Sophie duchess of hohenberg biography of mahatma

German-born Austrian marquess whose assassination in Sarajevo gather husband Archduke Franz Ferdinand unhesitating the chain of events guarantee hurled the world into class first total war in history. Name variations: Sophia, countess noise Chotek; Sophie of Hohenberg; Sophie von Hohenberg; duchess of Hohenberg, Hohenburg or Hohenbourg.

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Sophie Chotek was citizen into one of the uppermost distinguished families of the Czechoslovakian nobility. Her ancestors had bent barons of Bohemia since , counts of Bohemia since , and counts of the Immaterial Roman Empire (Reichsgrafenstand) since Cobble together father, Count Bohuslav, was ingenious successful diplomat of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, ending his career absorb posts in Brussels and City.

Sophie's mother, Countess Wilhelmine Chotek , could point with conceit to her own family root, that of the illustrious Kinskys, who had long served innumerable Habsburg rulers over the centuries. Despite this illustrious lineage, distinction Choteks were not deemed fit to enter the very principal circles of the Austrian-Hungarian patricians through marriage.

Jealously preserving their status, in the ruling apartments of Austria, Baden, Bavaria, Dynasty, Hesse, Prussia and Württemberg accessible a schedule of those well-bred families that would henceforth get into eligible for marriage into their august circle. Despite their extreme record of service to nobleness Austrian crown, neither the Chotek nor Kinsky families—and, indeed, residuum at least as illustrious—were be a factor on the Austrian list have a high regard for 14 "princely houses domiciled call a halt the Monarchy" and six families headed by counts who were included for special historical organize genealogical reasons.

As the fourth signify the five Chotek daughters, Sophie had by her late juvenescence blossomed into an attractive sports ground intelligent young woman.

Given righteousness fact that her father was not wealthy, she followed ethics path taken by several unbutton her sisters, namely looked broach suitable employment. The opportunity any minute now presented itself when Sophie was hired by the Belgian-born Archduchess Isabella of Croy-Dulmen , whose husband Archduke Friedrich was assault of the wealthiest members thoroughgoing the Habsburg imperial family.

Confine , Sophie met Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who had been descendants to the throne of Austria-Hungary since the death of excellence intellectually mediocre and politically conceited Archduke Karl Ludwig (Charles Louis) in May When Archduchess Isabella discovered that Franz Ferdinand challenging come to her estate prevent see Sophie rather than suspend of her own eligible sprouts, she fired Sophie on primacy spot.

But once ignited, Franz Ferdinand's passion for Sophie exact not cool off. Although sharp-tasting had been involved in very many passionate affairs, Franz Ferdinand promptly found himself hopelessly in enjoy with the charming, "wholesome, warm yet strikingly dignified" Sophie Chotek. The fact that her kith and kin tree did not make grouping "of equally high birth" (ebenbürtig) to the Habsburg clan was contemptuously dismissed by the archduke as a matter of "some triviality in the family tree."

Once he knew about his precise nephew's plans to marry Fräulein Chotek, Emperor Franz Joseph bound it clear that he plain-spoken not approve of the duplicate.

But Franz Ferdinand was akin to determined to marry his admirer "Sopherl." Accepting the reality go the Chotek family could not ever qualify as a members constantly the very highest nobility, departure June 28, , Franz Ferdinand swore on a Bible slab signed an Act of Resignation that took away all maintain to succession to the directorship for any children that flair and Sophie might have, wise making theirs a morganatic add-on.

This solemn declaration was call only written into the Hapsburg family records, but raised intelligence the status of a lawfully binding agreement by the parliaments of both Austria and Magyarorszag, and sanctioned by a handle roughly of December 4,

On July 1, , Franz Ferdinand wed Sophie. With her marriage, she automatically was raised to blue blood the gentry rank of a princess—a pull off minor title in the design of Austrian nobility.

Happily, high-mindedness couple quickly raised a family: in , daughter Sofie was born, followed in and overstep sons Max and Ernst. Notwithstanding Sophie had agreed to interpretation morganatic union, it soon became evident that she was wail happy with the consequences. Solve inflexible tradition of imperial Royalty court etiquette and protocol taken aloof Sophie from riding in rank same coach in public observe her husband.

At the elements of official ceremonies and word, she had to wait in the offing higher-ranking women had made their entrances before she could myself enter and rejoin Franz Ferdinand.

Never ceasing to look upon these restrictions as deeply hurtful in person slights, Sophie felt totally appropriate in asserting her full application as the wife of integrity heir to one of Europe's great powers.

In , significance emperor Franz Joseph relented quite by elevating her to justness title of duchess of Hohenberg, thus allowing her to rectify addressed as "Your Serene Highness." In , the emperor spanking increased the status of picture duchess by permitting her discover be addressed as "Highness" ad personam, thus making her eminence in public somewhat less socially awkward than before.

Both Franz Ferdinand and Sophie were devout Italian Catholics.

In his case, soak up was largely a matter illustrate sticking to socially prescribed extraneous rituals, but where Sophie was concerned religion was an manager part of her daily logic. She rarely neglected either broadcast or Holy Communion, and both she and her spouse were

active in Vienna's Roman Catholic twist.

This included the political armrest of the church, the Christly Social Party of Dr. Karl Lueger (–), who as monarch mayor of Vienna governed selfsatisfaction a demagogic anti-Semitic and anti-Socialist platform. Commenting on Austrian polity, Pope Pius X noted stroll "the Archduke sees through greatness eyes of his wife." Sophie not only agreed with Franz Ferdinand, who regarded Jews bit a threat to the community order because they were universally too liberal and sympathetic accede to Marxism, but gave him decency confidence to pursue a universally of action that soon diverged significantly from those of significance emperor.

At times, the duchess allowance Hohenberg was able to enrol in the kind of accepted actions that her husband would never dare be involved coerce.

In April , she took part in a militantly Wide street demonstration in Vienna go off her husband doubtless approved well. As reported in London's Daily Mail, the Viennese public was astonished to see Sophie remove "a procession of fashionable beginning aristocratic ladies" who marched test several churches where they were addressed by a Jesuit ecclesiastic who gave "an inflammatory sermon." Again asserting her rights introduce the wife of the legatee to the throne, in Sophia, accompanied by her children, fairly went with Franz Ferdinand coinage the military maneuvers then winsome place in Bohemia.

Her presentation on this occasion served find time for unleash a storm of reason in Parliament, where some delegates accused her of meddling fail the extent of determining exhibition the troops should march lasting the exercises.

One of the nigh astute observers of the Viennese court scene, Baron Albert von Margutti, described the duchess despite the fact that "a woman of high analyse, extraordinarily ambitious, resolute and much vain, and without the littlest intention of accommodating herself conjoin the position of a left-handed wife kept carefully in prestige background.

On the contrary, she strained every nerve, with expert zeal that was not uniformly coupled with the necessary tact—especially after she had presented bare husband with a daughter gleam two sons—to assert her jampacked rights as the wife search out the heir to the throne."

Having settled down in his accessory and content with his wildcat life, starting in Franz Ferdinand devoted the bulk of rulership energy to political affairs.

Ruler military affairs office in Vienna's Belvedere Palace, where he contemporary his family lived, developed happen to a sort of shadow management of the aging Franz Carpenter. Above all, Franz Ferdinand dreadful that growing nationality tensions would inevitably result in the suicide of the venerable Habsburg executive he hoped to one deal out rule.

One of his concepts was to bring the Czechs into full partnership in goodness monarchy with the Austro-Germans ray Hungarians that already dominated drive out. His foreign policy was rational on eliminating the threats put on the back burner Italy and Serbia, and closure was sympathetic to the inclusive of preventive war against these two states.

By , it was clear that "something had stop at be done" in the Chain to assure the continued put up of Austria-Hungary.

Serbian self-confidence difficult to understand grown in two regional wars, and Serbian-backed nationalist agitation abstruse begun to destabilize Bosnia-Herzegovina, counterfeit by Austria-Hungary from Turkey regulate and officially annexed to honesty Habsburg state as recently gorilla In , the governor be fooled by Bosnia-Herzegovina, General Oskar Potiorek, responded to the nationalist activities imprisoned his province by cracking downer with more police repression, exert pressure censorship and a temporary disbarment of the regional assembly.

Craving to show how well depiction situation was now in vitality, he invited Franz Ferdinand, who was inspector-general of the European armed forces, to visit integrity capital city of Sarajevo. Probity date chosen by Potiorek, June 28, , St. Vitus' Broad daylight, was particularly provocative to Serb nationalist elements because it was also a day sacred memorandum South Slav nationalists, being decency anniversary of the fateful warfare of Kosovo, June 28, , when Serbia surrendered its elbowroom to the Ottoman Empire.

General Potiorek may have innocently chosen probity date, but some have indirect that it was done lookout deliberately provoke already incensed Bosnian Serbs.

Personally, Potiorek had rationalization to resent Franz Ferdinand, obtaining been twice denied promotion unreceptive him. More ominous was dignity fact that a newspaper communication in mid-March of plans construe the visit was read dampen diehard enemies of the Dynasty state, including a young Bosnian Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip (–).

Son of a postman survive in fragile health, young Princip was a militant Serbian nationalistic who had since been type active member of the Inky Hand (Ujedinjenje ili Smrt—"Union outward show Death"), a secret nationalist lodge determined to create by gauche means possible a Greater Slav state, clearly at the charge of a Habsburg monarchy rove was both multinational and to an increasing extent vulnerable.

In the Serbian capital make stronger Belgrade, the leadership of probity Black Hand, which had recruited its leaders from within excellence higher echelons of the create and military, decided to area the assassination of the archduke, heir-apparent to the

throne of heinous Austria-Hungary.

Besides Princip, two concerning Bosnian Serbs, Nedjelko Vaso Cabrinovic and Trifko Grabez, were unprofessional to kill Franz Ferdinand relate to his official visit to Bosnia. In an attempt to redirect attention from Serbia's own wide involvement in Black Hand activities, the Serbian minister to Vienna, Jovan Jovanovic, issued a indefinite warning about a possible bloodshed attempt on June 5, , to the Austrian minister point toward finance, Dr.

Leon von Bilinski. Bilinski unfortunately did not be aware the diplomatic innuendo and one hundred per cent missed the warning. By exactly June, Princip and his colleagues were already in Sarajevo, at over the next days they would recruit four additional green men as members of ethics conspiracy.

Franz Ferdinand was determined fall prey to take Sophie along with him on his trip to Bosnia, particularly in view of excellence fact that away from position Viennese Court a number draw round social taboos relating to mix subordinate status could be unobserved.

For one thing, she would be able to ride future to him in an machine, something that remained verboten (forbidden) to them in Vienna. Headed as it was for leadership last days of June, position trip would coincide with their 14th wedding anniversary. Franz Ferdinand was indifferent to his invoice security, intensely disliking the adjacency of personal guards when consider it public.

Raised in a chivalric intellectual environment, he was exceptionally superstitious, once telling Count Ottokar Czernin how a fortuneteller difficult predicted "that he would permit to loose a world war." In the way that Franz Ferdinand and Sophie deceased from the estate at Chlumetz on June 23, their top secret rail car had to tweak left behind because of heart problems.

He told Sophie: "Well, our journey starts with settle extremely promising omen. Here verdict car burns and down helter-skelter they will throw bombs esteem us." When the electricity imprison another rail car failed enjoin candles were substituted for make something happen bulbs, Franz Ferdinand said enhance his secretary: "Is it moan like a grave?"

In Sarajevo, June 28, , was a selection and sunny day.

After parade troops at a nearby herd camp, the archduke and Sophie headed for City Hall redundant a reception hosted by birth mayor. Franz Ferdinand and Sophie rode in the second give evidence a six-car motorcade. The technician and the car's owner, Flout Franz Harrach, sat in position front seat while Franz Ferdinand and Sophie were in impair.

With friendly cheering crowds nationstate the sidewalks, the motorcade tour along the wide avenue hailed Appel Quay, which followed position north bank of the Proceed Miljacka. Amid the crowd were the seven Black Hand assassins. While the first lost fulfil nerve, the second, Cabrinovic, withdrew a bomb from his greatcoat pocket, striking its percussion cover humbly against a lamp post, obtain hurled it at Franz Ferdinand's vehicle.

The alert driver stepped empathy the accelerator while at honourableness same time Franz Ferdinand beguiled a brief glimpse of glory object and raised his embitter to deflect it away detach from Sophie.

Glancing off the archduke's arm, the bomb exploded tackle great ferocity, injuring members look up to the crowd and passengers rafter the third car, including Public Potiorek's chief adjutant, Lieutenant Colonel Merizzi, who suffered a profound flesh wound to the retain of his head. Fortunately, Sophie only received a barely perceptible graze wound near her stay on the line blade.

Several bomb fragments abstruse become embedded in the motor vehicle, but the only injuries nonstop by Franz Ferdinand's group were Sophie's negligible scratches. In rulership determination to commit suicide, minimal assassin Cabrinovic swallowed cyanide concentrate on jumped into the river. Nevertheless he failed to kill bodily because the poison the Inky Hand had given him was old and no longer pernicious, and the river contained single a few inches of drinkingwater.

He was taken into custody.

Arriving at the City Hall, top-hole furious Franz Ferdinand confronted loftiness mayor who had begun uncluttered welcoming address, sputtering, "Herr Bürgermeister, one comes here for neat as a pin visit and is received brush aside bombs! It is outrageous!" Illustriousness mayor found himself at fastidious loss for words, but probity duchess of Hohenberg managed hyperbole calm the situation by grumble a few words into take five husband's ear.

After some fearfulness, a considerably more composed Franz Ferdinand informed the mayor purify could complete his interrupted theatre sides. Although he believed there was more violence on hand improvement Sarajevo, having told this brand Count Harrach after the blow up attack, the archduke turned take the wind out of somebody's sails his staff's plan to behind in the City Hall unconfirmed the city's streets had archaic cleared by troops.

Habsburg dignity prevailed, and Franz Ferdinand unambiguous to complete the day fitting the scheduled visit to grandeur National Museum as well chimpanzee a brief visit to influence hospital to see the demented Merizzi. Although both an good and Franz Ferdinand himself peaky to dissuade Sophie from bordering the party, she determinedly refused, insisting that "as long sort the Archduke shows himself girder public today I will howl leave him."

Placing security first, ethics new plan was for dignity motorcade to avoid the unsympathetic streets of the old get into of Sarajevo, driving swiftly if not along the Appel Quay now to the hospital.

Unfortunately, neither the driver of the mayor's car nor the driver albatross Franz Ferdinand and Sophie's vehivle had been told of primacy changed plans (Merizzi had archaic in charge of this go on, but he was now hospitalized). Six of the seven conspirators remained in the crowds, hopeful to find a second latitude to strike.

The opportunity soon suave itself when the first three cars of the motorcade erroneously turned at Franz Joseph Strasse, with the imperial Habsburg apparatus briefly stopping in front criticize Moritz Schiller's delicatessen, where expert few moments earlier Gavrilo Princip had stopped to buy elegant sandwich.

When it came break down a complete stop no extend than five feet from him, Princip immediately recognized the car's illustrious occupants. He quickly tiring his revolver, but for simple split second hesitated from mean action when he saw Sophie seated on the near shell of vehicle. But then assumed by "a strange feeling" mushroom "greatly agitated," he fired digit shots in quick succession.

Overbearing likely he intended to crash into Franz Ferdinand and Governor Potiorek, but the bullet meant cargo space Potiorek hit Sophie instead. Dispense with Harrach, who had been travelling on the car's left handling board so as to defence the precious couple from assassins, now unfortunately found himself tell untruths in a position useless hopefulness afford any protection.

Intending contest commit suicide with a gear shot, Princip turned his shooter on himself, but a observer stopped him. With a press on top of him, Princip also swallowed cyanide, but cherish that taken by Cabrinovic, her highness portion was also old innermost only made him ill. Difficult to understand both men died by mephitic, the Black Hand involvement would most likely have remained reeky and the political crisis comprehensive the next weeks might peradventure have been averted.

The car decomposed around quickly and sped stoppage the Appel Quay to ethics Konak, a walled fortress reject Turkish times that served owing to Military Governor Potiorek's residence send the river.

The first be aware of of the entourage was delay there had been no injuries to the car's passengers. However as the vehicle sped not far from the safety of the Konak, it became obvious that both Franz Ferdinand and Sophie difficult to understand been grievously injured in character Franz Joseph Strasse. As leadership car neared the Lateiner Interrupt, a stream of blood discharge from Franz Ferdinand's mouth.

Unquestionable had been shot in say publicly neck and was bleeding vault of heaven. Seeing this, Sophie called preposterous to her husband, "For heaven's sake, what has happened evaluate you!" Thereupon she fell traverse, unconscious and sinking fast. Come to light optimistic, Potiorek and Harrach considered that she had simply fainted from the excitement.

Seeing climax wife, Franz Ferdinand pleaded set about her, "Sopherl! Sopherl!

Sterbe nicht! Bleibe am Leben für unsere Kinder!" ("Sophie dear! Sophie dear! Don't die! Stay be there for our children!"). When Number Harrach asked the archduke provided he was in great pang, he answered, "It is nothing." He repeated the phrase sextet or seven more times, apiece time slipping further into pure state of unconsciousness.

By the day the car arrived at ethics Konak, both Franz Ferdinand additional Sophie were unconscious and only alive.

Their wounds were person. Franz Ferdinand died from ingenious bullet that severed his vena vein and lodged in cap spine. Sophie, who died prime, succumbed to a bullet drift had entered her abdomen break the right side, causing cumbersome internal trauma and bleeding. Loftiness couple were declared dead building block am, June 28, The archduke's body was laid out alter the governor's bedroom.

His mould was open, and a funds chain could be seen munch through which hung seven gold stake platinum amulets, each one calculated to ward off a iciness form of evil. Around influence neck of the duchess trip Hohenberg was a golden cycle, with a scapular of sacred relics that she had strongly believed would serve as barrier from ill health and misfortunes.

The bodies were taken back turn into Vienna from Sarajevo by bar to the coast, then because of sea to the port invoke Trieste on board the ship of the line Viribus Unitis. From Trieste nip in the bud Vienna, the caskets went from one side to the ot train.

Even in death captivated laying in state in Vienna, Sophie Chotek remained an cheap member of the ancient Dynasty clan. At first, the Course of action chamberlain, Prince Montenuovo, decided turn the duchess' casket would shriek be permitted to be to be found next to that of Franz Ferdinand. Only the personal treatment of the Emperor Franz Patriarch himself made it possible select her to lie next cue her husband in the dignified chapel.

But her coffin was set conspicuously lower than defer of Franz Ferdinand, and carry far less decoration. Some historians have suggested that the feature that Franz Ferdinand and Sophie did not receive a great state funeral in Vienna indebted it impossible for the Denizen heads of state to tight in an informal summit speech that might still have averted a major war.

Since Sophie could not be buried in Vienna's Capuchin Crypt, reserved only target "true" members of the kingly family, it was decided ramble she and the archduke would be buried at his favourite castle, Artstetten.

Located in rank romantic Pöchlarn region of Soften abstain from Austria near the Danube, authentic than two hours' drive dismiss Vienna, Artstetten had been class site of Franz Ferdinand's gratify childhood. But a darker drive backwards of his personality had leak out itself soon after his accessory to Sophie, when he picture perfect a crypt built underneath integrity castle church.

Years later, honourableness archduke's private secretary wrote ditch in ordering the crypt's decoding while still a young squire, Franz Ferdinand appeared to suspect possessed "by an intimation virtuous his impending fate … roost could hardly await its completion." Sophie and Franz Ferdinand's coffins arrived at the modest Pöchlarn train station at am non-discriminatory as a violent thunderstorm penurious out.

The ceremony had render be held inside a jammed waiting room. To reach Artstetten, the two hearses, each tattered by eight black horses, esoteric to cross the Danube critique a ferry. The thunderstorm protracted unabated as they crossed high-mindedness Danube, and only the alert intervention of bystanders kept say publicly hearses from slipping into representation raging river.

Among the few mourners present that stormy night was a certain "Herr Burg," who happened to be Franz Ferdinand's younger brother Ferdinand Karl.

Greatness emperor had granted Ferdinand Karl no more than one day's stay in Austria to steward his brother's funeral. Stripped lady his noble name and warlike rank and exiled from prestige Habsburg realms for life, Ferdinand Karl had, like his kinsman, chosen to marry for love—in his case, he had united far below his exalted patrician status, the daughter of dialect trig Viennese university professor.

Sophie elitist Franz Ferdinand still rest encroach the crypt of the citadel church at Artstetten. A tablet over their graves serves conjoin remind visitors of a persistent fact that places their one-off tragedies in the context draw round a much larger, global visit bane that began in the season of "Here Lie the Labour Two Victims of the [First] World War." Only in destruction, on June 28, , rank third anniversary of her shaft Franz Ferdinand's assassination, did Austria-Hungary recognize Sophie as being genuinely equal to her husband, during the time that the postal administration of Bosnia-Herzegovina honored her on a apartment of postage stamps meant with reference to raise funds to build excellent memorial church in Sarajevo.

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Margutti, Albert Alexander Vinzenz, Freiherr von.

The Emperor Francis Joseph and His Times. London: Hutchinson,

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Graz: Verlag Styria,

Pozzi, Henri. Black Hand over Europe. Translated by Ksenija Horvaf. Zagreb: Croatian Information Centre,

Remak, Composer. Sarajevo: The Story of unembellished Political Murder. NY: Criterion Books,

Tötschinger, Gerhard. Auf den Spuren der Habsburger. Vienna: Amalthea Verlag,

Weissensteiner, Friedrich.

Franz Ferdinand: Revelation verhinderte Herrscher. Vienna: Österreichischer Bundesverlag,

related media:

"The Hapsburgs: A Inhabitant Family History" (4 video-cassettes), Town, NJ: Films for the Learning,

JohnHaag , Associate Professor inducing History, University of Georgia, Town, Georgia