who had been friends with Franz Ferdinand for many years.

The attack and the consequences

The car in which Sophie Chotek von Chotkowa was shot, in the Army History Museum, Vienna
Bullet hole of the first bullet to fatally hit Sophie Chotek von Chotkowa

On June 28, 1914, Sophie and Franz Ferdinand were killed in an assassination attempt by Serb nationalists in Sarajevo. A member of the Black Hand , Gavrilo Princip , shot at the couple as their car made a turning maneuver.

The steel jacketed bullet fired by Princip from his 9 mm FN Browning Model 1910 pistol first penetrated the vehicle wall, causing the bullet to deform, become sharp-edged and begin to rotate. Then it hit Sophie in the abdomen and inflicted a number of injuries there, from which she bled to death within a very short time while still in the car itself. Franz Ferdinand, who was hit in the jugular vein and trachea, died shortly afterwards from his injuries. Gavrilo Princip later stated that his attack only targeted Franz Ferdinand. He didn't want Sophie to die too.

The assassination of the Austro-Hungarian heir to the throne was ultimately the trigger for the outbreak of the First World War .

Because of their morganatic marriage, Sophie and Franz Ferdinand were buried after being laid out in the Hofburg in Artstetten Castle in Lower Austria, with the refusal of a state funeral .

children

Museum reception

The automobile in which Sophie and her husband were shot can be seen in the Army History Museum in Vienna, where the bullet hole of the bullet that fatally hit Sophie can be clearly seen. A rose and a blood-stained lace cloth are also on display. These artifacts were worn by Duchess Sophie on the day of the assassination.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Weissensteiner: Franz Ferdinand. 1983, pp. 114-118.
  2. ^ Weissensteiner: Franz Ferdinand. 1983, pp. 121-122.
  3. ^ Weissensteiner: Franz Ferdinand. 1983, pp. 114-139.
  4. ^ Weissensteiner: Franz Ferdinand. 1983, p. 138.
  5. ↑ Ursula Prutsch, Klaus Zeyringer (ed.): Leopold von Andrian (1875–1951). Correspondence, notes, essays, reports. (= Publications of the Commission for Modern History of Austria 97) Böhlau, Vienna 2003, ISBN 3-205-77110-9 , p. 161.
  6. ^ Weissensteiner: Franz Ferdinand. 1983, Chapter: Personal Dual Monarchy: The Emperor and His Heir apparent.
  7. ↑ Johann Christoph Allmayer-Beck : The Army History Museum Vienna. Guide to the museum. Volume 4: Hall VI. The k. (U.) K. Army from 1867-1914. Kiesel, Salzburg 1989, p. 53.
  8. ^ Manfried Rauchsteiner : The Army History Museum in Vienna. Photos: Manfred Litscher. Publishing house Styria, Graz u. a. 2000, ISBN 3-222-12834-0 , p. 63.
  9. ^ Army History Museum / Military History Institute (ed.): The Army History Museum in the Vienna Arsenal . Verlag Militaria , Vienna 2016, ISBN 978-3-902551-69-6 , p. 108.

Web links

Commons : Sophie Chotek von Chotkowa  - Sophie Chotek von Chotkowa
personal data
SURNAME Chotek from Chotkowa, Sophie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Chotkova and Wognin, Sophie Maria Josephine Albina Chotek Countess of
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Wife of the Austrian heir to the throne, Franz Ferdinand
DATE OF BIRTH March 1, 1868
PLACE OF BIRTH Stuttgart
DATE OF DEATH June 28, 1914
Place of death Sarajevo