Monday 4 July 2011

The Uncrowned Emperor -- Otto von Habsburg (1912-2011). RIP

Abiit ad maiores -- His Imperial and Royal Highness Crown Prince Otto of Austria, Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia, Grand Master of the Order of the Golden Fleece (Austria), titular Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia (20 Nov 1912 - 4 July 2011). R.I.P.

Queen Elizabeth II will celebrate 60 years as Head of the Royal House of Windsor next year. HIRH Crown Prince Otto was Head of the Austrian Royal & Imperial House of Habsburg for an almost unbelievable 89 years.


HIRH Crown Prince Otto with his parents Their Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesties Blessed Karl I & IV and Zita, the last Emperor and Empress of Austria

Franz Joseph Otto Robert Maria Anton Karl Max Heinrich Sixtus Xavier Felix Renatus Ludwig Gaetan Pius Ignatius Habsburg-Lothringen was the son of His Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty Blessed Karl I & IV, Emperor of Austria, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Bohemia, Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavnoia and Galicia, Lodomeria and Illyria, King of Jerusalem, Archduke of Austria; Grand Duke of Tuscany and Krakow, Duke of Lorraine and of Salzburg, of Styria, of Carinthia, of Carniola and of the Bukovina; Grand Prince of Transylvania, Margrave of Moravia, Duke of Upper and Lower Silesia, of Modena, Parma, Piacenza and Guastall, of Auschwitz and Zator, of Teschen, Friuli, Ragusa and Zara; Princely Count of Habsburg and Tyrol, of Kyburg, Gorizia and Gradisca, Prince of Trent and Brixen; Margrave of Upper and Lower Lusatia and in Istria; Count of Hohenems, Feldkirch, Bregenz, Sonnenberg, Lord of Trieste, of Cattaro and in the Windic March; Grand Voivode of the Voivodship of Serbia by his consort Her Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty Empress Zita (nee Bourbon-Parma) of Austria, Apostlic Queen of Hungary and Queen of Bohemia. 


HIRH Otto at his family home Schonbrunn in Vienna
HIRH was Grand Master of the Most Illustrious Order of the Golden Fleece (Austria)

Amongst his numerous honours he was a:

Knight of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation
Knight of the Royal Order of San Gennaro
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Vicosa
Bailiff Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta
Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III
Grand Cross of the Order of St. Grergory the Great with Star
Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Recipient of the Order of Merit of Bavaria
Order of St. Stephen of Hungary
Recipient of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order
Grand Cross of the Order of St. Hubert of Bavaria
Grand Cross of the Order of the Golden Lion of the House of Nassau (Luxembourg)
Grand Cross of the Grand Order of King Dmitar Zvonimir (Croatia)
Order of the Cross of Terra Marian (Estonia)
Grand Cross of Merit of the Republic of Hungary
Commander of the Legion of Honour of France
Grand Cross of St. Agatha of San Marino
Grand Cross of the Order of the Three Stars of Latvia
Honorary Knight of the Teutonic Order



3 comments:

Red Sean said...

The last knight of a golden age!

Philip said...

One extraordinary detail of Archduke Otto's life is that in 1961 Generalisimo Francisco Franco offered him the throne of Spain, Franco having ensured for himself the right to nominate his successor, and that his successor would be King of Spain. Otto declined, and advised Franco that he should nominate Prince Juan Carlos de Borbón, which Franco did eight years later, Juan Carlos succeeding Franco, as King of Spain, on 22 November 1975, on Franco's death.

Philip said...

One extraordinary detail of Archduke Otto's life is that in 1961 Generalisimo Francisco Franco offered him the throne of Spain, Franco having ensured for himself the right to nominate his successor, and that his successor would be King of Spain. Otto declined, and advised Franco that he should nominate Prince Juan Carlos de Borbón, which Franco did eight years later, Juan Carlos succeeding Franco, as King of Spain, on 22 November 1975, on Franco's death.